display: inline-block; Her current term ends on January 13, 2025. 509 Olive Way, Suite 305, Seattle, WA 98101, Hilary Franz Has Her Eye on Public Landsand Beyond, How the Department of Natural Resources Won Social Media, What Happens When Smoke Gets in Your Wine. padding-bottom: 3px; .widget-key { Hilary Franz, Commissioner of Public Lands Protecting our Lands, Waters, & Communities. Franz, a Democrat, had nearly 52% of the initial vote count and Kuehl Pederson, a Republican, had garnered almost 22%. Part of the money would fund new equipment and firefighters, while the other part would hire more people to remove dead trees and brush from 2.7 million acres of forests in Central and Eastern Washington. .non_result_row { She is a member of the Democratic Party who was previously a member of the Bainbridge Island city council and was elected as commissioner in 2016. text-align: center; .results_text { A pro-fish farming group in the Pacific Northwest of the United States has renewed its criticism of Washington state elected public lands commissioner Hilary Franz after her decision to ban open net pen aquaculture in state-controlled waters. Franz wants to broaden the agencys portfolio, leasing more land for solar, wind, biomass and geothermal projects or for industrial, agricultural and commercial purposes. None of those candidates has reported any financial contributions. The City of Tacoma is knowingly funding a taxpayer-funded art project featuring what's described as a racist and divisive quote. Meanwhile, she does her part to encourage solidarity among women leaders in Olympia. Apr 2, 2023, 6:00 PM | Updated: Apr 3, 2023, 6:36 am, Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz released a press release to respond to news that former President Donald Trump is being indicted. Was this science from the nations leading science agency, NOAA (National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration), or did it come from groups such as the WFC, an ENGO with a track record of suing state agencies, the federal government, hatcheries, and private enterprise to line its coffers? letter-spacing: 0.03em; [1] She was a competitive ice skater for twelve years as a child and teenager, frequenting the same ice rinks as future Olympian Tonya Harding. Latest news and commentary on Hilary Franz including photos, videos, quotations, and a biography. padding-left: 0; It is our hope that the seafood-consuming public will take the time to learn more about responsible, sustainable aquaculture as it is practiced today by companies such as our valued member, Cooke Aquaculture Pacific, and join us in seeking answers to how this unfortunate decision was made.. And she has allocated millions of dollars to spark economic opportunities in struggling rural communities. Franz's campaign website outlines her priorities if elected, including:[5], Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz, who works in Olympia but spends much of her time traveling the state, in Discovery Park. [9], Franz was sworn in as Commissioner of Public Lands on January 11, 2017. background-color: #f4f4f4; [1][5], Franz was elected to the Bainbridge Island city council in 2008 and served one term, during which she lobbied the state government for the establishment of the area's first open water marina at Eagle Harbor. .votebox-results-cell--number { p.survey-question {font-weight:bold;} She then secured record-setting funding to expand our firefighting team, restore the health of our forests, and help communities prepare. .widget-row { It likely explains why her spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. Kuehl Pederson, who is now retired, but once worked as a fisheries biologist and a power manager, said her varied career experiences would help prepare her to head DNR. Hilary Franz - Wikipedia A native of the Pacific Northwest, she has resided in Washington for 20 years. Hilary Franz on Twitter The plans are the first of their kind from the agency, and together they provide a long-awaited blueprint for how to tackle increasingly damaging wildfires ravaging the state. With no money and no plan yet, Franz focused on what she could control: structural changes and building better relationships in rural communities. A month after her election, Franz met with Representative Kretz, the guy who said he wanted to kill her. You meet the people there and spend time on the landscape and its one of the best parts of this job, she says. .widget-img { Armed with the keyboard shortcuts for copying and pasting, Franz said what virtually every other Democrat has said. The National Fisheries Institute, National Aquaculture Association, Global Seafood Alliance, Best Aquaculture Practices, California Aquaculture Association, and the US Trout Farmers Association have joined the NWAA in calling for a third-party review of Franzs order. } Many rural communities rely on timber revenue from logging on DNR lands, and Franz drew criticism, and lawsuits, after the Board of Natural Resources last winter reduced the amount of timber allowed for harvest. Aside from the federal government, no one has authority over more of Washingtons landscape than its public lands commissioner. The commissioner believes she needs to establish her anti-Trump bona fides to assuage the aggressively progressive Seattle voter base. Developed the agencys first-ever Plan for Climate Resilience, which lays out a course of action to combat the threat of climate change. $('#candidate-connection-twitter-65994').on('click', () => { ga('send', 'event', 'surveycta', 'surveycta-click-twitter'); }); Commissioner Franz works with a coalition of science, policy, and business leaders to recommend and implement climate resilience in Washington state. Go tell your story any way you want. color: white; font-weight: bold; So is King County. I dont know anybody who has worked in fisheries, forests and the power industry. margin-bottom: 1px; Hilary Franz in the field with firefighters from the Central Washington Interagency Fire Training Academy. Senator Patty Murray, and a coalition of environmental groups and unions,[2] Franz won 53 percent of the vote in the general election but failed to win any counties in Eastern