State Rep. Judy Clibborn will be the featured speaker at the Newcastle Chamber of Commerce’s July 9 luncheon.

The Mercer Island Democrat is the chairwoman of the House Transportation Committee and also sits on the Health Care and Wellness Committee.

She lists her legislative priorities on her website as creating a sound transportation system that protects trade-dependent businesses throughout the state and keeps Washington’s economy globally competitive; continuing to increase job opportunities for working families; and ensuring adequate health care coverage is accessible to all Washingtonians.

The luncheon starts at 11 a.m. July 9 at Tapatio Mexican Grill, 6920 Coal Creek Parkway S.E. The cost is $20 for chamber members and $25 for nonmembers. RSVP for the luncheon at http://bit.ly/1lb7n0c.

Tana Senn

Tana Senn, of Mercer Island, emerged as the frontrunner among three possible replacements to fill the 41^st District state representative seat vacated by Marcie Maxwell.

Maxwell, a Democrat, resigned her seat July 9 to take a job with the governor’s office. To fill the seat, members of her party nominate three candidates to replace her and present those nominations to the County Council.

The 41^st district stretches from the northern parts of Renton to the southern parts of Sammamish, encompassing Mercer Island, Newcastle and parts of Issaquah and Bellevue.

After three rounds of voting Aug. 21, the 41st District Democrats nominated Mercer Island City Councilwoman Tana Senn, David Ellis, a former field director with Washington United for Marriage, and businessman and civil rights advocate George Pieper.

The three candidates will now sit for interviews with the King County Council in early September, before the council appoints one of them to fill the vacancy.

Senn received the majority of the votes, and even received the support of fellow candidates Ellis and Pieper as the nominee to fill the vacancy, 41st District Democrats Chairwoman Karol Brown said.

If Senn wins the appointment, all three of the lawmakers from the 41^st District (the others are Sen. Steve Litzow (R) and Rep. Judy Clibborn (D)) will be from Mercer Island.

Appointed to the Mercer Island City Council in 2012, Senn spent most of her career on nonprofit marketing and government relations.

If selected for the 41st District seat, Senn has plans to run for the position in 2014, according to responses from her candidate questionnaire.

She identified the need to fully fund public education, the creation of a transportation package that fully funds the 520 bridge without relying on Interstate 90 tolls and increasing public safety as the top three issues facing the district.

Ellis, a 2006 graduate of Mercer Island High School, owns a voiceover company.

In 2012, he worked as a field director for Washington United for Marriage, a group that supported the gay marriage referendum. He has also worked on campaigns with the Sierra Club, Environment Washington and the Washington Public Interest Research Group.

Ellis identified fully funding education, protecting the environment and gun safety as the district’s most important issues.

Pieper lives in Bellevue, but his company, OutSmart Office Solutions, is based in Mercer Island.

He has served on the King County Civil Rights Commission and presided over the statewide Washington Stonewall Democrats and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Caucus.

Transportation, education and growth management and economic development are the most important issues facing the jurisdiction, according to Pieper.

State Sen. Steve Litzow and Reps. Judy Clibborn and Marcie Maxwell will host a March 16 town hall meeting in Newcastle.

Reps. Marcie Maxwell and Judy Clibborn and Sen. Steve Litzow invite 41st Legislative District residents to attend an upcoming town hall meeting in Newcastle on March 16.

During the town hall meetings, citizens will receive an update on the 2013 legislative session and have an opportunity to ask the legislators questions, and briefly share their comments or concerns about legislation, state government and issues affecting the 41st District.

The meeting is from 10-11:30 a.m. at Hazelwood Elementary School, 7100 116th Ave. S.E.

Residents can join Newcastle legislators to discuss the ongoing session in Olympia at town hall meetings in Mercer Island and Newcastle next week.

Meet state Sen. Steve Litzow and state Reps. Judy Clibborn and Marcie Maxwell — 41st Legislative District lawmakers — at the Feb. 18 meetings. The sessions come as the Legislature confronts a $1.5 billion shortfall in the state budget.

The bipartisan delegation — Republican Litzow; Democrats Clibborn and Maxwell — plans to answer participants’ questions.

