Hatfield heads to the Senate

OLYMPIA -- Brian Hatfield of Raymond has been selected as the next state senator from the 19th Legislative District.

Hatfield, the liaison for legislative and community relations in the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, represented the 19th District in the state House of Representatives from 1994 to 2004. Before that, he was a legislative assistant to former state Sens. Arlie DeJarnatt and Sid Snyder.

Hatfield replaces Mark Doumit, who resigned his Senate seat earlier this month to serve as the executive director of the Washington Forest Protection Association. Both former Sens. Doumit and Snyder endorsed Hatfield to fill their old seat.

“The 19th District Senate seat has really become a seat of honor,” said Hatfield. “Sid Snyder and Mark Doumit – those guys are two legends in Olympia. They worked across party lines and across geographical divides – they were real uniters. And they did so much to boost the economy of Southwest Washington – helping local businesses and getting people working. Those are some big footsteps, some big shoes, but that’s the model I’m looking to follow.”

By an overwhelming margin, Hatfield was the top choice of the fifty-five 19th Legislative District precinct committee officers when they met on Saturday, Nov. 11 to pick their three nominees for the seat. The nominees were then forwarded to the commissioners from the districts’ four counties – Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Pacific and Wahkiakum counties – who made the final appointment today.

Hatfield was sworn in today by Cowlitz County Auditor Kristina Swanson, and is now officially a member of the Senate. He is expected to resign from his current position with the Office of the Lieutenant Governor. The first day of the 2007 legislative session is scheduled to begin on Jan. 8.