Randy Gordon
Encyclopedia
Randolph I. Gordon, born June 29, 1953, was a Democratic
Washington State Senator from Bellevue, Washington
. In 2010 he was appointed to replace Sen. Fred Jarrett
. He owns his own law firm, Gordon Edmunds Grelish PLLC, in Bellevue, Washington
and is an Adjunct Professor at Seattle University
School of Law.
. He was a principal in the law firm Casey Gordon Davis, P.S. from 1983 to 2002. This practice emphasized trial practice, business and commercial litigation, products liability and plaintiff personal injury, toxic tort and chemical exposure litigation, mediation and arbitration, court-appointed special master. In 1995, he was the appellants' counsel in Birklid v. Boeing, 127 Wn.2d 853, a landmark case where he represented seventeen workers that were exposed to toxic phenol
compound fumes. The case determined that knowledge of a hazardous condition constitutes 'deliberate intention'. From 2002-2010, he is a principal of the Bellevue, Washington
law firm Gordon Edmunds Elder PLLC where his specialties are Mediation and Arbitration, Civil Litigation, Personal Injury Law, Toxic Exposure Law, and Products Liability. In 2011, he formed a new law firm Gordon Edmunds Grelish PLLC carrying on the same work.
He has taught as an Adjunct Professor at the Seattle University
School of Law since 1999, where he specializes in products liability and remedies.
for Precinct BEL 41-0219 in Bellevue, WA.
in Washington's 8th District. He dropped out of the race on January 5, 2006.
s (PCOs) and confirmed by the King County Council
to replace Sen. Fred Jarrett
who resigned to serve as King County deputy executive.
During the short spring 2010 session, Randy Gordon received three committee appointments: Joint Legislative Audit & Review Committee (JLARC), Early Learning & K-12 Education and Judiciary.
Sen. Gordon sponsored seven bills during the session, co-sponsored forty bills, one senate joint memorial, twenty-two senate resolutions.
In his first speech on the Senate floor, Randy Gordon voted with other Democrats in order to suspend I-960 with SB 6843 so that tax loopholes can be closed in order to pay for mandatory budget items required by the WA constitution. A two-thirds majority was not needed in order to amend I-960 because lawmakers can amend initiatives with a simple majority vote after they've been on the books for two years. SB 6843 was passed into law.
Within the JLARC, the committee that works to make state government operations more effective, efficient and accountable by auditing and evaluating how money is spent, Sen. Gordon has reviewed a book of tax exemptions. He worked to close tax evasion loopholes before raising taxes. He signed on to two major bills that hope to close some of these tax loopholes amounting to a half of a billion dollars - SB 6853 and SB 6873.
As part of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Gordon helped SB 5838 through committee that would result in tougher infraction for drivers whose violation of traffic laws results in the death or substantial bodily injury of a pedestrian, bicyclist or any other "vulnerable" roadway user.
As part of the Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee, Sen. Gordon sponsored SB 6593 which would transfer the Infant and Toddler Early Intervention Program to DEL from DSHS. Sen. Gordon testified in behalf of the bill
The session ended with Sen. Gordon voting for 2ESSB 6143 to close a $2.8 billion budget shortfall by a combination of cutting state services and increasing taxes. Taxes were increased on non-essentials - beer, soda, bottled water, and candy. Cuts were made in K-12 and higher education, and other state services.
Mercer Island City Councilman Steve Litzow will be challenged the senate seat. After an automatic recount, Gordon was defeated in the Nov. 2010 General Election by a mere 192 votes out of nearly 60,000 votes cast.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Washington State Senator from Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, across Lake Washington from Seattle. Long known as a suburb or satellite city of Seattle, it is now categorized as an edge city or a boomburb. The population was 122,363 at the 2010 census.Downtown Bellevue is...
. In 2010 he was appointed to replace Sen. Fred Jarrett
Fred Jarrett
Fred Jarrett is the Deputy King County Executive and a former Democratic member of the Washington State Senate, representing the 41st district since January 2009. He was first elected to the Washington House of Representatives in 2001 as a Republican, serving four terms. He switched parties in...
. He owns his own law firm, Gordon Edmunds Grelish PLLC, in Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, across Lake Washington from Seattle. Long known as a suburb or satellite city of Seattle, it is now categorized as an edge city or a boomburb. The population was 122,363 at the 2010 census.Downtown Bellevue is...
and is an Adjunct Professor at Seattle University
Seattle University
Seattle University is a Jesuit Catholic university located in the First Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, USA.SU is the largest independent university in the Northwest US, with over 7,500 students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs within eight schools, and is one of 28 member...
