Gov. Inslee says WSDOT firing is an ‘election-year stunt’

Gov. Jay Inslee said Senate Republicans should be “ashamed” of how they handled the firing of the secretary of the state’s department of transportation.

During a conference Monday morning, Inslee said the vote to reject Lynn Peterson may have “significantly damaged” the state’s ability of doing its transportation-related job.

Inslee questioned whether or not Peterson was fired over the suspension of the Seattle tunnel project. If that’s the case, she is out of a job because she took a “common-sense” approach to ensuring the safety of people in Seattle, he said.

Related: Mark Harmsworth doesn’t want another ‘political hack’ running WSDOT

The vote to fire Peterson on Friday surprised Democrats and Inslee. On Monday, the governor said lawmakers who supported Peterson in the past just sat quietly as they watched the GOP-controlled Senate fire Peterson.

“This is an election-year stunt,” Inslee said.

Peterson was fired as senators called out the leadership of a department that Republican Sen. Andy Hill called a “problem agency.” The Senate voted 25-21 in favor of denying Peterson’s appointment as the secretary of WSDOT.

Just a day later, Washington Correction Secretary Dan Pacholke resigned. His resignation follows a controversy over the state releasing thousands of inmates early.

“Corrections Secretary Dan Pacholke submitted his resignation this morning, saying he hoped that his move would end the political blood thirst of Senate Republicans,” Inslee said. “I doubt it will accomplish that, and I’m sorry to see a dedicated public servant end his tenure this way.

“Dan was working hard to get the Department of Corrections through difficult times and he clearly felt that would be impossible under the current political climate in Olympia. I will be working with Dan in the coming days on a transition plan for the department.”

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