Candidates for Washington’s Commissioner of Public Lands will gather on Monday in Olympia to make the case for why they should oversee 5.6 million acres of the state’s land and lead firefighting efforts against often-dangerous summer blazes.
The event is hosted by Washington’s League of Women Voters and sponsored in part by The Olympian. It’s at 7 p.m. at Olympia High School’s Performing Arts Center off Carlyon Avenue and moderated by journalist Austin Jenkins of the Northwest News Network. Seven candidates are running for the office, including Dave Upthegrove, a former state lawmaker and current King County councilman, environmental attorney Hilary Franz and former Spokane mayor Mary Verner. All three are Democrats.
Two other Democrats — Seattle University professor Karen Porterfield and John Stillings — are running as well, along with former Navy officer Steve McLaughlin, a Republican, and Libertarian Steven Nielson.
Current commissioner Peter Goldmark spent eight years at the helm of the Department of Natural Resources but decided not to run for re-election this fall. The department is responsible for maintaining forests, parks and public aquatic lands. It also provides school construction money by leasing land for activities such as logging.