As the possibility of a special session edged ever closer to reality, Rep. Deb Eddy, D-Kirkland, announced Wednesday that she will not run for another term in the state Legislature.
“When recruited, I promised to serve for six years, and I’ve fulfilled that commitment,” Eddy said. “It’s time to move on and find out what the next chapter of my life will look like.”
Elected in 2006 to the 48th District, which includes Bellevue north of Northeast Eighth Street and I-90 to the east, Eddy has been part of a group of moderate Democrats calling for a more straightforward conversation about the state’s fiscal condition, including the need for six-year budget forecasting and improved reserve policies.
“Our continued insistence on patching up this leaky ship of state, instead of facing the truth, means we’ve failed in our commitment to adequately fund education and infrastructure,” she said. “The political parties are going to have to come together, if we’re ever to regain enough public confidence to get more revenue into our education system.”
Eddy has also been an advocate for progressive social issues, such as women’s rights and marriage equality.
“The 48th District is a swing district: socially liberal but fiscally still pretty conservative,” she said. “I think my views reflect the overall profile of the district: a pride in our ethnic and social diversity, but yet very entrepreneurial.”
A former member of the Kirkland City Council and former mayor of Kirkland, Eddy was the executive director of the Suburban Cities Association for many years and was associated with PRR, Inc., a Seattle public affairs firm, before running for the Legislature.
While in the Legislature, Eddy worked to ensure construction of the State Route 520 Bridge and to connect land use policy and transportation planning. She has passed significant legislation promoting electric vehicles, regulating electronic data recorders and creating a state cause of action to enforce software property rights against off-shore manufacturers.
House Transportation Committee Chair Judy Clibborn, D-Mercer Island, has worked with Eddy for over 20 years. “I am going to miss her in so many ways,” Clibborn said. “Her influence here over the last six years can’t be overstated. She changed the place, but so often her work has been behind the scenes.”
Eddy has been a member of the House Technology, Energy and Communication Committee for six years and is now a board member of the Pacific Northwest Economic Region, an association of Western states and Canadian provinces engaged in cross-border problem-solving, including on energy and infrastructure issues.
“Deb Eddy’s retirement is a great loss to us, as she has approached complex problems with an open mind instead of glasses tainted by the special interests that fund campaigns,” said Rep. Jeff Morris, D-Anacortes. “She has been key to breaking down barriers for emerging clean energy technologies that don’t have hired lobbyists to make their case.”
“I have enjoyed my three terms in the House, and I love public policy and making government work better for everyone,” Eddy said. “But, in truth, I’m just not enough of a partisan to have a long-term career here.”
Eddy’s future plans include spending time with her family and traveling while looking for her next opportunity. She is married to professor Jon Eddy, director of the Asian Law Center at the University of Washington Law School, and has three grown children and two grandchildren.
