Here’s why state Rep. Jeff Morris resigned suddenly
State Rep. Jeff Morris, who has represented the Bellingham area for 22 years in Olympia, resigned from the Legislature on Wednesday, Nov. 27 — the second 40th District legislator to resign this year.
Morris, a Mount Vernon Democrat, said in a letter to Gov. Jay Inslee that he’s been hired with Schneider Electric, a Fortune 500 firm headquartered near Paris with offices on Mercer Island.
In his resignation letter, Morris said Schneider is at the forefront of developing smart grid, “decarbonization” and artificial intelligence technologies.
“They’re like the GE of France. It was a dream opportunity for me,” Morris told The Bellingham Herald.
Morris said he will be working on government regulation and policy.
According to his Twitter feed, Morris owns Energy Horizon Corp., a “source of critical thought on energy/tech policy.”
His resignation is effective Jan. 6, 2020, giving local officials time to name a replacement before the new legislative session begins Jan. 13.
Trevor Smith of Bellingham, chair of the 40th District Democrats, said he talked to Morris earlier on Wednesday and that the resignation came as a surprise.
“We truly appreciate everything he’s done for the people of the 40th,” Smith told The Herald.
“Rep. Morris should be recognized for trailblazing on issues such as privacy surrounding biometric data and government surveillance. His expertise in these areas put Washington ahead of the curve in many ways.”
Although his job will cover all of the company’s North American operations, Morris said he’ll be able to work from home most of the time because of Schneider Electric’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint.
Among their business ventures is technology that reduces the number of people affected by rolling blackouts during red flag wildfire alerts in California, Morris said.
According to the 2010 book “American Indian Politics and the American Political System,” Morris is a member of the Tsimshian First Nation, people who are native to what is now coastal British Columbia and southern Alaska.
Morris is one of a handful of Washington state legislators with indigenous heritage including 40th District state Rep. Debra Lekanoff of Bow.
“Rep. Morris has long been a strong advocate for the preservation of Blanchard Mountain right here in our backyard, as well as the salmon and resources that we all know and love within the Salish Sea,” Lekanoff said in an email. “(He) has shown outstanding leadership in technology and innovation, focusing on modernization of Washington’s energy infrastructure, advocating for stronger consumer protections, and data protections and privacy.”
Morris is the second 40th District representative to resign in the past year.
Former Sen. Kevin Ranker left office in the face of sexual harassment allegations just as the legislative session was set to start in January.
Ranker was replaced by state Sen. Liz Lovelett, who was appointed in a joint meeting of the county councils of Whatcom, Skagit and San Juan counties.
Lovelett defeated Daniel Miller of Friday Harbor in the Nov. 5 election.
Washington’s 40th District encompasses all of San Juan County, part of western Skagit County, and part of Whatcom County — mostly the areas around Bellingham.
Morris was first elected to the state House in 1996.
He was re-elected every two years after that — and ran unopposed in 2014, 2016 and 2018.
His seat opens in 2020.
Smith said Democratic Party officials were meeting Wednesday to discuss a replacement.
He said possible candidates include Whatcom County Council member Rud Browne and former state Rep. Kris Lytton, both of whom sought the seat that Lovelett won. Carrie Blackwood, a Bellingham Democrat who lost to Lovelett in the August primary, also was suggested as a candidate, he said.
“Obviously, the day before Thanksgiving, nobody has had a conversation,” he said.
State law outlines the process for filling a midterm vacancy.
Candidates submit their names to the local party, and the party’s elected precinct committee officers chose three names to forward to a panel composed of the Whatcom, Skagit and San Juan county councils.
This story was originally published November 27, 2019 at 2:02 PM.
