Spokane lawmaker Timm Ormsby, a mason by trade, will not seek re-election

OLYMPIA – Spokane’s longest-serving legislator, Timm Ormsby, told reporters Wednesday he will not seek re-election this fall.

Ormsby, 66, the top Democratic budget writer in the House of Representatives, said he plans to make a more formal announcement on Thursday.

“I don’t plan on seeking re-election,” Ormsby said. “I wanted to make sure that we got our work done before I announced anything. I’ll serve out my term, and we’ll have a new legislator from the third district.”

Ormsby, then the president of the Spokane Regional Labor Council, assumed office in September 2003 when he was appointed to the seat following the resignation of Rep. Jeff Gombosky. He was elected to the seat in 2004 and re-elected every two years since.

He is the fourth Spokane-area legislator to announce they will not seek re-election this year. Last month, Republican Rep. Jenny Graham said she would not seek another term in office. State Reps. Suzanne Schmidt and Mike Volz also previously announced that they would not seek another term in office.

The confirmation puts to rest weeks of speculation about whether Ormsby planned to continue his time in office. As chair of the House Appropriations Committee, he wields considerable power in the state’s budget process. As the session concluded last month, lawmakers from across the political spectrum praised Ormsby for his work while in office.

State Rep. Travis Couture, R-Allyn, who serves as ranking member on Appropriations alongside Ormsby, joked on the House floor on the final day of session that Ormsby has two of the most difficult jobs in Olympia.

“His second-most difficult job is the budget. His first, most difficult job is listening to me every day,” Couture said. “And I would just say that despite some of our worldview differences, we get along great. I’ve had just an excellent pleasure working with him and members of his caucus on the appropriations committee.”

Couture added that regardless of the bill, Ormsby “listens to every single voice.”

“And I just want to thank him for his hard work and service to Washington,” Couture said.

A longtime union leader, Ormsby graduated from North Central High School in 1977 and has three grown children.

He’s not the only member of his family to pursue office.

Ormsby’s brother, Mike Ormsby, became the youngest-ever member of the Spokane School Board when he was elected to the board in 1975 at age 18. Mike Ormsby also served as the U.S. attorney for Eastern Washington in the Obama administration.

“I think for a guy who graduated from high school and was a concrete mason, and had a big family, and was very closely connected to community, it really wasn’t about who you are, it was about what you did,” state Rep. Natasha Hill, D-Spokane, said Wednesday. “He wasn’t perfect, he’s not a perfect guy, and I don’t think anybody is, we’re all fallible. But I just hope there’s some celebrations for this guy and the work he did.”

Hill said Wednesday she was “personally sad to see Tim go, but I think that he’s had a great run.”

“I’m definitely somebody who got to benefit from him sticking around for one more term,” Hill said. “And getting to learn from him as a friend and a mentor.”

Hill, who recently completed her second legislative session, remembers Ormsby’s guidance in getting through the late nights that often come with serving as a legislator.

“He just kind of has a way of giving you an insight on the work and the people. And it definitely is the people who keep you going through those really tough policy issues or those really late nights,” Hill said. “So I know I benefitted a lot from having him there to kind of just teach me how to rise to that occasion of when things are really, really tough.”

State Sen. Marcus Riccelli, D-Spokane, Ormsby’s seatmate for more than a decade, said Wednesday it was clear he “had a heart for the most vulnerable, and was looking out for all Washingtonians when we were making difficult decisions, and putting people first.”

“Which I think is a hallmark of his career,” Riccelli said. “He always put human beings and people above everything else.”

While they served in the Legislature together, Riccelli remembers frequently going on tours of projects throughout Spokane where Ormsby would recall doing part of the work, often with accompanying stories of the jobsite.

“I really look at it fondly to be on tours with him,” Riccelli said. “And here you have the chair of the appropriations committee, one of the most powerful positions in the state Legislature, and somebody who just took a moment to just say, ‘I poured this concrete, I worked on this.’”

As he signed the state’s operating budget Wednesday, Gov. Bob Ferguson similarly offered praise for the Spokane Democrat for “his leadership on this.”

“And his leadership in many areas for the people of the state of Washington. We just really deeply appreciate your service for a long time,” Ferguson said. “He just continues to be a really wonderful legislator, serves the people of his district really well. I had the pleasure of working with you over a number of years.”

After signing the state’s supplemental budget, the governor led an ovation for Ormsby.

Former Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig said Wednesday Ormsby is “one of the best legislators I know, and one of the best people I know.”

Billig recalled one of his first events as he ran for the House of Representatives as a first-time candidate in 2010, where he remembers shaking “because I was so nervous.” Billig turned to Ormsby seeking help for his nerves . At the time, Ormsby had served for nearly eight years in the Legislature.

“I said, ‘Tim, when does the nervousness go away?’” Billig said. “And he said, ‘I’ll let you know.’ And that also speaks to a sense of humor, which he has an excellent sense of humor.”

While he earned praise from his fellow lawmakers, Ormsby was not without controversy during his time in Olympia. In 2018, he pleaded guilty to reckless driving after he lost control of his Jeep and rolled it into a yard. Tests show his blood-alcohol content was between 0.11 and 0.09 at the time, while the legal limit is 0.08. As part of the plea, Ormsby was fined, received two years of supervision and completed a session with a panel of victims of DUI cases.

As he concludes his time in office, Ormsby said he’s unsure what he will do next.

“I haven’t met that dude yet, so I don’t know what he’s interested in, or what he’s even good at,” Ormsby said. “So I’ll find out, just transition into that role as it comes up. But I don’t have any set plans or agenda.”