The morning meeting is scheduled for 10-11:30 a.m. at Hazelwood Elementary School, 7100 116th Ave. S.E., Newcastle.

The afternoon session is planned for 1:30-3 p.m. at Mercer Island High School, 9100 S.E. 42nd St., Mercer Island.

Participants can submit questions before the meeting. Send questions via email to townhall41@leg.wa.gov or mail questions to Sen. Steve Litzow, P.O. Box 40441, Olympia, WA 98504.

Lawmakers from the 41st Legislative District, which includes Newcastle, will host a town hall meeting at Hazelwood Elementary School, 7100 116th Ave. S.E. in Newcastle, from 10-11:30 a.m. March 12.

Democrat Reps. Marcie Maxwell and Judy Clibborn will join Republican Sen. Steve Litzow to give an update on the 2011 legislative agenda and take questions from attendees. The event is free and open to the public.

If you are unable to attend but would like to ask questions, call Maxwell’s office at 360-786-7894, Clibborn’s office at 360-786-7926 or Litzow’s office at 360-786-7641.

Incumbent Democrat state representative Judy Clibborn — who represents the 41st Legislative District, which includes Newcastle — trounced novice Republican candidate Stephen Strader 57 percent to 43 percent in initial election results released Tuesday night.

The race for the other 41st District House seat remained tighter on Election Day. Incumbent Democrat Marcie Maxwell pulled in 51.1 percent to 48.8 percent for Republican Peter Dunbar, a Mercer Island physician.

Democrat Randy Gordon — who was appointed to the 41st District Senate seat in January after Fred Jarrett resigned to become deputy King County executive — trailed Republican Steve Litzow, a Mercer Island city councilman, as Election Day ended. Gordon garnered 47 percent; Litzow 53 percent.

The measure to increase the King County sales tax rate to pay for criminal justice services trailed in early returns and a state liquor-privatization measure lagged.

Republican Dino Rossi, a Sammamish resident and former Issaquah state senator, remained locked in a tight race against incumbent U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, Democrat in a close fight for a fourth term.

Republican Congressman Dave Reichert held off a spirited challenge from Democrat Suzan DelBene to represent Issaquah and the 8th Congressional District in the other Washington. DelBene conceded the race at a post-election party in Bellevue.

Donna Tucker outpaced Larry Mitchell in the race to be a King County District Court judge. Issaquah attorney John L. O’Brien trailed appointed Judge Michael Finkle in the other race to sit on the Northeast Division bench.

The initial tally from King County Elections at 8:15 p.m. Tuesday included more than 365,000 ballots received, processed and counted on Election Day.

Find a complete list of county results here and statewide results here. Expect the next round of county results to be released at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Proposition 1, the county measure to raise the sales tax rate to 2 cents per $10 purchase, appeared to be headed for defeat; 56 percent of voters decided against the tax proposal. Initiative 1100, the Costco-backed measure to privatize the state-run liquor system, trailed in a closer contest Tuesday night.

The statewide trade association for the commercial construction industry has named state Rep. Judy Clibborn as Legislator of the Year.

Clibborn, a four-term Democrat and former Mercer Island mayor, represents Talus, southwest Issaquah and Cougar Mountain communities as part of the 41st Legislative District.

Gene Colin, government affairs council chairman for Associated General Contractors, said Clibborn “gets it.”

“She understands that an efficient and adequate transportation system is good for the economy and the environment,” Colin said in a news release.

Clibborn is the chairwoman of the powerful House Transportation Committee. The trade association lauded Clibborn for helping to block legislation for added requirements to use subcontractors. The association described the measure as ill conceived and costly.

“Her contribution and support of our goals goes way beyond transportation,” Rick Slunaker, government affairs director for the group, said in the release. “Rep. Clibborn understands the importance of and has helped lead efforts to reform workers’ compensation laws and to save taxpayer dollars by opposing unworkable public contracting requirements.”

Clibborn, elected unopposed in 2008, is set to face Stephen Strader, a Bellevue Republican, or independent candidate Orion S. Webster in the Nov. 2 election. Voters will pick the top two candidates in the Tuesday primary.