State Representative Mark Hargrove takes oath of office today
State Rep. Mark Hargrove, R-Covington, was officially sworn-in as the newest member of the 47th Legislative District delegation today. The ceremony took place in the House Chambers in Olympia. Members of Hargrove's family and several friends attended the event. He was sworn-in by Chief Justice Barbara Madsen.
“I feel so blessed to have earned the trust of the voters in the Forty-Seventh Legislative District,” Hargrove said. “There are many decisions this next Legislature must make that will impact citizens, but the people of the district hired me to bring their solutions to the table. We must be willing to do the hard work necessary to bring spending in line with tax collections. That will require all of us coming to the table with workable solutions. I intend to work in good faith with anyone to ensure restructure government to support our most vulnerable, bolster our private-sector job creators and align the budget to fit within current economic realities. I am ready to hit the ground running.”
One of the tenets Hargrove ran on last year was the need to make sure that government did not grow so large in the state as to overtake each person's individual liberty and choices.
“When it comes to government, whether state, local or federal, we must contain its expansion so that it fills the most critical needs, but does not grow so large as to consume the very private sector that supports it,” Hargrove said. “Outlining priorities and then addressing what programs fall outside of those top items is critical to putting our state on the right track for economic recovery. I look forward to being part of a constructive coalition of problem-solvers in the Legislature, and I encourage constituents to keep the lines of communication open through calls, meeting, e-mails and letters.”
Hargrove can be reached at his legislative office at (360) 786-7918 or via e-mail at Mark.Hargrove@leg.wa.gov. His office address is P.O. Box 40600, Modular D-202, Olympia, Wash., 98504-0600. His legislative aide is Roy Atwood. He will serve on the House Transportation, Education and Education Appropriations and Oversight committees.
Hargrove is an Eagle Scout, a U.S. Air Force Academy graduate, an Air Force veteran, and a Boeing instructor pilot who teaches pilots from around the world how to fly 777's and 747's. He has lived in Covington for 22 years and has been married to his wife, Sandy, for 31 years.
