Franklin GOP censures Walsh

By Michelle Dupler, Herald staff writer

Rep. Maureen Walsh is on the outs with the Franklin County Republicans after co-sponsoring a bill expanding domestic partnership rights in the recent legislative session.

The county's Republican central committee said Wednesday that it had "overwhelmingly voted" to censure the 16th District lawmaker for supporting the bill committee members believe is out of step with Re-publican ideology.

"We believe our representatives must be accountable to the people they represent," said Nicole Prasch, Franklin County Republicans state committee woman. "Censure reflects our fundamental disapproval of her actions, that we will not support or defend her actions, that she does not represent the Republican Party and its values as accepted in our platform, and that we will actively seek a Republican we can support to replace her."

Prasch said the vote occurred April 21.

Walsh countered that she believes the expansion of domestic partnerships was the right thing to do, and if that means she gets voted out of office, so be it.

"There are always going to be times when people don't completely agree with you," Walsh said. "That being said, I think I do a pretty good job of representing the overall interests of this district. I have worked for this district for 17 years, five in this job, and think I have a pretty good idea of the pulse of this district. If folks choose to unelect me over this issue, that's what this whole system is about."

Walsh, R-College Place, was one of 56 state representatives who signed onto House Bill 1727 along with sponsor Rep. Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, one of six gay state legislators.

The bill has been called an "everything but marriage" law because it proposed to give couples registered as domestic partners the same legal rights as married couples.

A 2007 law created the domestic partnership registry for same-sex partners or couples in which one of the partners is at least 62 years old.

The initial law allowed domestic partners rights related to health care decision-making, hospital visitations, powers of attorney, and death and burial.

In 2008, the Legislature changed state laws relating to dissolutions, community property, estate planning, taxes, court process, service to indigent veterans and public assistance and guardianships to include registered domestic partners.

The 2009 bill amends any remaining areas of state law applied only to married couples to apply them equally to domestic partners.

"I have always felt to do anything different was discrimination," Walsh said. "It's not my place to say who loves whom. It seems to me God is the ultimate judge, but it's not for me to be making those calls about who should have the same rights I have as a citizen of this country."

The House bill never made it to a floor vote, but companion legislation Senate Bill 5688 was passed by a 30-18 vote in the Senate on March 10 and a 62-35 vote in the House on April 15. Gov. Chris Gregoire has yet to sign the bill, but has expressed support for expanding domestic partnership rights in Washington.

Domestic partnership opponents Monday filed Referendum 71, which would allow voters to approve the law as written by the Legislature with a yes vote, or reject it with a no vote.

David Ammons, spokesman for Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed, said if Gregoire vetoes any part of the bill, a new referendum would have to be filed.

Walsh said her position on the issue should come as no surprise to local Republicans or voters. She's voted in favor of domestic partnership rights for same-sex couples each year the idea has come up. And in 2006, she co-sponsored a bill to expand the state Human Rights Commission's jurisdiction to include discrimination cases involving sexual orientation.

Walsh, 48, won election in November to a third term in the 16th District, which includes Walla Walla and Columbia counties, Pasco, Finley and part of east Kennewick. She defeated Democratic challenger Dante Lee Montoya with a wide margin of 73 percent to 27 percent.

She couldn't recall if domestic partnership ever was raised as an issue in the campaign, but said she never hid her stance, and voted her conscience while other Republican lawmakers were telling her they voted "nay" because to do otherwise would cost them re-election back home.

Prasch and the other Republicans who voted to censure Walsh said they believe the lawmaker's track record shows she's trying to incrementally legalize same-sex marriage, and that goes against Franklin County Republicans' platform to uphold the traditional definition of marriage as between a man and a woman.

Prasch said because the Top Two primary system means the party no longer controls who can run under the Republican label, the county party chose to censure Walsh to symbolically show she no longer represents them.

She didn't know if the Franklin County Republicans had ever formally reprimanded an elected official before Walsh.

Jim Johnson, Walla Walla County Republican chairman, said his committee wants to hear Walsh out before considering any similar action.

"We would certainly like to give her a chance to talk," he said.

Walsh maintains she made the right choice, even if it costs her Republican support, and added she has no plans to run as a Democrat in the future.

"I have to be true to myself," she said. "If I did not do that, I would be a hypocrite. I could not continue to represent my district if I had to compromise my beliefs and morals."

w Michelle Dupler: 582-1543; mdupler@tricity herald.com

tool name

Thursday, May. 07, 2009

Franklin GOP censures Walsh

By Michelle Dupler, Herald staff writer