 |
| Rep. Jake Fey |
Representative Jake Fey serves the 27th Legislative District, which is comprised of Ruston and
a big portion of urban Tacoma (specifically, the city's North and West Ends, the
Eastside, and the Northeast Tacoma and Pierce County neighborhoods). Jake is the
Director of the Washington State University Energy Program. He has served on the
boards of Sound Transit and Pierce Transit, and as vice chair of the Puget Sound
Clean Air Agency. He also served on the Tacoma City Council for seven years,
including a stint as deputy mayor. Jake has two children and two
grandchildren.
The Advance: What inspired you to run for the Legislature?
Jake Fey: My experience in the YMCA Youth
Legislature really piqued my interest in politics as a high-school student. I
also had a wonderful mentor -- Dr. Werner Quast -- who was a PDC Commissioner,
county party chair, and city councilmember.
TA: Is there a moment, or an image, that you'll remember from your first week here as a legislator?
Jake Fey: I would have to say the swearing-in
ceremony on the first day of session was very emotional for me. Being on the
House floor and soaking up all the institutional history from territorial days
onward was very inspiring. I was struck by how lucky I was to serve in
Olympia.
TA: Recognizing that this place, and state government in general, has its own sort of separate language, what words or phrases baffled you until somebody explained them?
Jake Fey: For me, with my experience in
public service, a lot of the language was familiar. But then, the whole
state-legislative process of bill development, prime sponsorship, and blue
sheets -- that was not something I expected.
TA: If you could pass any piece of legislation, what would it be? In other words: What’s the most pressing problem, the question or quandary that you'd really like to crack?
Jake Fey: Actually, I have a couple of
priorities, which involve two major public "systems": I want our state to fully
fund a high-quality education system -- from early learning and K-12 and then on
through higher education. And I want us to upgrade our transportation system --
at the state, regional and local levels.
