Kenney Knows Hurdles, But Beating Munro A High One

Phyllis Kenney has overcome plenty of obstacles in her lifetime, escaping the grinding poverty of migrant labor camps to achieve success as a business owner, college trustee and Democratic leader.

But she finds her latest challenge a bit daunting. She’s the Democrats’ choice to take on Secretary of State Ralph Munro, the senior Republican state official and possibly the GOP’s most popular officeholder.

A few hints of Munro’s popularity and Kenney’s difficulty:

Munro came roaring out of September’s dry-heat primary - neither had intra-party opposition - with a landslide 60 percent of the vote, the largest tally for any statewide elected official. Kenney trailed with 37 percent and Gary Gill of the Natural Law Party picked up the stray 3 percent.

Although Kenney is married to long-time labor leader Larry Kenney, Munro got the endorsement of the Washington Federation of State Employees, AFL-CIO, and the Washington Education Association. He came close to shutting Kenney out of a co-endorsement by the Washington State Labor Council, which her husband once ran.

Munro locked up nearly all of the endorsements from the women’s movement, including the National Abortion Rights Action League, Nurses Association and the Women’s Political Caucus. Kenney has the blessings of the National Organization for Women.

“Ralph is a strong feminist and is the most qualified, with a proven track record of how he works with women,” says Nancyhelen Fischer, state chairwoman of the caucus. She says the decision between Munro and Kenney wasn’t even close, Kenney’s gender notwithstanding.

The job’s prime constitutional duties are to serve as the state’s chief elections officer, to handle corporate filings and the state archives, and to head the state Productivity Board.

Munro, elected in 1980 after serving in Gov. Dan Evans’ administration as a top aide, is going for his fifth term. No one else on the statewide ballot of partisan officeholders has served more than a single term.

“I love the job,” he says with a contented shrug. “People say ‘Aren’t you bored?’ and I say ‘No. I absolutely love to get up every morning and come into work.’ I really think it is the most interesting job in state government.”

No heavy lifting - and the officeholder can make the job as interesting and significant as he or she wants, he adds.

Kenney says Munro has muffed some of his responsibilities.

“Sixteen years is long enough,” says the challenger, who has served as an appointee of governors of both parties, with posts ranging from assistant commissioner of the Department of Employment Security to membership on the Indeterminate Sentencing Review Board, the agency that succeeded the state parole board.

She is critical of Munro for failing to negotiate a meaningful presidential primary plan for the state. In the past two tries, the voter turnout has been abysmal - about 16 percent this year, she said. The independent voters’ opinions were ignored by both parties and only the Republicans used the primary numbers to help allocate national convention delegates.

“We spent $3 million (on this year’s primary) and it was an absolutely meaningless election,” Kenney said.

She also faults Munro for not signing up more voters and for failing to head off this year’s problems with the tabulation of absentee votes in the Sept. 17 primary.

Munro concedes that both the presidential primary and the handling of absentee ballots need work, but says it requires collaboration with both parties, the Legislature and county auditors in the next legislative session.

Munro, 53, has a long history of working on historic preservation, maritime projects like the Lady Washington and Virginia V ships, wildlife sanctuary and save-the-whale efforts, programs for people with disabilities and other causes, and has heavy support in those circles. He also made contacts while serving as co-chairman of the state Centennial Commission and on foreign trade delegations.

Kenney, 60, owner of a dress shop in Seattle and a board member for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, also has wide connections. She is former president of the state Community College Trustees Association and has served on state and national education and small-business panels. She is a trustee for the Sisters of Providence hospitals and was an executive with the Goodwill Games.

While Munro comes from pioneer stock on Bainbridge Island, Phyllis Guiterrez Kenney is the youngest daughter of Mexican immigrants who picked fruit and vegetables throughout the West, eventually settling in Wapato in the Yakima Valley when she was 6.