School of Law.
Education
- 1975 B.A. University of MichiganUniversity of MichiganThe University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
with High Honors and High Distinction - 1978 J.D. Harvard Law SchoolHarvard Law SchoolHarvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
Career
In 1978 he started his law practice at the law firm Riddell, Williams, Bullitt & Walkinshaw of Seattle, WashingtonSeattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
. He was a principal in the law firm Casey Gordon Davis, P.S. from 1983 to 2002. This practice emphasized trial practice, business and commercial litigation, products liability and plaintiff personal injury, toxic tort and chemical exposure litigation, mediation and arbitration, court-appointed special master. In 1995, he was the appellants' counsel in Birklid v. Boeing, 127 Wn.2d 853, a landmark case where he represented seventeen workers that were exposed to toxic phenol
Phenol
Phenol, also known as carbolic acid, phenic acid, is an organic compound with the chemical formula C6H5OH. It is a white crystalline solid. The molecule consists of a phenyl , bonded to a hydroxyl group. It is produced on a large scale as a precursor to many materials and useful compounds...
compound fumes. The case determined that knowledge of a hazardous condition constitutes 'deliberate intention'. From 2002-2010, he is a principal of the Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, across Lake Washington from Seattle. Long known as a suburb or satellite city of Seattle, it is now categorized as an edge city or a boomburb. The population was 122,363 at the 2010 census.Downtown Bellevue is...
law firm Gordon Edmunds Elder PLLC where his specialties are Mediation and Arbitration, Civil Litigation, Personal Injury Law, Toxic Exposure Law, and Products Liability. In 2011, he formed a new law firm Gordon Edmunds Grelish PLLC carrying on the same work.
He has taught as an Adjunct Professor at the Seattle University
Seattle University
Seattle University is a Jesuit Catholic university located in the First Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, USA.SU is the largest independent university in the Northwest US, with over 7,500 students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs within eight schools, and is one of 28 member...
School of Law since 1999, where he specializes in products liability and remedies.
Politics
Randy Gordon is the Precinct Committee OfficerPrecinct Committee Officer
A Precinct Committee Officer, or PCO, is the name for an office in the U.S. state of Washington that organizes a voting precinct for a political party. The PCO is one of the most grass-roots offices available. The PCO brings to the party organizations the concerns of the voters, and of the...
for Precinct BEL 41-0219 in Bellevue, WA.
2006 campaign for U.S. Representative
In 2005, Randy Gordon ran an exploratory campaign to see if he should try and unseat U.S. Representative Dave ReichertDave Reichert
David George Reichert is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously served as Sheriff of King County, Washington.-Early life, education and career:...
in Washington's 8th District. He dropped out of the race on January 5, 2006.
2009-10 session
In 2010 he was nominated to the Washington State Senate by Democratic Precinct Committee OfficerPrecinct Committee Officer
A Precinct Committee Officer, or PCO, is the name for an office in the U.S. state of Washington that organizes a voting precinct for a political party. The PCO is one of the most grass-roots offices available. The PCO brings to the party organizations the concerns of the voters, and of the...
s (PCOs) and confirmed by the King County Council
King County Council
The Metropolitan King County Council, the legislative body of King County, Washington, consists of nine members elected by district. The Council adopts laws, sets policy, and holds final approval over the budget...
to replace Sen. Fred Jarrett
Fred Jarrett
Fred Jarrett is the Deputy King County Executive and a former Democratic member of the Washington State Senate, representing the 41st district since January 2009. He was first elected to the Washington House of Representatives in 2001 as a Republican, serving four terms. He switched parties in...
who resigned to serve as King County deputy executive.
During the short spring 2010 session, Randy Gordon received three committee appointments: Joint Legislative Audit & Review Committee (JLARC), Early Learning & K-12 Education and Judiciary.
Sen. Gordon sponsored seven bills during the session, co-sponsored forty bills, one senate joint memorial, twenty-two senate resolutions.
- SB 6512, Increasing school safety.
- SB 6593, Infant & toddler program. This bill provides children from birth to 3 with developmental disabilities educational support. It was passed into law on March 29, 2010.
- SB 6686, Changing the election and appointment provisions for municipal court judges. Passed out of the Senate, but died in the house.
- SB 6694, Residential foreclosure.
- SB 6728, Electrical trainee training.
- SB 6764, Judgments/tortious conduct. This bill raises the interest rate on civil judgments from 2 percent to 12 percent. The interest rate was amended in the House to prime plus two points. It was passed into law on March 19, 2010.
