The reasons still weren’t clear.
Senate Republicans had essentially fired state Transportation Secretary Lynn Peterson, had delivered a variety of quotes about why, and had endured withering criticism from Gov. Jay Inslee and newspaper editorials throughout the state. And while there certainly have been problems with the department, the reasons for the abrupt thumbs-down vote on Peterson’s confirmation still weren’t clear.
Sen. Don Benton, R-Vancouver, blasted the department on the Senate floor for reaching out to Oregon to try to solve the conundrum of the Interstate 5 Bridge. It’s not surprising that the depth of Benton’s reasoning would involve beating a horse that has been dead for three years; in order to provide himself with some relevancy as a senator, he needs the public to believe the Columbia River Crossing could be revived. When you are bereft of diplomacy or creative solutions, you convince the people the Bogeyman exists.
But Sen. Ann Rivers, R-La Center, was a different story. Rivers is thoughtful and often seeks solutions, yet after the firing, she told reporter Lauren Dake of The Columbian: “This is not about Lynn Peterson; she’s a nice lady. But I have often found nice ladies don’t often succeed in big business. You need someone who has had their boots on the ground, in terms of engineering.”
Aside from the obvious sexism of the quote, Rivers ignored Peterson’s strong engineering qualifications. You know, such as a master’s degree and working as a highway design and construction engineer for the state of Wisconsin. To her credit, Rivers posted an apology at Columbian.com “for my extraordinary poor choice in words.” But that didn’t lend any clarity to the reasons behind Peterson’s ouster, which meant that a phone call to Rivers was in order.