Washington. Kuehl Pederson ran for state Senate in 2016, but lost in District 19 to Democrat Dean Takko. padding-bottom: 8px; } p.survey-response {margin-left:10px;} } For more information on your ballot, in any county, go to:myvote.wa.gov. But Franz understood she'd have to overcome these prejudices pretty quickly, given the miserable state of Washington's forests and the growing threat to the lives of firefighters who could die on her watch. Im also very much focused, though, on getting this job done. The winner on Nov. 3 will serve a four-year term. Ive worked in all those, Kuehl Pederson said. border-bottom: 1px solid grey; Franz is a third-generation farmer and small forest landowner, and has three boys who she raised on a farm. After getting a bachelors degree from Smith College and a juris doctor from Northeastern University, Hilary returned home to raise her three boys on a small farm on Bainbridge Island. margin-top: 16px; In the next several days, we will deliver a letter to Commissioner Franz, asking some tough questions about the science that DNR used to make its decision, said the NWAA. I think we dont have to be worried about every little thing, every little action.. Incumbent Hilary Franz, who emerged from a crowded field in 2016, faces a handful of relative political newcomers this election. She knows that our working lands and the communities that depend on them for family-wage jobs are integral to our success as a state, and she is investing in their success. Gordon has worked on quite an impressive list of television shows over the last seven decades including The New Dick Van Dyke Show, The Jeffersons, and The Love Boat. .top_disclaimer { And one woman lawmaker even asked her, baffled, who was taking care of her sons at home on Bainbridge Island while she worked. }) After several failed attempts, she has . Her attempt to earn media coverage wasnt even successful. I dont think the communications team felt the safety to be creative, to be able to bring their own energy and their excitement and their passion. } float:right; background-color: #dac113; } Im not aware of all of the things theyre talking about. We got House Bill 1168 with $500 million over the next four bienniums for wildfire response, forest restoration, and community resilience. Then Franz, ever the happy warrior, burst into laughter for the 400th time that day. .widget-row.heading { Its no Bellingham, WA lawmakers deadlocked as drugs ravage Snohomish County, rest of state, Woman shot in West Seattle, hours after 2 killed on Capitol Hill, Oregon tells a cautionary tale about drugs, but were not listening, persuading the state Legislature to provide tens of millions, Fearing a ballot topped by Trump and Eyman, some GOP leaders back newcomer in crowded Washington gubernatorial primary, Secretary of State Kim Wyman seeks reelection as Democrats look to win a rare GOP stronghold, Incumbent Hilary Franz enjoys big money advantage over relative newcomers in Washington lands commissioner race, Hard decisions in Olympia amid COVID-19 crisis for winners of this years Legislature races, timber that can be sustainably harvested on state lands will drop over the next five decades, pointing to a project by The Nature Conservancy. State legislature | The following candidates ran in the primary for Washington Commissioner of Public Lands on August 4, 2020. This devastating decision will have a ripple effect that will extend far beyond the company, said the NWAA. .inner_percentage { After knocking out King County Council member Dave Upthegrove in the 2016 Democratic primary, and then going on to win the general election against navy vet Steve McLaughlin, Franz remembers one fire commissioner out east asking her, "How could a little lady like you do a big job like this? Subscribe to the podcast. height: 56px; padding-left: 10px; font-size: 12px; } We're not looking very green," she said. max-width: 75px; width: 100% !important; Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? display: inline; var nTimer = setInterval(function() { Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has finally unveiled his plan to "immediately" revitalize downtown Seattle from its crime crisis. Since taking office Hilarys earned high marks from both her liberal Seattle-area political base and from conservative officials and lawmakers in Eastern Washington, who have praised her willingness to listen to local concerns and the energy shes brought to fire prevention and rural economic development., She doesnt look like someone youd call if a fire was bearing down on your town.Then you hear her speak, daring any fire to come between her and the 6 million or so acres of public land she is responsible for safeguarding., Hilary seems to have the energy of a venti-fueled dynamo and a mind that works at a wildfire pace., In Franz, voters will find a tireless advocate for a forward-thinking approach to preventing and suppressing wildfires that have become an increasing concern to residents throughout the state., Hilary Franz, as public lands chief, has led notable gains in forest health and fire prevention. $(".expand-all").on('click', () => { overflow-y: hidden; .contact_entity {font-size: 1.5em ;margin-top: 0.6em; margin-bottom: 0em;margin-right: 0.5em;} [20] Her family owns a plot of forestland in Pierce County, Washington, which includes a habitat of Ponderosa pine that is uncommon west of the Cascade Range.