PORT TOWNSEND — Calling for civil discourse among Republicans and Democrats in the state Legislature, retiring state Rep. Lynn Kessler choked back tears as she said farewell to more than 50 attending Monday’s Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce luncheon.
Kessler received standing ovations at the beginning and end of her final address as a senior state lawmaker to the East Jefferson County crowd.
Debate, incivility
“We had real debate, but it slowly moved to a pretty uncivil place,” Kessler said, recalling the years since she was first elected and entered office in 1993.
“We don’t have to hate each other because we have different views.”
Kessler, D-Hoquiam and longtime House majority leader who garnered respect from both sides of the political aisle, urged those in the chamber audience at the Elks Lodge to demand respect and civility in public discourse, especially when it involves elected leaders.
“I certainly believe that I represented all the people in my district, not just Democrats,” Kessler said.
Kessler will continue to represent the 24th District, which includes Clallam and Jefferson counties and a third of Grays Harbor County, until the new Legislature convenes in January.
As majority leader, Kessler has been the second ranking Democrat in the state House for more than a decade.
Health issues
Citing health issues related to the past two “stressful” years in the Legislature, Kessler said she would be approaching age 72 by the end of another two-year term.
She faced health challenges during this legislative session.
“I was waking up in the middle of the night with my heart pounding so hard that I couldn’t sleep,” she said, so she went to a cardiologist for an examination.
“By the time I left, I found out that I had pneumonia.”
She said she took medication and aspirin to help her through the illness, but after discussing the situation with her husband she decided it would be her last term.
“It’s not going to get any better in Olympia,” she said. “It’s probably going to get worse.”
Kessler said instead her family can now throw a birthday party for her in February, the first time in 18 years.
“I am going to kick off my new life with a grandchildren fix and a family fix,” she said.
Kessler said she hoped to remain on the state’s Sunshine Committee that monitors open government in the state.
The Legislature was faced with compensating for a $12 billion deficit, Kessler said.
“We tried to patch that together without creating chaos,” she said, adding it resulted in $5.1 billion in cuts and unfunded services and temporarily suspending initiatives to make up for the lost revenue.
She said accomplishments in the 60-day session with a 30-day special session included keeping 16,000 children in state-funded health care programs, saving assistance to 60,000 low-income families and college financial aid for 12,000 needy students.
