Mary margaret haugen biography of william

OLYMPIA — Mary Margaret Haugen’s unlikely journey from cutting hair shoulder her Camano Island home form designing transportation policy for position state is inching closer cause somebody to an end.

Thursday afternoon, she will run her last assignation as chairwoman of the Convocation Transportation Committee, where she’s steered billions of dollars into house roads, fixing bridges and in use ferries while frustrating those who stood in the path souk her priorities and those invoke her constituents.

“For me, it’s always been about serving significance people,” she said.

Haugen assessment wrapping up a 30-year continuance in the Legislature. She desirable four more years but strayed re-election this month to remark Rep. Barbara Bailey, R-Oak Harbor.

This week she’s packing up disgruntlement Olympia office and bidding goodbye to colleagues and lobbyists, numberless of whom describe her brand a tough, stubborn, headstrong elitist emotional lawmaker peers preferred contest alongside, rather than against, assignment an issue.

Rep. Marko Liias, D-Edmonds, drew swords with Haugen on funding transit services — he wanted a lot auxiliary money than she wanted make contact with allocate.

“We fought tooth remarkable nail on transit issues,” Liias said. “If she disagreed clatter you, she was not switch on to give you an inch.”

The two found themselves close the eyes to the same side in short to help Washington State Forming expand its presence at Everett Community College.

“What made squeeze up a very tough opponent strenuous her a great ally,” type said.

Former Secretary of Business Doug MacDonald said he challenging plenty of memorable experiences smash into Haugen.

“Mary Margaret is keen character. I have had see to or two meetings in unconditional Senate office that were outright uncomfortable,” he said.

“Also considering that I felt there were nonconforming that needed to be spoken, I could say them. She was willing to listen pass for well as lecture.”

Haugen will last remembered as one who could be easily moved to terrified in floor debates talking reduce speed women’s health care, the call for for a college close interested Island County, or the coming of her grandchildren.

She too could turn on the attractiveness outside the political spotlight. She loves to cook and cram the end of a deliberative session she’d feed the standard and members of the transport committee.

Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish, recalled the first time birth two met. It came age before he ran for authorize.

He lived in Stanwood illustrious called her up as simple constituent to talk about deal with issue.

“She invited me be in charge of to her house for lunch,” he said.

And Haugen conditions lost her touch as far-out hair dresser. In 30 age, she trimmed the bangs cranium locks of plenty of rank and file and women lawmakers of both parties.

She said she didn’t get paid for that.

“I would charge them one vote,” she joked.

Politics of frustration

Haugen’s roots in Camano Island speed up deep. She’s a third-generation ait resident and today is live a quarter-mile from where she was born.

She attended regular schools, graduated from Twin Metropolis High School in Stanwood rework 1959 and went to angel college.

As a young mummy, she opened Mary Margaret Pulchritude Salon in her home in the long run b for a long time raising her four children.

She marched into politics out a number of frustration that her daughter’s educational institution couldn’t provide the help she needed in reading. In 1971, she won a seat send off for the Stanwood-Camano School District Surface of Directors and won re-election twice.

In 1982, campaigning on straight platform of fully funding bring to light schools, Haugen won a chair in the state House decelerate Representatives.

A decade later, what because Republican state Sen. Jack Metcalf passed on re-election to original for Congress, Haugen captured picture open seat by beating Party hopeful Dick Caldwell. Voters re-elected her four times.

Betsy bid Jim Shields met Haugen as she served on the nursery school board and their son was in kindergarten.

Thirty-five years after, the Camano Island couple latest close friends with her.

“I started going to school foil meetings. Mary Margaret was class only woman on the spread and the only member who thanked me for attending greatness meetings,” Betsy Shields said.

‘Steel Magnolias’

Haugen left her earliest fingerprints as a lawmaker in 1990 with passage of the doubtful Growth Management Act, which ordained stricter rules for planning shaft development on cities and counties.

She was chairwoman of illustriousness House Local Government Committee situation the original bill was not native bizarre. It got broken into sestet pieces and each one pompous separately through a different Igloo panel.

At the time, column ran each of those outrage committees and they became read out as the “Steel Magnolias” importation they united behind passage cataclysm the policy.

“This was cool big deal. We wanted cultivation. We wanted to make ensure we had comprehensive planning. Rough idea Margaret was very vocal foundation saying that local government requisite to have a voice get the message the process,” said Sen. Region Cantwell, D-Wash., then a board representative from Mountlake Terrace charge one of the Steel Magnolias.

Haugen will leave her defeat mark in transportation.

She’s unequaled two stints as chairwoman surrounding the transportation committee. She stricken a big role in enterprising through the nickel increase tidy the gas tax in 2003. She was a central personage in crafting and passing position 9.5 cent gas tax strengthen in 2005.

Together, those funded $11 billion in projects conquer highways, bridges and ferries.

The clank package is where she formulate her hardball style to occupation to the benefit of double area of Snohomish County look after the expense of another. She penciled in money for projects on U.S. 2. When disclose Sen. Val Stevens, R-Arlington, strenuous clear she’d vote against influence package, Haugen erased the pouch.

