As has long been expected, Secretary of State Sam Reed announced that he would retire at the end of his current term, and not seek reelection in 2012. A Republican, Reed was first elected to the office in 2000, after serving 23 years as Thurston County Auditor.
I can’t say I’ve agreed with Reed on every issue, for example his advocacy for our bullshit, top-two primary or his efforts to change the ballot deadline from postmarked by to received by election day. I’ve also had concerns over what I see as an almost nonexistent effort to root out signature fraud in the initiative industry. But if you’re expecting me to pronounce “good riddance,” simply because Reed is a Republican, don’t hold your breath.
In many ways, Washington state was supremely fortunate to have a Republican like Reed running the Secretary of State’s office during the turmoil of the 2004 gubernatorial election controversy. Again, I didn’t agree with all of his decisions, and he deserves some blame for letting events get out from under him during the early weeks of the dispute. But there is little question that Reed attempted to execute his office as fairly and neutrally as one could possibly hope for from a partisan elected official. More than anything, Reed deserves credit for helping to preserve and restore confidence in our election systems, and for this he earned my respect.
So thanks, Sam, for your public service, and I wish you all the best in retirement. Except, you know, whenever you work to elect other Republicans. In those efforts I hope you fall flat on your face.
On of only three Republicans I’ve ever voted for. (One of the other two was a protest vote.)
Washington was lucky to have this guy. Colorado’s Secretary of State (elected because of the GOP wave, and for no other reason) is all but trying to make it impossible for Democrats to win major elections here.
Though I’m a liberal Democrat, I respect Sam Reed’s relative impartiality, and I voted for him at least once (and Ralph Munro before him.) But he’s going to be the last Republican I vote for, ever, until the party as a whole makes massive changes both locally and nationally.
It’s thanks to Sam Reed that the Washington State Archives has been decimated and the funding diverted toward plans for a redundant state history museum. It will take a long time for the Archives and the functions the agency supports (such as open government and FOIA) to recover.
Sam Reed is representative of what all public servants should strive to be: competent and without ego. A well-deserved retirement, though he will be missed.
Sad to see him go, he was a great Sec of State
I’m really curious to see what The Stranger will think of the people gunning for Reed’s seat.
Somewhere, a lone tear of joy runs down Eyman’s cheek.
Like a couple other people here, Reed was my sole Republican vote in ’08 (and probably one of only 3 or 4 in my entire voting life). I figured once he was gone, that I’d go back to voting D down the line. However, Kim Wyman, the Thurston County Auditor is thinking of running for his seat. She’s about the most decent Republican I can think of. I know the Thurston County Dems always held out a little glimmer of hope that she’d switch parties. At this early stage, I’d be inclined to vote for her.
Secretary Reed: your service to the Evergreen State speaks for itself. I am proud to call myself a supporter and Washingtonian.