Dino Rossi temporarily reclaims former Senate seat
Jul 10, 2012, 5:29 AM | Updated: 7:18 am
Former state senator Dino Rossi has been chosen to temporarily fill his former Eastside senate seat. (AP Photo/File)
(AP Photo/File)
Former GOP gubernatorial hopeful and state Senator Dino
Rossi is returning to his old job for at least the next
five months.
Rossi will be sworn in Tuesday to replace Sen. Cheryl
Pflug, a fellow Republican who resigned in May to serve on
the Washington Growth Management Hearings Board.
Rossi was unanimously chosen by the Metropolitan King
County Council after being named the top choice by the
district’s Republican precinct officers. He insists he
wasn’t seeking the job and will step aside when a
replacement is elected following the November election.
“I’m very humbled for the opportunity to be able to serve
the citizens of the 5th Legislative District once again,”
he said in a news release.
Rossi served the Eastside’s 5th district between 1997 and
2003 before resigning to run for governor. He lost to
Governor Gregoire in 2004 and again in 2008. He was also
defeated in a 2010 bid for the U.S. Senate. He’s been
working since then in the private sector as a principal
for Coast Equity Partners, an Everett-based real estate
firm.
Republican Brad Toft, a Snoqualmie businessman, is facing
off against Democrat Issaquah Councilmember Mark Mullet
for the office and Rossi is not a candidate. He will be
paid about $17,500 for the caretaker role, a prorated
portion of a senator’s annual $42,000 salary.
