Randy Gordon

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.[1] He owns his own law firm, Law Offices of Randolph I. Gordon PLLC,[2] in Seattle, Washington and is an Adjunct Professor at Seattle University School of Law.

Randy Gordon
Member of the Washington Senate
from the 41st district
In office
2010–2010
Preceded byFred Jarrett
Succeeded bySteve Litzow
Personal details
Born (1953-06-29) June 29, 1953
Brooklyn, New York
Nationality United States
Political partyDemocratic
Children3
ResidenceBellevue, Washington
Alma materUniversity of Michigan
Harvard Law School
OccupationLawyer

Early life

Randy Gordon was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1953[3]

Education

Career

In 1978 he started his law practice at the law firm Riddell, Williams, Bullitt & Walkinshaw of Seattle, Washington.[4] 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'.[5] From 2002-2010, he was 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.[6] In 2011, he formed a new law firm Gordon Edmunds Grelish PLLC carrying on the same work in Seattle, Washington.[2]

He has taught as an Adjunct Professor at the Seattle University School of Law since 1999, where he specializes in products liability and remedies.[7]

Politics

Randy Gordon is the Precinct Committee Officer for Precinct BEL 41-0219 in Bellevue, WA.

2006 campaign for U.S. Representative

In 2005, Randy Gordon ran an exploratory campaign to unseat U.S. Representative Dave Reichert 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 Officers (PCOs) and confirmed by the King County Council to replace Sen. Fred Jarrett who resigned to serve as King County deputy executive.[1][8]

During the short spring 2010 session, Gordon received three committee appointments: Joint Legislative Audit & Review Committee (JLARC), Early Learning & K-12 Education and Judiciary.[9]

Gordon sponsored seven bills during the session, co-sponsored forty bills, one senate joint memorial, twenty-two senate resolutions.[10]

  • SB 6512, Increasing school safety.[11]
  • 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.[12]
  • SB 6686, Changing the election and appointment provisions for municipal court judges. Passed out of the Senate, but died in the house.[13]
  • SB 6694, Residential foreclosure.[14]
  • SB 6728, Electrical trainee training.[15]
  • SB 6764, Judgments/tortious conduct. This bill raises the interest rate on civil judgments from 2 percent to 12 percent.[16][17] The interest rate was amended in the House to prime plus two points. It was passed into law on March 19, 2010.[18]
  • SB 6796, Automatic teller fees/B&O taxes.[19]

In his first speech on the Senate floor, Gordon voted with other Democrats in order to suspend a voter-approved initiative so that so-called tax loopholes could be closed in order to pay for mandatory budget items required by the state Constitution.[20][21] 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.[22] SB 6843 was passed into law.[21] Within the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee, the committee that works to make state government operations more effective, efficient and accountable by auditing and evaluating how money is spent, Gordon reviewed a book of tax exemptions. He signed on to two major bills that hope to close some of these tax loopholes amounting to a half of a billion dollars[23] - SB 6853[24] and SB 6873.[25]

As part of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Gordon helped SB 5838[26] 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.[27][28]

As part of the Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee, Sen. Gordon sponsored SB 6593[29] which would transfer the Infant and Toddler Early Intervention Program to DEL from DSHS. Gordon testified in behalf of the bill[30]

The session ended with Gordon voting for 2ESSB 6143[31] to close a $2.8 billion budget shortfall by a combination of cutting state services and increasing taxes.[32] 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

Gordon was defeated by Mercer Island City Councilman Steve Litzow.[33] After an automatic recount, Gordon's defeat was confirmed. He lost by 192 votes out of nearly 60,000 votes cast.[34][35]

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.[36]
  • Eastside Legal Assistance Program (volunteer lawyer)
  • American String Project (board member)
  • Pacific Northwest Ballet (member of the Barre)
  • Eastside YMCA (Parent-Child Program leader)
  • Washington State Karate 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[37]
  • 2001 Professionalism Award[37]
  • 2001 President's Award[37]
  • 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[38]
  • 2010 Awarded Everett Herald Cappies "Rookie of the year"[39]

Speeches

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.

