Four tribal members an all-time high

When new Sen. Claudia Kauffman, D-Kent, and Rep. Don Barlow, D-Spokane, were sworn in Monday, they doubled the number of American Indians in Olympia – and apparently set a record. Kauffman is a member of the Nez Perce tribe; Barlow is member of Oklahoma’s Ottawa tribe.

Four of Washington’s state lawmakers are tribal members. The other two are Tulalip tribal member Rep. John McCoy, D-Marysville, and Tsimshian member Rep. Jeff Morris, D-Anacortes. According to the Tulalips, who organized a dancing and singing event tonight honoring the four, this is the largest number of Native American lawmakers in state history.

“It’s modern history in the making,” said Theresa Sheldon, a tribal policy analyst who helped organize the event.

Among those on hand in Olympia on Monday to watch the lawmakers sworn in: INDN’s List founder Kalyn Free, whose group – patterned on EMILY’s List – helps tribal members raise money and get elected.

Selling your boss

For obvious PR reasons, it’s hard for elected officials to tell the public that they (and, in fairness, their successors) deserve larger paychecks. Nonetheless, most of those who testified before the salary commission this week ended up – diplomatically – at that conclusion.

One of the exceptions was Gov. Chris Gregoire’s chief of staff, Tom Fitzsimmons. Sent to testify about the governor’s $150,995 annual salary on her behalf, Fitzsimmons noted how hard the governor works, the job responsibilities, how some of her subordinates are paid more than Gregoire, and so forth.

He went to great lengths, however, to avoid explicitly calling for a higher gubernatorial salary.

Here’s a fairly typical exchange with one of the commissioners, who asked a simple question: If the salaries of elected officials were higher, would the state get higher-caliber people in the Legislature and other posts?

Fitzsimmons paused.

“Not to appear evasive, but I will be evasive,” he said, speaking slowly. “Those are great questions. Just wonderful questions.”

“So what should we do?” the man asked.

“That,” Fitzsimmons responded, “is also a good question.”

And speaking of paychecks

With a big assist from Woodinville investor Mike Dunmire, initiative promoter Tim Eyman says he’ll draw a political paycheck this year of $86,742.

On Dec. 12, according to state campaign finance reports, Dunmire and his wife ponied up $100,000, nearly half the $209,000 that supporters contributed to a “compensation fund” for Eyman and his Spokane-based father-son team of Jack and Mike Fagan. The Fagans, who run the bookkeeping and administrative side of the operation, will each get half of what Eyman got, or $43,371 apiece.

Eyman already has a proposed 2007 initiative on file in Olympia. It is intended to limit how much taxes and fees can increase annually.

Clements back in office

Selah’s ever-folksy Jim Clements had stepped down as state representative only to be appointed Jan. 5 as the Yakima area’s new state senator.

Clements replaces Republican state Sen. Alex Deccio, 85, who announced two months ago that he was stepping down mid-term to undergo treatment for prostate cancer.

Clements, a quick-with-an-anecdote GOP lawmaker with an education and orchardist background, was elected to the House in 1994. With that experience, he said, he can hit the ground running.

“Those people suffering from a little separation anxiety need worry no longer,” he said.