Laurie Dolan of Olympia running for state House

A former teacher, school administrator and aide to Gov. Chris Gregoire is running to represent Thurston County in the Legislature.

Olympia Democrat Laurie Dolan on Monday became the first to announce a 2016 bid for the seat in the state House now occupied by Rep. Chris Reykdal.

The heavily Democratic 22nd District covers the urban core of Thurston County. Reykdal, D-Tumwater, is giving up the position to run statewide for superintendent of public instruction.

Before moving to Olympia to become Gregoire’s first-term policy director, Dolan said, she spent 30 years in Spokane Public Schools, including stints on both sides of the collective-bargaining table. She twice ran unsuccessfully for the state Senate in Spokane.

“Washington is at a critical juncture as we try to find solutions to numerous issues including how we meet McCleary requirements to fully fund our schools and how we address pressing issues like climate change, income inequality and our regressive tax system,” Dolan said in a news release announcing her campaign.

This story was originally published September 14, 2015 at 3:18 PM with the headline "Laurie Dolan of Olympia running for state House."