References
  1. Staff (2010-01-11). "Bellevue lawyer Randy Gordon named to state Senate". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2010-01-12.
  2. "Law Offices of Randolph I. Gordon PLLC". Retrieved 2013-03-08.
  3. "Randy Gordon". Washington State Bar Association. Retrieved 2010-01-15.
  4. "Our History". Ridell Williams. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
  5. "The "Deliberate Intention" Exception to the Industrial Insurance Act after Birklid v. Boeing: A Guidebook for Bench & Bar". Washington State Bar Association. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
  6. "More Law - Lexapedia". Retrieved 2010-04-06.
  7. "Randy Gordon, Adjunct Professor". Retrieved 2010-04-06.
  8. Mary L. Grady (2010-02-04). "New state senator is lawyer, poet and optimist - Democrat Sen. Randy Gordon of Bellevue takes over Fred Jarrett's seat for the 41st". Bellevue Reporter. Retrieved 2010-04-26.
  9. Mary L. Grady (2010-02-02). "Democrat Sen. Randy Gordon of Bellevue takes over Fred Jarrett's 41st Legislative District seat". Mercer Island Reporter. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
  10. "Senator Randy Gordon - 2009-10 Prime Sponsored Bills". Washington State Legislature. Retrieved 2010-04-08.
  11. "SB 6512 - Increasing school safety". Washington State Legislature. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
  12. "SB 6593 - Transferring the administration of the infant and toddler early intervention program from the department of social and health services to the department of early learning". Washington State Legislature. 2010-03-29. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
  13. "SB 6686 - Changing the election and appointment provisions for municipal court judges". Washington State Legislature. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
  14. "SB 6694 - Regulating the foreclosure of residential real property". Washington State Legislature. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
  15. "SB 6728 - Concerning classroom training for electrical trainees". Washington State Legislature. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
  16. "Gordon bill to curb frivolous appeals heads to governor's desk". Bellevue Reporter. 2010-03-09. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
  17. "Randy Gordon bill aims to crack down on 'appellate abuses'". Bellevue Reporter. 2010-02-22. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
  18. "SB 6764 - Regarding accrual of interest on judgments founded on tortious conduct". Washington Legislature. 2010-03-19. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
  19. "SB 6796 - Assessing a business and occupation tax surcharge on automatic teller fees in excess of one dollar and fifty cents". Washington State Legislature. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
  20. "WA Lege: Deja vu. Senate Democrats suspend I-960". The Spokesman-Review. 2010-02-11. Retrieved 2010-04-08.
  21. "SB 6843 - Preserving essential public services". Washington State Legislature. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
  22. Curt Woodward (2010-02-18). "State House approves I-960 suspension". Seattle Times. Retrieved 2010-04-08.
  23. "Gordon signs on to tax loophole reform bill". Bellevue Reporter. 2010-02-24. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
  24. "SB 6853 - Relating to creating the legislative review of tax preferences act of 2010". Washington State Legislature. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
  25. "SB 6873 - Increasing state revenues to preserve funding for essential public services by preventing abusive tax avoidance transactions, narrowing or eliminating certain tax preferences, and providing equitable tax treatment". Washington State Legislature. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
  26. Senators McDermott, Jacobsen, Murray, Kohl-Welles, Fairley. "SB 5838 - Concerning traffic infractions where the conduct is a proximate cause of death, great bodily harm, or substantial bodily injury". Washington State Legislature. Retrieved 2010-04-10.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  27. Lillian Tucker (2010-02-03). "Vulnerable User Bill vulnerable to confusion". Seattle Times. Retrieved 2010-04-26.
  28. Chris Rule (2010-02-08). ""Vulnerable to Confusion," Bill Squeaks Through Committee". Cascade Bicycle Club. Archived from the original on February 19, 2011. Retrieved 2010-04-26.
  29. Senators Gordon, Kauffman, Prentice, Oemig, Tom, Kline, Parlette. "SB 6593 - Transferring the administration of the infant and toddler early intervention program from the department of social and health services to the department of early learning". Washington State Legislature. Retrieved 2010-04-26.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  30. "This week in Olympia, Feb 15, 2010" (PDF). Department of Early Learning. Retrieved 2010-04-26.
  31. Margarita Prentice. "SB 6143 - Relating to revenue and taxation". Washington State Legislature. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
  32. Andrew Garber (2010-04-13). "Lawmakers end session with taxes, service cut". Seattle Times. Retrieved 2010-04-13.
  33. Elizabeth Celms (2010-02-12). "Mercer Island Councilman to challenge Bellevue's Randy Gordon for 41st District Senate seat". Bellevue Reporter. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
  34. Staff (2010-12-03). "It's official, Steve Litzow is new state senator for the 41st District". Mercer Island Reporter. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
  35. Chris Grygiel (2010-12-03). "Recount: Litzow beats Gordon in 41st Senate race". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
  36. "Lehto and Wells v. Sequoia and Snohomish County".
  37. "Washington State Association for Justice Awards". Retrieved 2010-01-15.
  38. Gordon, Randy (2006). "A TALE OF TWO INITIATIVES: Where Propaganda Meets Fact in the Debate Over America's Health Care". Seattle Journal for Social Justice. 4 (2). Retrieved 2010-01-15.
  39. Jerry Cornfield (2010-03-14). "Time to dole out Cappies, despite Olympia's unfinished business". Everett Herald. Retrieved 2010-04-11.
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