Former Sheriff’s Candidate Gets House Post County Commissioners Select Mark Sterk To Fill Out Padden’s Term

A man who last year wanted to be the top law enforcement officer in Spokane County now will be helping to write laws in Olympia.

County commissioners on Monday selected city police Sgt. Mark Sterk to replace Mike Padden in the state House of Representatives. They are scheduled to formally appoint the 43-year-old Republican today.

Sterk, who ran unsuccessfully for county sheriff in November, said the police department has agreed to give him a leave of absence so he can take the position. He plans to fly to Olympia next Monday.

Sterk, who never has held public office, will serve in the District 4 seat until the general election in November.

Then voters will decide who will fill the remaining year of Padden’s term. Sterk said he would run for the seat. District 4 encompasses most of the Spokane Valley.

Padden, a 17-year state legislator, gave up the seat last month after commissioners appointed him to a vacant District Court judgeship. He, too, will have to run for election in November to keep his new seat.

Sterk, who was born and raised in the Spokane area and now lives near Central Valley High School, beat out two other candidates for the position - Lynn Schindler and Bob Blum.

Schindler is a former vice chairwoman of the Spokane County Republican Party. Blum ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for county assessor last year.

The three candidates were chosen by the Republican precinct chairmen in District 4 at a special meeting Friday.

Commissioners interviewed the trio Monday afternoon before announcing their selection. The vote was split, with Democrat Skip Chilberg and Republican Steve Hasson supporting Sterk.

Chilberg declined to discuss Sterk’s selection. Hasson was unavailable for comment.

Commissioner Phil Harris, also a Republican, voted for Schindler but said Sterk is qualified for the job.

“Mark does have some strong credentials,” said Harris, who said he voted for Schindler because she got the most votes among the precinct chairmen. “I can certainly see why the other commissioners went that way.”

Harris said commissioners were impressed that Sterk has testified on law enforcement topics before House and Senate committees and has helped draft legislation.

“He knows the infrastructure and everything over there,” Harris said.

What he doesn’t know, he’ll have to learn quickly. The Legislature is scheduled to spend the next two to four weeks completing its final chore - writing the state budget.

Sterk, who has been a Spokane cop since 1974, described himself as a quick study, but said he hopes to get help getting up to speed on budget issues.

“Hopefully, I’m going to be taken under a wing and helped along for the first few days over there, so I don’t make any bad decisions,” he said.

He said his top priorities will be cutting costs and regulations.

“You’re going to find that I’m very conservative, fiscally,” Sterk said. “You’re also going to see me working very hard to help the small businessman in Eastern Washington, No. 1, to make a living, and No. 2, to create more jobs.”