Upthegrove looks forward to role as state lands commissioner

It’ll be back to Olympia next year for Des Moines Democrat Dave Upthegrove as the new state Commissioner of Public Lands after leaving the Legislature a dozen years ago to become a King County Council member.

Upthegrove defeated Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler with 52.88% (1,836,388 votes) to 46.89% (1,628,286 votes), according to results released Nov. 11 by the Washington Secretary of State.

Upthegrove has represented District 5, which includes parts of Kent, on the county council since 2014. Voters elected Upthegrove to a third, four-year term on the council in 2021. He defeated Shukri Olow, of Kent, with 63.9% of the vote. Prior to council, he represented the 33rd District, which includes parts of Kent, in the Legislature from 2002 to 2013.

“Voters have sent a powerful message,” Upthegrove said in a Facebook post. “These lands don’t belong to industry. They don’t belong to big business. They belong to We The People. They are public lands. Our lands.”

Upthegrove was one of five Democrats on the August primary ballot. Herrera Beutler, of Camas, and a former U.S. representaive, won the primary. Upthegrove advanced to the Nov. 5 ballot by earning the second spot by 49 votes over Republican Sue Kuehl Pederson, who finished third in the contest.

“As your next lands commissioner I will manage our state lands in the public interest for all the people of the State of Washington—in both Western and Eastern Washington,” Upthegrove said. “As we look forward, I am ready to focus on the challenges ahead: protecting clean air, clean water and habitat, improving wildfire prevention and response, and expanding recreational opportunities like those I enjoyed as a young Boy Scout. I have confidence in our ability to meet these challenges head-on, with the strength, optimism, and determination that defines our state.”

Upthegrove expressed his appreciation to Herrera-Beutler “for her dedication, passion, and professionalism throughout this campaign.”

Upthegrove will replace Democrat Hillary Franz, who didn’t seek reelection. The lands commissioner leads the state’s wildfire fighting force and manages nearly 6 million acres of public lands – from coastal waters and aquatic reserves, to working forests and farms, commercial developments and recreation areas.

Upthegrove ran unsuccessfully for lands commissioner in 2016. He placed third in the primary election behind Republican Steve McLaughlin and Franz. Franz won the general election and was reelected in 2020.

“I now look forward to serving and leading the incredibly talented and dedicated staff at the Department of Natural Resources,” Upthegrove said. “I am committed to leading the agency with respect, professionalism, integrity, and yes joy – lifting up the work that inspires us and bringing out the best in the employees as we serve the public together.”

Alyssa Macy, CEO of Washington Conservation Action and citizen of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Oregon, issued the following statement Nov. 7 about Upthegrove’s victory:

“Forest management and healthy forests are not partisan issues. Our state needs a new generation of natural resources leadership willing to stand up for all the people of Washington against the corporate timber industry. His win affirms that Washington voters want a commissioner who will prioritize the public benefit of our collective resources over the priorities of corporate timber and promote improving rural livelihoods and collaboration with Tribes. We look forward to working with him.”

Upthegrove plans to pause commercial sales of an estimated nearly 80,000 acres of older, structurally complex forests.

Upthegrove said he would be the first out LGBTQ+ statewide executive office holder in Washington.

“I want to pause and acknowledge those whose courage made it possible for all of us to stand here,” Upthegrove said. “I think about those who, in the early hours of a June night in 1969, refused to back down from their place at the bar in Stonewall. They didn’t know it, but they set a course for every LGBTQ person to live openly, without fear, and with pride.”

Upthegrove praised others who have helped open doors.

“I am humbled to build on the legacy of Washington’s own trailblazers, like the late Sen. Cal Anderson, who was our first openly gay state legislator,” Upthegrove said. “Cal had a vision for a state where everyone belongs, and tonight (Nov. 5) we are taking his vision forward. In this role, I promise to steward our public lands with that same spirit of inclusion and courage. Together, we will manage these lands not just for some, but for everyone in Washington—for all of us who are a part of this journey toward equality, justice, and a healthy planet now and for future generations.”