Olympia attorney wants money to work with state senator
Apr 5, 2012, 6:04 AM | Updated: 10:10 am
Working with state senator Pam Roach is so traumatic for some staffers in Olympia that the thought of it even sent one to the hospital.
Working with state senator Pam Roach is so traumatic for some staffers in Olympia that the thought of it even sent one to the hospital.
Republican Caucus attorney Mike Hoover wants $1.75 million from the state if he is forced to work with Senator Pam Roach again.
He says letting her back into the Republican Caucus creates a “hostile workplace.” He was so upset by news that she had been let back into the caucus he experienced chest pains, and he thought he was having a heart attack. Hoover had to be driven to the hospital.
He says letting her back into the caucus has created an untenable situation.
Hoover got Roach kicked out of the caucus three years ago after he filed a “hostile workplace” complaint against her. She went after him at a meeting, verbally abusing him in front of other senators and staffers. Senator Roach told him he wasn’t doing his job and should be fired.
This isn’t the first time that Senator Roach has been reprimanded for getting into it with people in Olympia.
Getting berated by Senator Roach is so common in Olympia some people refer to it as “being Roached.” Others say Roach doesn’t do it intentionally. They say it’s just her personality to be angry and loud.
But being kicked out of the Republican Caucus was the fifth time she has been disciplined for her behavior.
Senator Roach has been reprimanded for forcing staffers to work overly long hours at her side, tapping into their emails and forcing many to pledge their loyalty to her above all others. One staffer even accused the Senator of pulling out a gun on her, though she denies that actually happened.
And then there was the time she made an obscene gesture at a fellow Republican Senator after he bent over and told her to kiss his backside.
You might ask why Roach was let back into the caucus, despite her problems. Most see this as a political trade. She gets back into the caucus because she was able to get three Democrats to support the Republican budget. The move prevented the Democrats from passing their budget proposal.