- SB 6796, Automatic teller fees/B&O taxes.
In his first speech on the Senate floor, Randy Gordon voted with other Democrats in order to suspend I-960 with SB 6843 so that tax loopholes can be closed in order to pay for mandatory budget items required by the WA constitution. A two-thirds majority was not needed in order to amend I-960 because lawmakers can amend initiatives with a simple majority vote after they've been on the books for two years. SB 6843 was passed into law.
Within the JLARC, the committee that works to make state government operations more effective, efficient and accountable by auditing and evaluating how money is spent, Sen. Gordon has reviewed a book of tax exemptions. He worked to close tax evasion loopholes before raising taxes. He signed on to two major bills that hope to close some of these tax loopholes amounting to a half of a billion dollars - SB 6853 and SB 6873.
As part of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Gordon helped SB 5838 through committee that would result in tougher infraction for drivers whose violation of traffic laws results in the death or substantial bodily injury of a pedestrian, bicyclist or any other "vulnerable" roadway user.
As part of the Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee, Sen. Gordon sponsored SB 6593 which would transfer the Infant and Toddler Early Intervention Program to DEL from DSHS. Sen. Gordon testified in behalf of the bill
The session ended with Sen. Gordon voting for 2ESSB 6143 to close a $2.8 billion budget shortfall by a combination of cutting state services and increasing taxes. Taxes were increased on non-essentials - beer, soda, bottled water, and candy. Cuts were made in K-12 and higher education, and other state services.
2010 campaign for State Senate
Randy Gordon is seeking to be retained for the 41st Legislative District Senate seat in November 2010. RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Mercer Island City Councilman Steve Litzow will be challenged the senate seat. After an automatic recount, Gordon was defeated in the Nov. 2010 General Election by a mere 192 votes out of nearly 60,000 votes cast.
Pro bono work
- Randy Gordon, Paul Lehto and John Wells are asking King County Superior court to void Sequoia's contract which has effectively allowed them to conduct elections. Gordon argues that by outsourcing voting to a private company which keeps its process secret, the individual's right to an election process that is transparent and observable is being abridged. Gordon is seeking a refund of $5 million for Snohomish County for 1000 voting machines.
- Eastside Legal Assistance Program (volunteer lawyer)
- American String Project (board member)
- Pacific Northwest Ballet (member of the Barre)
- Eastside YMCAYMCAThe Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
(Parent-Child Program leader) - Washington State KarateKarateis a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
Association (Counsel) - USA-National Karate-do Federation (Presiding Officer of National Board of Review; General Counsel)
- Washington State Bar Association (Special District Counsel)
- Hearing Officer; Governor, 8th Congressional District)
- Lake Bellevue Water Quality Association; and others.
Honors and awards
- Invited on three occasions in the last five years to give the Commencement Address to the graduating case
- 2000, 2001, 2003 Outstanding Faculty Award
- Board of Student Advisers
- The Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review
- Founded the still extant orientation program at Harvard Law School 1977
- Phi Beta Kappa in his junior year at University of Michigan 1974
- Branstrom Prize 1972
- Bain-Swiggett Prize for poetry
- James B. Angell Scholar [seven semesters] at University of Michigan College of Literature, Science & the Arts
- 1998 Public Justice Award
- 2001 Professionalism Award
- 2001 President's Award
- 2005 Rising Star of the Democratic Party
- Three times received the Washington Law & Politics "Super Lawyer" award by peer selection
- Article Accepted for Publication and Published in Seattle Journal for Social Justice
- 2010 Awarded Everett Herald Cappies "Rookie of the year"
Speeches
- Proud to be a Lawyer Randy Gordon, Seattle University School of Law Commencement Address, Seattle, WashingtonSeattle, WashingtonSeattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, December 16, 2000. - Proud to be a Lawyer Randy Gordon, Seattle University School of Law Commencement Address, Seattle, WashingtonSeattle, WashingtonSeattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, December 22, 2001 - Commencement Address Randy Gordon, Seattle University School of Law Commencement Address, Seattle, WashingtonSeattle, WashingtonSeattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, December 20, 2003
Memberships and affiliations
- East King County Bar Association (Trustee, Vice President, President)
- King County Bar Association (East King County Trustee)
- Washington State Trial Lawyers Association (Governor, 8th District; Liaison to State Bar)
- Washington State Bar Association [Governor, 8th District](2003–2005)
- Bellevue Kiwanis
Family
- Randy Gordon, divorced, has two daughters, Katie and Becky, and a step daughter Brittany.