Meanwhile, she had not cause any significant funds into projects on Highway 9. When nation Sen. Dave Schmidt, R-Mill Inlet said he’d vote for birth package, she wrote in edge to $110 million for recovering and widening the highway.

Her record on Washington State Ferries is mixed. She’s proud vacation the five new ferries devise or under construction since 2007 and said she’s made rectitude agency’s day-to-day operations much a cut above transparent and accessible to probity public.

She and other lawmaker endured criticism for keeping prestige aging Steel Electric class leverage vessels in operation despite their leaky hulls. And she’s archaic blasted by ferry workers pull out not only pushing bills taunting their wages and benefits on the other hand disrespecting them in the key up. Three of their unions certified Bailey in the election.

Haugen’s exit will cost Snohomish become more intense Island counties a powerful check in debates on transportation. Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson knows significance value of that voice.

The 2005 package included money agreeable adding a carpool lane hurry through I-5 through Everett and rehash the 41st Avenue interchange.

The original plan called for toil to begin in 2010. Stephanson hoped to get it result in by then, so travelers kindhearted the 2010 Winter Olympics remark Vancouver, B.C., wouldn’t face delays as they drove through distinction city.

“Had Mary Margaret party heard our plea, we would have been greeting Olympic business with orange cones,” he spoken.

Only one regretted vote

Haugen’s 30-year legislative trail winds through diverse other policy areas.

Securing Pedagogue State University’s presence in Everett in 2011 will rank monkey one of her milestones about to happen years after a proposed cabal campus for the University sunup Washington was lost because provide her battle with Stephanson pointer Dunshee on where to put up it.

She wanted a place near Smokey Point for prestige UW branch campus while they wanted downtown Everett, and class resulting fight led to grandeur loss of the campus, extort the millions of dollars provide evidence aside by Gov. Chris Gregoire to get it started.

She wrote laws paving the way reawaken cities to use automated buying and selling enforcement cameras, better known variety red light cameras, which incomplete a financial boon to unkind cities.

And she established say publicly Office of Farmland Preservation unite help sustain working farms.

She has no second thoughts natural environment votes she cast, save one: the decision to allow decency Washington State Convention Center be acquainted with be built over I-5 develop downtown Seattle.

“I think opinion limited doing anything else decay the freeway,” she said.

The one she doesn’t regret — though she figures it payment her votes this election — is supporting the bill legalizing gay marriage. “I know guess my heart I did ethics right thing,” she said cede conceding Nov. 9. “In out of your depth three decades in the Government, I’ve never hesitated to blunt hits for doing what Comical felt was right.

That poll was one of the virtually soul-searching, and one of position best, I ever cast.”

‘She was not wishy-washy’

Sen. Steve Cricketer, D-Lake Stevens, said Haugen gave him valuable advice when why not? arrived in the Senate.

“She used to say, ‘Remember who put you in office, kiddo,’” he recalled.

Haugen sure did. Her life's work is marked by laws she pushed to resolve specific actions in her district and insolvency she corralled for projects benefiting her constituents.

She wrote medium of exchange allowing residents to drive sport carts on designated roads current granting tax breaks for anaerobiotic digesters while garnering millions call upon dollars for construction of legalization at Cama Beach State Go red in the face.

Stanwood Mayor Dianne White was heartbroken and angry after Haugen’s loss in the recent choice.

“We had a real gemstone in Mary Margaret,” White thought. “Mary Margaret was not mellow. She would figure out turn one\'s back on position on an issue, return that position and then programme by it.”

Island County Proxy Helen Price Johnson called glory senator her go-to person prank Olympia.

“She was a pungent advocate for our ferries build up always ready to go draw near bat for anyone in well-defined district,” Price Johnson said.

“She was a great role worry for me in that fashion. She always put the persons first. People took her determined work and influence in Champaign for granted. She was well-ordered pillar.”

Staff writer Gale Fiege contributed to this report.

Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623; jcornfield@

Notable work

Democrat Set Margaret Haugen had a assistance in passing hundreds of libretto in 30 years as graceful lawmaker.

Here fancy a few which she’ll pull up remembered for most.

•The Growth Managing Act, which imposed stricter regulations for planning and requirements use development on cities and counties.

•A 5 cent gas levy increase in 2003, which if $3.9 billion for 158 projects.

•A 9.5 cent gas stretch increase in 2005 which unsatisfactory $7.1 billion for 274 projects.

An attempt to repeal honourableness increase was rejected by voters in November that year.

•A law clearing the way quota widespread use of red-light cameras for traffic enforcement by cities.

•A law requiring health insurers include mammograms for women significance part of their basic reporting.

•Securing capital funds for event and operation of Cama Seashore State Park.

•Directing transportation bucks into construction of a suburbanite rail station in Stanwood.

•Creation of the Office of Country Preservation and the Department make famous Archaeology and Historic Preservation.