Pierce County state representative decides to retire after 21 years in the Legislature
Rep. Steve Kirby announced he will not be seeking another term next year after 21 years in the Washington state Legislature.
Kirby, who represents the 29th Legislative District encompassing South Tacoma, Lakewood and Spanaway, said he and his wife, Beckie Summers, are ready for the next chapter of their lives.
“I turned 70 about a month ago, so I’ve been old enough to retire for a long time – I’ve just never been smart enough,” he told House Democrats in a caucus meeting on Thursday.
Kirby was elected to the Tacoma City Council 44 years ago when he was 25 years old.
“The sooner I step aside, the sooner someone else can get to where I am,” Kirby told The News Tribune.
He said he values his bipartisanship the most. He gained a reputation for his work with Republicans.
“We all know that Kirby bills don’t die in the Republican caucus,” he said. “So many people say they want to work across the aisle, but they don’t know how or they really don’t want to.”
House minority leader Rep. J.T. Wilcox (R-Yelm) said he was sad to hear of Kirby’s announcement.
“He is a good, old-fashioned legislator. He was sincere in trying to work with all sides,” Wilcox told The News Tribune. “He is really fair-minded, not a single partisan bone in his body. The statehouse loses his institutional knowledge and immense reservoir of goodwill.”
House speaker and Tacoma’s 27th District Rep. Laurie Jinkins (D-Tacoma) said she will miss one of her best advisors.
“He has been a good advisor to me, and at times giving me advice I don’t want to hear. We have been in fights, and we have collaborated on even more solutions,” she told The News Tribune. “He will be missed, but he has served this city and Pierce County well. He is entitled to retire. He has done work well.”
After more than four decades in elected positions, Kirby has been a fierce advocate for constituents, Jinkins said.
“Because of that breadth of experience he has, he is good at bringing in how constituents are going to feel about an issue,” she said.
She recalled Kirby spearheading the 2009 Pierce County effort to vote against a solar-and-wind energy bill with a utility section that would have negatively impacted Tacoma Public Utilities. The legislators told The News Tribune that Tacoma ratepayers would bear an unfair share of the cost of making the state’s utilities include more sources of renewable energy, according to archives. The Pierce County and Vancouver delegation of Republicans and Democrats banded together against the bill, calling themselves the “Tacoma Pirates.”
Jinkins said the delegation wore eye patches to the floor. Kirby’s office is still full of pirate paraphernalia, like hand hooks and pirate hats that he said he will wear when displeased with a bill.
Both Jinkins and Wilcox agreed that Kirby’s humor and knowledge would be missed.
“He brings humor to the floor and he knows his policy,” Jinkins said.
Kirby described most of his bills as “boring and technical” but said they made small, meaningful changes. He is proud of his work on consumer protection bills, like insurance coverage. He heads the Consumer Protection and Business Committee.
“If someone walks into my office and wants me to help them, and it doesn’t hurt anyone and I agree with it, I sign on and shepherd it through,” Kirby said.
Redistricting has also played a part in his decision to step down. Every 10 years, legislative district boundaries are redrawn. Kirby said he has no interest in campaigning in new areas when he won’t be staying for long.
“My wife said I’ve got at most another two years in me,” he told The News Tribune. “Why would I want to start in a new district and only be there for two years and someone else has to step in?”
He has been a member of many local organizations, like the Tacoma Athletic Commission, the Tacoma Executives Association, the Pierce County Democratic Central Committee Executive Board, and the Pierce County Young Democrats.
This story was originally published December 16, 2021 at 2:01 PM with the headline "Pierce County state representative decides to retire after 21 years in the Legislature."
