Erik Poulsen
| Erik Poulsen | |
|---|---|
|
Washington State Senator from the 34th Legislative District |
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In office January 7, 2002 – October 1, 2007 |
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| Preceded by | Dow Constantine |
| Succeeded by | Joe McDermott |
| Washington State Representative from the 34th Legislative District, Position 1 | |
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In office January 9, 1995 – January 7, 2002 |
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| Preceded by | Michael J. Heavey |
| Succeeded by | Toni Lysen |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Erik Edmund Poulsen August 3, 1964 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence |
West Seattle, Washington (1994-2007) Olympia, Washington (2007-present) |
| Alma mater | University of Wisconsin–Madison (B.A.) |
| Profession | Government Relations Director Public Relations Director |
Erik Edmund Poulsen (born August 3, 1964) is the former Washington State Senator from Washington's 34th Legislative District, a district that includes West Seattle, Vashon Island, and most of Burien. Poulsen served in the Washington House of Representatives from 1995-2002 where he was Chairman of the House Energy, Technology & Telecommunications Committee. Best known for his work securing telecommunications authority for public utility districts and derailing a high-profile energy deregulation scheme sponsored by Enron, Poulsen won appointment to the Senate in 2002. There, he quickly ascended to positions as Chairman of the Senate Energy, Water & Environment Committee and Democratic leader of the Senate Capital Budget Committee. He was instrumental in passage of the historic Columbia River water agreement in 2006, when he was named Washington Conservation Voters Legislator of the Year. Poulsen spent his entire legislative career working to stop the expansion of a gravel mine on Maury Island which has since been acquired by King County and will soon become a public park. He stepped down in 2007 to become government relations director for the Washington Public Utility District Association, whose 26 member PUDs provide electric, water-sewer, and broadband service throughout Washington state.
The Seattle Times's chief political reporter, David Postman, wrote this article upon Poulsen leaving the Legislature.
September 4, 2007
Erik Poulsen to resign Senate seat for new PUD jobPosted by David Postman
Sen. Erik Poulsen, a Democrat who has represented West Seattle in the Legislature for nearly 13 years, is resigning his seat to take a job with the Washington Public Utilities Districts Association. Poulsen will be government relations director for the PUD group.
Poulsen had been considering a run for state lands commissioner. But an offer from the PUD association convinced him to leave the world of electoral politics. Poulsen told me:
"It will allow me to keep working on environmental and public power issues that are near and dear to my heart, and enable me to get my two sons through college. I always wanted to go out on top and I feel like I've set the environmental agenda in Olympia for the past several years and put a lot of things in motion." He said he has grown tired of the "nuts and bolts of campaigning."
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Wikipedia