Marr named vice chair of Senate Transportation Committee

OLYMPIA — Sen.-elect Chris Marr, D-Spokane, has been selected to be a vice chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee.

“I am honored to be selected as a vice chair on such a sweeping and powerful committee,” Marr said. “I look forward to going to work to improve transportation across the state and, especially, to make sure Spokane gets its fair share of road improvements.”

Active in public policy and state and local politics for 20 years, Marr is no stranger to transportation issues. As president of the Foothills Auto Group, which operates Lincoln Mercury, Mazda, Acura and Honda dealerships in the Spokane Area, he was recognized with the Washington Environmental Council's 2005 Backyard Hero Award for his leadership efforts in passing state clean car legislation. He has chaired the Washington State Transportation Commission (the governing board of the Washington State Department of Transportation) and served as president of the Spokane New Car Dealers Association. He sold his interest in the Foothills Auto Group earlier this year to campaign for the state Senate.

“For the past two decades, my life has been about transportation one way or another,” Marr said. “I’m looking forward to putting that knowledge to work in Olympia to address our traffic needs in Spokane and across Washington.”

Marr was also named to the Senate Health & Long-Term Care Committee, the Senate Human Services & Corrections Committee and the Senate Water, Energy & Environment Committee.

Marr settled in Spokane in 1986 after graduating summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree and a master’s in business administration from San Francisco State University. He worked as a manager for the Ford Motor Company and McDonald's Corporation in the Seattle area. Marr serves on the board of regents of Washington State University and on the board of governors of the Washington State University Foundation. He also chairs the Board of Empire Health Services and Inland Northwest Health Services. He is a past chairman of the Spokane Regional Chamber of Commerce and has served on the boards of numerous non-profit and arts organizations, including the Spokane Symphony, Allegro Baroque and Beyond, and the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture.

Marr has been married for 30 years. He and Christine have a daughter and son, who both attend college. In his spare time he is an avid music collector, distance runner with more than 30 marathons to his credit (including 14 in 2005), and world traveler.

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

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