State Sen. Scott White (D-46, N. Seattle), 41, has died. He was found dead in his room at a resort in Suncadia yesterday where he was attending a conference on economic growth.
Gov. Chris Gregoire issued this statement:
“My heart goes out to the family of Senator Scott White tonight. Scott was a dedicated public servant and champion of important issues in Olympia. He was never afraid to tackle the difficult problems – and did so with a positive attitude, which I always appreciated. I found him to be an absolute pleasure to work with, and a legislator who served his district and the entire state well. He had a bright and promising future ahead of him. My family and I will keep Scott and his family in our thoughts and prayers.”
According to the Kittitas County Sheriff’s office, hotel staff at the Suncadia Lodge found White in his room around 2:00 pm. He had been attending a conference at the resort. The sheriff’s office says there is no evidence of foul play. Authorities will investigate White’s death which may have been caused by a heart attack.
In a statement released Friday, King County Executive Dow Constantine called Sen. White “a colleague and a friend, a rising star in the Legislature, and a champion for his district and for King County.”
In the the latest legislative session, White led on the bill to fund King County Metro and had already signed on to pro-transit principles to frame next year’s debate on a statewide transit package. He also pushed through a bipartisan compromise to end the stadium taxes and shift funding to arts. White, a Seattle liberal, was also one of a bloc of Democratic state senators who tried to reject the controversial workers’ comp reform opposed by labor.
White, a former King County staffer, took office in the legislature in 2008, serving two years in the House of Representatives before he was elected to the Senate in 2010. White, whose district represents much of north Seattle, served as the Majority Whip—an impressive appointment he got late last year immediately after moving to the senate from the house when former state Sen. Ken Jacobsen retired. He was also Vice Chair of the Senate transportation committee. As a rep, White was one of the minority of Seattle Democrats who voted against the infamous cost overruns provision on the tunnel in 2009.
He leaves behind a wife, Alison, and two children, ages 5 and 3.
“Scott was a trusted colleague and a beloved friend,” said Majority Leader Lisa Brown. “He was an extraordinarily talented leader and an accomplished legislator. The nobility and honor with which he approached his role as an elected official was rare, and his commitment was unprecedented. He was ambitious, yet humble and positive about what he called ‘our shared community values.’
