Brad Shannon:
The Politics Blog

Brad Shannon maintains this blog. He is political editor at The Olympian and can be reached at 360-753-1688 or bshannon@theolympian.com.

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Governing Magazine recognizes Sam Reed

• Published October 27, 2009

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Secretary of State Sam Reed's dream of a Heritage Center at the Capitol Campus is hitting some rough spots, but the moderate Republican is getting recognition for his election-reform efforts and efforts to look beyond party label on some political issues.

Governing Magazine announced this week that Reed is one of eight winners this year of its "2009 Public Officials of the Year." The citation says the Reed "exuded fairness in managing a disputed gubernatorial election in 2004, then reformed the administration of elections in his state."

I'm sure state Democratic Party chairman Dwight Pelz, who has tangled with Reed over Reed's advocacy of the state's Louisiana-style "top two" primary, choked on his breakfast cereal when he read the news. The Building Industry Association of Washington and other critics of elections irregularities in Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire's 133-vote victory in the 2004 election also might quibble � especially with this picture the magazine has of Reed posing over the headline, "Counting on Fairness."

But as the profile under the picture says this about 2004 and Reed:

What's most telling about how Reed handled the situation is that both parties were angry at him at one time or another. He followed instincts for fairness, not gamesmanship. Reed proved his independence again in a debate over changing how Washington State's primary elections are conducted. The parties favor "closed" primaries, open only to party members. Reed successfully championed a "top two" primary, whereby the two highest vote-getters, regardless of party, go on to the general election. It's a system, he likes to say, that allows citizens to vote for the person�not the political party.

The Tacoma News Tribune's opinion page weighed in on the honor today, saying Reed and Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley were "the only two statewide elected officials being honored."