Kilmer named vice chair of Senate committees on economy, education

OLYMPIA — Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, elected last month to the 26th Legislative District Senate seat vacated by the retirement of Bob Oke, has been selected to serve as the vice chairman of both the Senate International Trade & Economic Development Committee and the Senate Higher Education Committee.

“I couldn’t be more excited, or honored, to be chosen for these committees,” Kilmer said. “The work of these groups represents my top two legislative priorities, so these appointments give me a chance to continue the things I care most about.”

Kilmer is the business retention manager for the Economic Development Board for Tacoma-Pierce County, where he has worked with hundreds of employers to retain and attract high-wage jobs in area communities. As a board member of the Gig Harbor-Peninsula Area Chamber of Commerce, he has helped develop the chamber’s business and development strategies to recruit and retain jobs in the greater Gig Harbor area. He also serves on the Board of Trustees for Tacoma Community College and is a former vice chair of Communities in Schools of Peninsula, a non-profit organization dedicated to the success of Gig Harbor and Key Peninsula children in school and in life. Earlier this year, Kilmer received the Washington Economic Development Association’s LEADER award, for Leadership in Economic Advancement, Economic Development and Effective Revitalization of Washington State.

“Working to grow our economy was my main reason for running for the legislature. I’m thrilled to have an opportunity to use my economic development experience and my work in the education arena to help our state and the communities here in our region,” Kilmer said. “Improving education and helping local businesses are closely linked. If we want people to do well in Washington, that’s where it starts.”

Kilmer was also selected to serve on the Senate Transportation Committee. “Our region has more than its fair share of transportation problems; it’s time we started getting our fair share of transportation dollars,” he said. “Transportation improvements are critical to job growth and to improving our quality of life. I look forward to being a voice on the Transportation Committee, advocating for our community — including our roads and our ferries — and working for the efficient use of state transportation dollars.”

Kilmer will also be a member of the Senate Consumer Protection & Housing Committee, where he has pledged to work on issues of housing affordability.

In the House of Representatives, Kilmer has been the vice chair of the Technology, Energy and Communications Committee and a member of the Economic Development, Agriculture and Trade Committee. He has also served on the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Trade Policy and on the board of the Washington Economic Development Finance Authority.

The 2007 legislative session begins Jan. 8 and is scheduled to last 105 days.

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