The hardest working man in LD 49
Catching up on an article from the weekend, The Columbian reports that state Sen. Craig Pridemore, D-49th District, will temporarily lead a non-profit mental health agency until a new director is found:
Pridemore's experience in the Legislature should be a boon to the efforts to improve mental health care in southwest Washington. I haven't had a lot of steady contact with Pridemore over the years, mostly because I kind of went away from politics for a long time, but I do recall that when he decides to pursue something he generally goes at it full speed. Obviously, whatever insights he might gain can be taken back to the Legislature, so it's nice to see someone digging into a tough issue like this.
State Sen. Craig Pridemore will become interim director of Columbia River Mental Health Services following the resignation of Gregory Robinson, who has served as executive director of the nonprofit agency since 2004.Olympia observers will recall that Pridemore worked pretty hard on the budget as vice-chair of Ways and Means. When I brought up the budget with him at the J-J Dinner last month, he just shook his head and grimaced.
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Pridemore said he has long been an advocate for mental health and addiction services and hoped to gain a firsthand knowledge of the issues a community mental health center faces. "I think it's going to be a great challenge," he said. "I think it will be a great thing to do."
Pridemore's experience in the Legislature should be a boon to the efforts to improve mental health care in southwest Washington. I haven't had a lot of steady contact with Pridemore over the years, mostly because I kind of went away from politics for a long time, but I do recall that when he decides to pursue something he generally goes at it full speed. Obviously, whatever insights he might gain can be taken back to the Legislature, so it's nice to see someone digging into a tough issue like this.
