Sen. Guy Palumbo Resigns From WA State Senate

KIRKLAND, WA — Democratic state Sen. Guy Palumbo announced Friday that he's resigning from the Senate, saying that he wants to spend more time with his family and tend to his business — although he has been named as Amazon's new director of public policy for Washington, according to the Seattle Times.

State Democratic Party Chair Tina Podlodowski said in a statement that the appointment process will begin after the Memorial Day weekend. The process will include all the communities Palumbo represented.

Palumbo was first elected in 2016, defeating Republican Mindie Wirth. He runs the dog boarding business Roscoe’s Ranch in Snohomish.

Here's his full resignation statement:

"Representing the residents of the 1st Legislative District has been the distinguishing honor of my professional life. As rewarding as it has been to serve in the Senate, the role I cherish most is being a husband and father. I am returning to the private sector so I can be closer to my home and young family and my small business.

"I ran in 2016 promising to address transportation and infrastructure problems in our community. In three short years, investments in our district have grown exponentially compared to the prior two decades with $720 million in transportation investments and another $180 million in capital construction investments.

"While the work isn’t finished, I feel like I am leaving our district and our state in better shape than when I took office. I am proud of leading on climate change and passing the nation’s strongest 100 percent clean energy bill as well as the Solar Fairness Act to ensure we promote installations of rooftop solar in our state.

"This past session, we worked to guarantee free college tuition for lower-income students. We created the nation’s first Long Term Care Trust to ensure that Washingtonians will have the care they need later in life. Our state continues to lead and make progress on key policy issues that will make people's lives better.

"I am proud of what was accomplished during my time in the legislature. It was an honor to serve my community and to serve with my colleagues in the Senate and House."

Palumbo represents the 1st Legislative District, which includes parts of Kirkland, Woodinville, Bothell, Redmond, and Mountlake Terrace.