Here's a note of irony: Both Gary Locke and Ron Sims, who is about to become deputy HUD secretary, were co-chairmen of the Hilary Clinton campaign in Washington, and they both may get into Obama's administration. Yet, U.S. Rep. Adam Smith of Tacoma, who was a very, very early Obama supporter, doesn't want an appointment in Obama's administration. Go figure.

BY Joseph Turner
joe.turner@thenewstribune.com

Former Washington Gov. Gary Locke’s many trade missions while he was in office, as well as his subsequent practice in international law, have served to groom hi for what could be an appointment as U.S. Commerce Secretary, according to state officials who either worked for or with the ex-governor.

“He would be great,” said Valoria Loveland, who was state Agriculture Secretary for six years -- two under Locke and four under Gov. Chris Gregoire.

“He’s extremely smart,” Loveland said. “He understands how finances and businesses work in the United States. He has a really good knowledge of international commerce. And he’s held in very high regard in the foreign countries that we visited.”

“I think he’d be an excellent choice,” said Brent Heinemann, was -- and still is -- state director of international relations and protocol for all eight years Locke was governor. “He has experience traveling in many parts of the world, speaking not only on behalf of Washington state, but also promoting the United States internationally on free trade and mitigation of trade barriers.”

Loveland and Heinemann accompanied Locke on most or all of trade missions that Locke led to China, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Mexico, Taiwan, Vietnam, France and Singapore during two terms in office, from 1997 to 2005.

The Associated Press reported Monday that Locke may be nominated by President Barack Obama by the end of the week to become U.S. Secretary of Commerce.

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Locke was mentioned in December 2008 as a possible Secretary of Interior nominee. The FBI made inquiries earlier this year because Locke also was being considered for the job of federal trade representative in the Obama Administration, said Marty Brown, Locke’s budget director for six years and currently legislative liaison for Gov. Chris Gregoire.
Locke would be Obama’s third choice for the commerce job. His first choice, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, withdrew in January after disclosure that a grand jury was investigation allegations of wrongdoing in the award of contracts in his state. His second pick, New Hampshire Gov. Judd Gregg, withdrew two weeks ago citing irresolvable conflicts with Obama’s policies.
Whether he was trying to persuade Mexico to allow the import of Washington apples and potatoes, or talking South Korea into accepting shipments of Washington beef after the mad cow scare, or cutting grand-opening ribbons for Starbucks stores in China, Locke was the consummate diplomat, Loveland said.
“He was a big introduction card, too,” Loveland said. “When we travelled with him, we met presidents of countries,” as well as their underlings. “He is so bright and has lots of energy, honest, straight-forward. He self-educated himself along the way.
“He was a quick study and made sure we understood the protocol and what was expected of us in ever country we went to,” she said.
Locke now works for the Seattle law firm of Davis Wright Tremaine, handling international clients.
“The last time I saw him (about a year ago), he was going back and forth to China and Japan on a regular basis, maybe once a month,” Loveland said.
Fred Kiga, who was Locke’s chief of staff from 2001 to 2004, said Locke particularly a big hit in Asian countries.
“The trips I went on, he was a rock star,” said Kiga, who now is Boeing’s vice president for global corporate citizenship and its main liaison for state and local governments. “First, he was good looking and intelligent. And he was the first Chinese-American governor on the mainland U.S.”
The Commerce post is typically not one of the more high-profile jobs in any administration. The head of the department oversees agencies responsible for the once-a-decade census, for oceans policy and for many aspects of international trade, among other things.
But in Obama’s administration, the delay in getting a Commerce secretary has been top news in large part because it has been accompanied by other Cabinet troubles. He still does not have a Health and Human Services secretary, either. Former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle withdrew his nomination for that post amid a tax controversy.
The loss of Gregg for the Commerce job also highlighted the difficulty Obama has had reaching out to Republicans. Gregg would have been one of three Republicans Obama had put in his Cabinet to emphasize his campaign pledge that he would be an agent of bipartisan change. Despite those and other efforts, Obama drew hardly any GOP support for his main legislative priority, the stimulus package.
Locke, 59, was born into an immigrant family and lived in a Seattle public housing project until he was 6. He graduated from Yale University, which he attended with a combination of scholarships and financial aid, and Boston University Law School.
He lists among his accomplishments as governor a package of tax breaks that persuaded The Boeing Co. to assemble its new 787 jetliner in Everett, north of Seattle, and expanded transportation and construction budgets.
At Davis Wright Tremaine, the former governor has worked on issues involving China, energy and governmental relations. He argues that global engagement is a way to improve China’s human rights record and deal with piracy of intellectual property.
Locke is married to Mona Lee Locke, a former television news reporter who is now executive director of the regional affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation, a breast cancer research and advocacy organization. They have three children.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Joseph Turner: 253-597-8436
blogs.thenewstribune.com/politics