Dave Upthegrove

Dave Upthegrove is an American politician from the state of Washington. Formerly a member of the Washington House of Representatives representing the 33rd legislative district, he was elected to King County Council, representing District 5, in 2013 following the retirement of Julia Patterson.[1] He is a member of the Democratic Party.

Dave Upthegrove
Member of King County Council
from the 5th district
Assumed office
January 2014
Preceded byJulia Patterson
Member of the Washington House of Representatives
from the 33rd district
In office
January 2002 – December 2013
Preceded byKaren Keiser
Succeeded byMia Gregerson
Personal details
Born (1971-05-03) May 3, 1971
Burien, Washington, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
ResidenceDes Moines, Washington, U.S.
Websiteupthegrove.com

Biography

Upthegrove is a descendant of the Dutch[2] Op den Graeff family. He was born and raised in King County, Washington. He attended Lakeside High School before earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in environmental conservation from the University of Colorado Boulder, and a Graduate Certificate in Energy Policy Planning from the University of Idaho.[3]

Upthegrove was appointed to the legislature in January 2002 and was elected to a two-year term in November of 2002. He was then re-elected at two-year intervals until running for King County Council.

While serving in the Washington House of Representatives, Upthegrove was chair of the Environment Committee and also served on the Local Government and Transportation Committee. He is a former chair of the Select Committee on Puget Sound. He has been involved in education policy, sponsoring and passing legislation to improve the teaching of civics and to better meet the needs of recent immigrant students. The Washington Conservation Voters called Upthegrove "a leader on environmental issues and a rising star in the House." Upthegrove led high-profile environmental initiatives to clean up Puget Sound and to clean up soil at schools and day cares contaminated by a local Asarco copper smelter. The Seattle Times noted that "Upthegrove can bring opposing parties together, a crucial skill in Olympia." The non-partisan Municipal League of King County, which evaluates candidates based on involvement, character, effectiveness and knowledge gave Upthegrove the highest possible rating of "outstanding."

Awards

Upthegrove was one of four recipients of the 2009 Fuse "Sizzle" Awards Mother Jones Award. The award honored the lawmakers for their leadership of a coalition of conservation and labor legislators. Mother Jones was a famous turn of the century labor and community organizer; she was denounced on the floor of the US Senate as the "grandmother of all agitators."[4]

Washington Conservation Voters, an environmental non-profit, named Upthegrove their 2011 Legislator of the Year.

In 2012, the Kent Chamber of Commerce recognized Upthegrove as their Public Employee of the Year for his work to support local small businesses.

The NW Marine Trade Association, which represents hundreds of small businesses, also honored Upthegrove as their 2012 Legislator of the Year.

References
  1. "Dunn, Dembowski, Upthegrove leading in King County Council races; Constantine headed for second term". Seattle Times, November 5, 2013.
  2. Prof. William I. Hull: William Penn and the Dutch Quaker Migration to Pennsylvania (2018)
  3. "Project Vote Smart: Rep. Dave Upthegrove". Retrieved 2008-07-28.
  4. Fuse "Mother Jones" Award Archived April 28, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
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