Commission Picks Sterk’S Replacement Lynn Schindler Will Be Sworn In May 31

Sat., April 25, 1998

By Craig Welch craigw@olywa.net

A longtime Valley Republican and health board member will replace Rep. Mark Sterk at the end of May as a 4th District legislator.

Otis Orchards resident Lynn Schindler, 53, will finish Sterk’s term when he resigns to run for sheriff, Spokane County commissioners announced Friday.

Commissioners will formally appoint Schindler May 5. She will be sworn in when Sterk leaves office May 31.

Schindler already has announced plans to run for the post in the November election.

“I’ve been involved in politics for over 30 years,” Schindler said. “It’s always been interesting to me.”

Schindler has never held public office, but serves on boards of the Spokane Regional Health District, Valleyfest and the Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce.

A former vice-chairwoman of the Spokane County Republican Party, Schindler also sought the 4th District seat in 1995, when commissioners appointed Sterk to replace Mike Padden, who was named a District Court judge.

Despite being passed over, Schindler went on to work on Sterk’s successful election campaign in 1996.

Schindler will take over any interim duties Sterk would have had on the Legislature’s Transportation, Education and Law and Justice committees. Schindler also will attend two two-day work sessions in Olympia in September and December.

But she acknowledged that she is taking over the $28,300-a-year job after most of the year’s work is done.

The legislative session ended March 12, and the state’s legislative committees haven’t finalized their interim meeting schedule beyond May.

Where she can, however, Schindler said she would use her position to fight to improve public education and lower the tax burden for Washington families.

She said that while she’d prefer to keep control of education local, she’s a proponent of requiring teachers to use phonics - the sounding out of words - to teach reading.

The Legislature already “dictates a lot of other things,” like health education and AIDS education, she said.

Schindler said she’s not yet up to speed on the details of a $2.4 billion Republican transportation plan, which will go before voters in November.

Schindler was chosen over Valley Republicans Steve Taylor and John Haldi.

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