Daughter fills father's 16th District seat

Laura Grant-Herriot, who many thought was the least likely of three final candidates, was elected to serve the 16th Legislative District on a 6-to-5 vote by 11 county commissioners representing Walla Walla, Columbia, Benton and Franklin counties.

"You know what, I had really no expectation one way or the other; but I am surprised," Grant-Herriot said Friday, minutes after being sworn in following the vote to fill the seat of her late father, Rep. Bill Grant, a Walla Walla Democrat who died Jan. 4.

The reason Grant-Herriot was surprised is that Kennewick lawyer George Fearing was picked last month as the top choice at a Democratic caucus. The second runner-up was Pasco City Council member Rebecca Francik; Grant-Herriot was third.

On Friday, all three candidates were asked questions by the commissioners. Walla Walla County Commissioner Greg Tompkins abstained from voting because he plans to run for the 16th District seat in November.

During the questioning, which lasted more than an hour, experience was an issue brought up a number of times by candidates and commissioners. And Grant-Herriot found herself explaining more than once that though she lacked political experience, she already had "established relationships" with other legislators because of her father's work.

"You can see that I have not been grooming myself for a local political seat in the last 10 years. It took his death to give me the courage and clarity to be before you today," Grant-Herriot told commissioners.

She added, "Having those relationships, you can actually have a say before something gets to a vote."

Local Democratic Precinct Committee Officer David Schmaltz was at Friday's commissioner meeting, and he thought Grant-Herriot won over enough votes not because of her experience, but her presence.

"Laura doesn't look that good on paper," Schmaltz said. "But if you are in her presence, you get it. She was really grounded and she was real. She didn't pretend to be anybody she wasn't."

In addition, Schmaltz said Grant-Herriot had two strengths that may have been underestimated by caucus members.

"It takes more than money in this area to get elected. And she has current ag experience and current education experience ... Laura is a very attractive candidate to the farmers in this area because she is one of them," he said.

Grant-Herriot is also a fifth-grade teacher at Berney Elementary. She expects to start work in Olympia this week, she said.

It took two voting sessions on Friday to pick Grant-Herriot. In the first vote, none of the three nominees received a majority. So the candidate with the least votes, Francik, was eliminated and a second vote took place.

The second vote was almost a tie, with all five Walla Walla and Columbia county commissioners voting for Grant-Herriot, and five Benton and Franklin county commissioners voting for Fearing. But Benton County Commissioner James Beaver voted for Grant-Herriot.

There had been some concern that the 11 county commissioners, who are Republicans, might vote for the weakest candidate.

"I was concerned before the caucus," Schmaltz said. "After the caucus I wasn't concerned. I was OK with all three. And I am satisfied myself that they, the county commissioners, are of high enough character that they wouldn't do that."