Saying she wants to concentrate on her run for Pierce County Auditor, Julie Anderson said today was her last day as a senior policy adviser for the state Department of Commerce. She has held the job since March of 2007.

“When I filed for candidacy, I knew this would be a tough race. I didn’t want to work full-time as a state employee and run a serious campaign simultaneously,” Anderson said in a statement issued by her campaign. “I resigned to protect the integrity of State government and to show that I am serious about this campaign.”

She said she and her supervisor had discussed taking a leave of absence or furlough but decided it was best for her to resign.
Anderson said she hoped the resignation would head off questions of impropriety and allow her to concentrate on her campaign.

Tacoma council positions are part time and most members have other jobs. Anderson is currently the deputy mayor, a position selected by other members of the council.

Adam Wilson of The Olympian and Rich Roesler of the (Spokane) Spokesman Review announced this week they are taking other jobs.

Adam is going to write speeches for the governor; Rich is going to handle communications for the insurance commissioner. I suspect both are getting hefty pay raises.

I can't fault them in the least. The newspaper industry is going through some pretty bad throes and both Adam and Rich have taken pay and benefit cuts that they don't deserve. And they have young families.

I'm not going to rattle off all the others who have left the statehouse beat in just the past year, but that list is longer than the list of those of us who are left.

The most worrisome aspect of the ongoing erosion of the state capitol press corps is that YOU are losing your future watchdogs. Both of these guys are in the early to middle years of their careers. They're the "best and brightest."

Their respective newspapers say they will be replaced. But there is a lot of institutional knowledge that each of their replacements will have to gain. And that will take time.

By my count, we are down to 7 reporters, not enough to cover all the bases -- not in baseball, not in state government.

Here is Rich's goodbye. And here is Adam's.

And just to punctuate the issue, here's another job opening in state government: Gov. Chris Gregoire needs a press secretary. It pays $75,000 to $80,000 a year.

ORGANIZATION: Washington State Office of the Governor
POSITION: Press Secretary
SALARY RANGE: $75,000 per year
CLOSING DATE: July 12

=> Read more!

They're calling it a "Republican Resurgence Rally" and Michael Steele will the special guest.

Steele is a former lieutenant governor of Maryland and the first African-American to lead the national GOP. The rally begins at 6 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue Hotel, 900 Bellevue Way NE. Admission is $25.

Also speaking will be state Attorney General Rob McKenna, state Senate Minority Leader Mike Hewitt and state party chairman Luke Esser.

For $500, attendees get into a a VIP reception and photo opportunity with Steele, beginning at 5 p.m.

Watch Esser's invitation.