Lowry Not Ready To Decide On ‘96
Washington Gov. Mike Lowry said he won’t think about plans to run for re-election until later this year.
His political future clouded by an agreement to pay money to a former aide who accused him of sexual harassment, Lowry said some friends and associates are urging him to seek another fouryear term.
“I’m going to sit down, at the right time, with (my wife) Mary and we’ll do what we always do, evaluate if running is the right thing to do,” Lowry told reporters Thursday.
The Democratic governor was in Spokane to speak at the convention of the Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council.
Last month, Lowry agreed to pay former press aide Susanne Albright $97,500 to settle charges that he had touched her and made unwanted sexual remarks.
The governor has denied he sexually harassed Albright; the settlement involves no admission of guilt.
Lowry has said the 37-year-old Albright misinterpreted friendly knee-squeezing and back pats.
Lowry said his work so far deserves high marks. His policies have curbed state spending and helped reduce unemployment since 1992, he said.
He and his family will review options for 1996 after this fall’s elections.
His experience makes him the right person for the job, especially if Congress whacks away at federally funded programs and leaves them for states to pick up, he added.
“Almost everybody agrees that Congress should reduce the deficit, but we in this state will have to pick up some of those services, and that’s a matter of setting priorities,” Lowry continued.
He said federal cuts in child care, education and transportation would hurt state residents the most.
His advocacy of those issues is one reason supporters are telling him he should run. “And they’re telling me I would win, too,” he said.
One way to accomplish further savings, he added, is possibly streamlining the state’s largest agency, the Department of Social and Health Services.
He made that remark after saying he continues to support DSHS Secretary Jean Soliz, whose agency is being investigated on allegations it has failed to protect children.
Three separate investigations are being made into allegations that DSHS workers mishandled cases of sexual abuse of children in the agency’s care.
“We want to very seriously look at all the investigations that are going on,” the governor said.
Lowry said, however, that the 16,000-employee agency may be too big to manage easily.
“My mind is open on what might be the best way to reorganize (DSHS). I hope others have the same open mind on this,” he said.
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