Washblog

I don't know about the rest of Washington, but here in South King County, the Democratic state Representatives really are representatives of the people.  They are out there at community and social and political events and they're friendly and they talk with people.

Representative Upthegrove is in this tradition.  I don't live in his district, the 33rd, but I see him often. When I showed up to wave signs for NO on I-912 on the corner of 1st Avenue and 148th Street in Burien, he was there. I saw him at the July 4 parade in Covington -- or was that Kent? He was at a Drinking Liberally in Burien a few months ago. I saw him at a candidates forum in the Kent library before the election. There was a community dinner recently too... what was that? I lose track.

Upthegrove is Chair of the House Select Committee on Puget Sound, and here he is quoted in a recent Seattle Times article on the legislative agenda for the environment. Here's his My Space page.  I subscribe to it and occasionally follow the links to the blog entries, which tend to detail days packed with meetings with teachers, environmentalists, journalists, lobbyists, business people, other legislators and government officials, etc. He notes meeting blogger, Andrew Villeneuve, founder of Northwest Progressive Institute at a recent event. One of the entries not too long ago recounted a triathlon he completed: running, biking, swimming. Then he dried off and went to a meeting or panel or something. How cool is that!