Sandra Romero with husband, Fred, and children and grandchildren.

She's been a soccer mom and a cub scout volunteer.

Sandra enjoys biking, camping and hiking, canoeing and gardening. She has been active in historic preservation issues and is co-founder of the Art Deco Society Northwest and sponsored the legislation that created the Capitol Furnishings Committee to preserve our historic Capitol Campus treasures.

She is most passionate about Thurston County remaining identifiable as Thurston County and not like everywhere else USA. See her thoughts about sprawl development.

Top

Elected Public Service (13 years serving citizens of Washington State):

• Washington State House of Representatives, 1993-2004, 22nd District.

  	State Representatives Sandra Romero (left) and Lynn Kessler in the Washington State Legislature

  • House Natural Resources Committee, 1993-95;
  • Assistant Majority Whip 1993-95;
  • Ranking Minority, Commerce and Labor Committee, 1995-97;
  • Ranking Minority, Land Use and Government Reform Committee 1995-97,
  • Transportation Committee 1995-2003,
  • Co-Chair, State Government Committee 1997-2001,
  • Chair, State Government Committee, 2002.
  • Chair, House Local Government Committee 2003 -2004.
  • Member of the Capitol Campus Design Advisory Committee.
  • Member of the Legislative Building Oversight Committee.
  • Chair, Green Building Taskforce, 2002.

• Olympia City Council Member, 1989-1993.  One of seven non-partisan elected City Council Members, representing residents on citywide issues.

  • Chaired the Community Development sub-committee;

  • Served as the Council’s lead on City Regional Urban Design Assistance Team (RUDAT) project;

  • Served as the Council’s representative on Inter-City Transit and Animal Services Committees.

• Granite Falls School Board 1980-82

Top

Community Leadership and Advocacy Experience:

• Senior Resident Program Manager, Islamabad, Pakistan for  the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, 12-2004 to 3-2005. Implemented and developed training work shops and training materials for political party activists. These trainings were developed to teach political party activists methods of grass roots democracy.

• Member of the League of Women Voters Thurston County

  Sandra Romero with Gil Carbone at a Verteran's Day event at the Capitol.

• Board Member, Citizens Concerned about Chambers Lake Basin

• Board of Futurewise, the statewide land-use watchdog dedicated to promoting healthy communities and protecting rural land and wildlife habitat.

Previous Service

• Board Member, Kokua 2003

• Board Member, Habitat for Humanity, 2002-2004

• Board Member, Bigelow House Preservation Association, 2001-2004

• Board Member, Behavioral Health Services, 1998-2000

• Board Member, Safeplace (domestic violence services) 1996-98

• Board Member, South Sound Advocates for the Disabled, 1991-93

• Lobbyist, Marriage and Family Therapists,1991

• Member, Inter-City Transit Board, 1989-91

• Member, Child Care Action Council, 1989-91

• Member, Animal Services Board, 1989-91

• Co-founder, Art Deco Society of the Northwest

• Founding Member, Heritage Park Citizens’ Advisory Board 1985

• Chair, Thurston County Historic Commission, 1986

• Chair, City of Olympia Heritage Commission, 1985

Top

Sandra's Legislative Accomplishments (partial list):

• Sponsored the Divorcing Parents Seminar which became a statewide program.

• Sponsored the Collective Bargaining and Civil Service Reform act for State employees.

• Secured funding for the Chehalis Western Trail.  

  Sandra Romero enjoys the Chehalis Western  Trail with her grandchildren.

• Sponsored the Animal Cruelty Penalty act.

• Led the first efforts for Green Building by state government.

• Sponsored the Capitol Furnishings committee to preserve the valuable antique treasures of the Capitol campus buildings group.
   

• Secured funding to purchase the historic Bigelow House in Olympia and the Long House on The Evergreen College campus.

• Worked to secure funding for both the Yelm treatment facility and the Yelm loop road project.

Top

Sandra's Awards:

• Legislator of the Year from the Washington State Labor Council, 2002

• George Masten Courage Award from the Federation of State Employees, 2002

• Legislator of the Year from the Washington Environmental Council, 2003

• Legislator of the Year from the Washington State Manufactured Housing Association 2004

• Woman of Achievement award from the Olympia Chapter of the YWCA 2002

• Legislator of the Year award from the Washington Chapter of the American Planning Association, 1998 and 2003

• Norman E. Finch Humanitarian Award from the Federation of Animal Care and Control Agencies, 1994

• Recognition Award, Bicycle Alliance of Washington for advancing bicycle transportation throughout Washington State, 2001

Top

Education and Training:

• The Evergreen State College, Bachelor of Arts degree.

• Green Building Certificates from Bates Technical College (including Green Remodeling, Construction Materials for a Healthy Environment, and Water Conservation).

• National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) Leadership Training 1996

• Yearly Ethics Training, 1995-2005

• “Railvolution” National conference on linking land use and transportation. 1998, 1999, 2002.

• Dispute Resolution Training, 2001

Top