The Washington state House of Representatives consists of 98 members. In 1978, for the first and only time in Washington history, 49 Republicans and 49 Democrats were elected to serve in that body.
[11 days, and still no House leadership]
As neither party had a majority, co-speakers were picked to preside over the House on alternate days during the 1979-1980 legislative session. The co-speakers chose to have one Republican and one Democrat chair each committee. Each House committee had an equal number of Republicans and Democrats. When I drove down to the state Capitol to lobby and testify before a House committee as a community leader, the committees operated very smoothly.
As a former Washington legislator and retired Alaska state employee, I recommend that the current Alaska State House consider such an organization, as they are also tied with an equal number of Republicans and Democrats. They can’t waste any more time and money trying to figure it out.
John C. Wynne,
Juneau,
• My Turns and Letters to the Editor represent the view of the author, not the view of the Juneau Empire.