PORT ANGELES — Retiring state Rep. Lynn Kessler said voters should elect Steve Tharinger as her successor in the Nov. 2 election.
In a written statement issued Monday, Kessler, D-Hoquiam, endorsed Tharin ger, also a Democrat and one of the three Clallam County commissioners, for her Position 2 House seat representing the 24th District.
Kessler is retiring after 18 years, 12 of them as House majority leader.
“Steve has lived on the [North] Olympic Peninsula for over 30 years,” she said in the statement.
“He really understands us and what we need in Olympia.
“Steve is extremely well qualified to serve our large and diverse district.
“We need his experience and leadership in the Legislature.
“I am urging my supporters, regardless of which side of the aisle they are on, to vote for Steve Tharinger.”
Kessler noted that Clallam County is one of only two counties in the state that is debt free.
She praised Tharinger and said she believed he “is ready and capable of hitting the ground running.”
Jim McEntire, a Republican and one of the three Port of Port Angeles commissioners, is Tharinger’s opponent.
Tharinger is serving his third four-year term as county commissioner in Clallam County.
McEntire, a 60-year-old retired Coast Guard captain, said he would resign his paid port position, if elected.
Tharinger said that, if elected, he would keep his $63,502-a-year seat on the Board of Commissioners but would take a three-month, unpaid leave of absence during the legislative session while continuing to participate in commissioners’ meetings by phone.
The state House position pays $42,106 annually.
The 24th District covers Clallam and Jefferson counties and part of Grays Harbor County.
