Stand.earth Statement on WA State Sen. Ericksen’s Absenteeism

Stand.earth continues to call for Sen. Ericksen to resign from the Washington State Senate

Stand.earth continues to call for Sen. Ericksen to resign from the Washington State Senate. His public remarks this morning notwithstanding, his actions over the past three weeks have demonstrated an inability to be present for much of the important work in Olympia. If most of us had done less than a quarter of our jobs for the last three weeks and refused to commit to doing better, we would have been fired already. As of yesterday, he had missed 18 committee meetings and required two more to be canceled because of his absence. The press conference about his absenteeism itself was rescheduled twice and was eventually held concurrent with a Senate Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee hearing for which he should have been present. 

“As a constituent of Sen. Ericksen’s residing in the 42nd District, I’m deeply concerned that Sen. Ericksen’s ongoing and unpredictable absences leave us taxed without representation. He refuses to release his travel calendar, or even to commit to being in Olympia at certain times. It doesn’t impact just his work, either; his unpredictable absences can prevent other legislators from getting their jobs done, too,” said Matt Krogh. “If most of us had done less than a quarter of our jobs for the last three weeks and refused to commit to doing better, we would have been fired already.” 

Stand.earth noted that many outstanding questions were still not answered. Sen. Ericksen refused to commit to a schedule or even a percentage of his time that he would be present in Olympia. He refused twice to commit to making his calendar available. And, unbelievably, he claimed not to know his EPA salary–despite admitting he will accept both paychecks. 

Press contact:
Alex Ramel 
Field Director Stand.earth
360-305-5079
Alex@Stand.earth