Chris Marr
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Chris Marr is a State Senator from Spokane, Washington representing Washington's 6th legislative district in the Washington State Legislature in Olympia.
Marr, elected to a four year term in November 2006, [1] is the first Democrat elected to the state Senate from the 6th district since 1940. [2][3]
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[edit] Biography
Senator Marr is serving his first term as senator for the 6th District in Spokane, following 20 years of civic involvement in public policy and state and local politics. Following management positions at Ford Motor Company and McDonald's Corporation, Senator Marr spent twenty years as managing partner of the Foothills Auto Group, which operates automotive dealerships in the Spokane area, before election to the State Senate in 2006. Senator Marr also served on the Board of Regents of Washington State University and the Board of Governors of the W.S.U. Foundation. He formerly chaired the Board of Empire Health Services and Inland Northwest Health Services as well as the Spokane Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Washington State Transportation Commission (the governing board of the Washington State Department of Transportation). Senator Marr has been married for 30 years to his wife, Christine, and they have two grown children. In his spare time he is an avid runner and music collector.
[edit] Criticism & Controversy
Sexual Harassment Allegations
Allegations surfaced in the Spokesman Review that Chris Marr and other managers at his local auto dealership ignored, for years, the sexual harassment of a saleswoman by male colleagues.
In a lawsuit filed last year, former saleswoman Dawn Fowler said that she was subjected to harassment by co-workers including sexually explicit verbal abuse, sexual comments about Fowler's body and inappropriate physical contact. Fowler also said a manager hired a stripper for a sales meeting that she – the only female employee there – was required to attend. Another manager, she said, had a computer screen saver of nude women. At the time, Marr was part-owner, vice president and then president of the dealership. The company settled Fowler's claim for an undisclosed amount. [4]
An Expensive Campaign
Each vote cost Marr $17.05 to win. Marr's per-vote spending was the most for any candidate for any office in Spokane, and the second highest per vote spending in Washington state. [5]
[edit] Senate Term 2007-2010
Senator Marr is the vice chair of the Senate Transportation Committee and is Assistant Floor Leader. He also serves on the Health & Long-Term Care Committee and the Human Services & Corrections Committee. In addition, he sits on the Life Sciences Discovery Fund Board and the Group Health Foundation Board. [1]
Marr has been the primary sponsor of significant bills for Washington State, especially for Spokane and the 6th LD: for example, a bill that created a state veteran's cemetery in the Spokane area.(Although Marr was the 2007 bill sponsor, this project started many years ago, before Senator Marr was first elected.)[2][3] Most of the money for the VA Cemetery will come from the Federal Government.[4][5] A second equally important piece of legislation guaranteed healthcare to all of the children in Washington State.[6]
[edit] Awards and Honors
Marr is a recipient of the 2008 Fuse "Sizzle" award, for "outstanding leadership on bills that will reduce Washington’s global warming pollution." The award honors his leadership in general and his sponsorship of the Local Solutions to Global Warming bill in particular.[7]
[edit] References
- ^ Washington State Senate Bio Page
- ^ http://www.ofm.wa.gov/budget05gregoire/recsum/305.pdf
- ^ Washington
- ^ Spokesman-Review.com
- ^ Spokane Democrats
- ^ Senator Chris Marr
- ^ Fuse "Cool Leadership" award