[21]. The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times. } Swank and Schneider dated for a year and a half before privately getting engaged in 2016, Vogue reported. Under Commissioner Franzs leadership, DNR has built a robust clean-energy program to help combat the climate crisis and create clean energy jobs. The public lands commissioner heads the state Department of Natural Resources, which is responsible for the management of 5.6 million acres of Washingtons forest, range, agricultural, aquatic and commercial lands. Franz (Democratic Party) ran for re-election for Washington Commissioner of Public Lands. When the two first met, he recalls telling a colleague, "I'll let her talk, then I'll kill her.". City Council Member City of Bainbridge Island, Washington Commissioner of Public Lands (2017 - Present), Washington Natural Resources Commissioner election election, 2020. complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. The Democrat has raised . Get to Know Hilary. Were actually the largest wheat producer in the state. Incumbent Hilary Franz and Sue Kuehl Pederson were leading in Tuesday night's primary election returns to become Washington state's next public lands commissioner. } We lease some of those lands, so the ferris wheel in Seattle is a tenant of ours. } Hilary Franz is proud to serve as Washington States Commissioner of Public Lands. .contact_office { margin-top: 0.3em; margin-bottom: 0em;margin-right: 0.5em;} In a letter to the Department of Natural Resources, the Lewis County commissioners are claiming Washington Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz violated the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA . "I look forward to working with Commissioner Franz, our employees, and community partners to help improve our quality of life." Taylor is a graduate of Gonzaga University and has completed Seattle University's Executive Leadership Program. font-size: .9em; State and local courts | With 52% of the early vote, Franz led all of the Republicans in the race, combined, by about 12 percentage points. .votebox-covid-disclaimer { ", Representative Joel Kretz, a Republican who represents a Northeast Washington district hit hard by fires, was also unimpressed with her win. Washington commissioner calls for federal firefighter vaccine mandate Hilary Franz defeated Steve McLaughlin in the Washington commissioner of public lands election. Already, DNR has conducted forest restoration work on hundreds of thousands of acres to increase forest and watershed resilience. } Hilary is a defender of our public lands. .mw-body #mw-content-text th.votebox-results-cell--text { } Franz has also prioritized supporting local communities, both urban and rural. width: 100%; .votebox { a[aria-expanded=false] .fa-chevron-down { display: none; } .widget-row.value-only.white { Most of our fires are on federal lands, but we are then immediately part of the team. Its not easy being a public servant, and especially in the time and era that were in, where its very divisive, and its really easy to throw attacks at our government. The unfortunate timing of this announcement, at the beginning of the holiday season - with an impossible December 14 deadline to remove equipment and slaughter 332,000 juvenile fish, representing 2,656,000 meals - shows both a lack of humanity and an alarming lapse of leadership. .votebox-results-metadata-p { *If youve saved your information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately. She boasts a sizable financial advantage. .mw-content-ltr td.votebox-results-cell--text, Check back frequently for more news and analysis. Click here to contact our editorial staff, and click here to report an error. } The commissioner leads state efforts in preparing for and suppressing wildfire, plays a key role in adapting state lands to climate change and leads DNR in producing funds for counties and schools through management of state lands. The Oscar winner, 44, tied the knot with her social venture entrepreneur boyfriend Philip Schneider almost two years after . } She boasts a sizable financial advantage. Franz was born in the Pacific Northwest and raised in the area, graduating from St. Mary's Academy in Portland, Oregon, in 1988. The Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands abused her office by spending tax dollars to promote her future campaign for Governor. position: relative; How much is the real data and the real science and how much is the politics? p.survey-response {white-space: pre-line;} background-color: grey; People are asking me to run for a higher position. .results_row td { display: block; Franz is a third-generation farmer and small forest landowner, and has three boys who she raised on a farm. Last week the Northwest Aquaculture Alliance (NWAA) called for a third-party review of Franzs November 14 announcement that she was refusing to renew leases for two Cooke Aquaculture steelhead trout farms in Puget Sound. Franz lives on a small farm on Bainbridge Island with her three sons. Franz has served on numerous local boards in the Puget Sound area, including the Puget Sound Regional Council's Growth Management and Economic Development District Boards, the Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Council, and the Puget Sound Transportation Futures Task force. Franz wants to broaden DNRs portfolio, and aims to lease more land for solar, wind, biomass and geothermal projects or for industrial, agricultural and commercial purposes. .inner_percentage.CrossFiled { margin: 0; She served from 2008-2011 on the Bainbridge Island City Council. Before Franz took office, Washington had suffered three of the worst fire seasons on record. padding-bottom: 8px; This plan will make more than 1 million acres of forest healthier and more resistant to wildfires at a scale and pace that is unprecedented. Only one contender, Republican Sue Kuehl Pederson, of Lakewood, has raised financial campaign support more than $25,000. text-align: left; margin-top: 1em; She has a leadership style that is rare: she brings people together across long-standing divisions to make things better for all, not just for a few. Back in 1982, Hilary married famed Canadian TV producer Gordon Farr. Kuehl Pederson. } position: relative; background-color: #003388; line-height: 1.5em; I thought Id dip my toe in, because local government level is where you really have the most impact. Yesterday, the NWAA criticised the timing and rationale of Franzs no more fish farms announcement, which will lead to job losses. background-color: grey; padding-left: 10px; To slow them down, Kuehl Pederson said she would ramp up commercial timber harvest to thin out the trees, reduce the level of fuel load in the forest. Every single day of fire season youre like, God, just please make sure every one of them comes home alive. Its only by getting out on the land to really understand the problem, but also see the opportunity. Rantz: State official misused tax dollars for future campaign for