Joseph Zarelli

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Sen. Joseph Zarelli
Member of the Washington Senate
from the 18th district
In office
1995 – May 31, 2012
Succeeded by Ann Rivers
Personal details
Born 1962
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Tani
Residence Ridgefield, Washington

Joe Zarelli is a politician who represented the 18th Legislative District in the Washington State Senate for 17 years. Senator Zarelli was first elected to the Senate in 1995, and served until May 2012.

Political career

After serving as a top Senate Republican for several years, Zarelli announced his retirement at the end of his current term on May 19, 2012 [1]

Jaime Herrera was an intern in Zarelli's office and he was a major supporter of her rise in politics.[2]

Personal information

According to his official Legislative biography, Senator Zarelli owns a company specializing in business development and risk management services. He has an Associate's degree from Clark College. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1982 to 1989. Joe and his wife Tani, have four daughters and two grandchildren.[3] The couple filed petitions for divorce and for legal separation in November 2013. [4]

Political controversies

Zarelli was briefly dogged by controversy in 2002 when the Seattle Times reported on the fact that he collected unemployment while simultaneously serving in the State Legislature.[5] This was seen as especially embarrassing because Zarelli had a well-established political identity as a fiscal conservative firmly opposed to state services of all kinds. Zarelli defended himself by arguing that the State Employment Security Department had found him to be eligible for benefits, and there were never any allegations of unsavory dealings behind the awarding of benefits. The controversy soon passed.

Sources

  1. ↑ "Zarelli will be leaving state Senate". The Columbian. 18 May 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2012. 
  2. ↑ "Jaime Herrera: Staying ‘true to the principles’". The Columbian. 23 July 2010. Retrieved 12 December 2012. 
  3. ↑ Senate Republicans Washington
  4. ↑ http://www.columbian.com/news/2013/nov/29/births-marriage-applications-licenses-court-senten/
  5. ↑ "Sen. Zarelli collected unemployment while earning salary". The Seattle Times. 25 September 2002. Retrieved 12 December 2012. 


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