By Ryan Murray

rmurray@bellevuereporter.com

The Republican-led state Senate’s denial to confirm Lynn Peterson as secretary of transportation late last week has led to a flurry of remarks from the left side of the aisle.

Peterson served as secretary of transportation for three years, since Gov. Jay Inslee appointed her to the job shortly after he took office.

Republican lawmakers in Olympia — led by chair of the Senate Transportation Committee Sen. Curtis King (R-Yakima) — voted not to confirm her as secretary on Feb. 5, effectively firing her.

Republicans said the move was a result of wasting time and taxpayer money for unwanted projects. In her tenure as secretary, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) embarked on the costly Alaskan Way Viaduct project (being dug by “Bertha”), and experienced delays on State Route 520’s bridge and the Interstate 405 express toll lanes.

But Democrats statewide, including the governor, have panned the move, claiming it is a way to score cheap political points in an election year rather than good policy making.

Peterson was at the helm during the Oso landslide of 2014, and was lauded for her quick response to the disaster. She took over the department as it was already underway on the Alaskan Way Viaduct tunnel and the new 520 floating bridge.

House Transportation Committee Chair Judy Clibborn, D-Mercer Island, said the Senate’s move to vote down Peterson’s confirmation comes after “strong leadership” under challenging circumstances.

“It comes after the Senate Transportation Committee unanimously approved her nomination. It comes after decades of latitude granted to governors of both parties to select the leaders of their agencies,” Clibborn said in a statement. “If there was any doubt remaining, it should be clear now — harline, D.C.-sytle gridlock has arrived in our Washington.”

Clibborn said after reaching a bipartisan agreement to invest $16 billion in the state’s transportation system just a session ago, “it is shocking and deeply troubling to see Senate Republicans undermine that work by removing the head of the agency responsible for carrying it out.”

Seen as the figurehead for several controversial projects, Peterson was defended by Jaxon Ravens, Washington state Democrats chair.

“Lynn Peterson was appointed as the secretary of transportation nearly three years ago, and her nomination passed through Committee in an unanimous, bipartisan vote last year. The sole reason Republicans brought her nomination to a vote today is to build a political narrative for the 2016 election,” he said in a statement. “This shameful act impedes the state’s ability to do the people’s business and keep people safe. Less than a year after Democrats and Republicans came together to pass a $15 billion transportation package, this political maneuver only undermines the ability to deliver these much-needed transportation projects on-time and on-budget.”

King County Executive Dow Constantine took a moderate tack toward the firing.

“I want to thank Secretary Peterson for her service to the people of Washington state. Both WSDOT and the Sound Transit board of directors will greatly miss her analytical mind and collaborative spirit,” he said.