Politics Slog’s Lobbyist of the Year!
posted by on February 29 at 13:10 PM
Not all lobbyists are old white guys in suits. Lobbyists can also be young women—gay women even.
Meet Kim Justice—yes, that’s really her name—who is, appropriately enough, the lobbyist for the Statewide Poverty Action Network.
You wouldn’t figure the young-looking Justice as a power player down in Olympia, but the 28-year-old did the heavy lifting on the central bill of this year’s progressive agenda—helping pass a piece of timely corporate accountability legislation to make sure mortgage brokers aren’t duping borrowers.
The bill, now bound to pass, sailed though the House consumer protection committee yesterday (one day before cutoff) after clearing the full Senate earlier this session.
Justice wasn’t always political. She was a music head in college (University of Missouri) where she worked at a radio station and studied mass communications. (She still loves music and says she loves going out “anywhere there’s live music.”)
She lives in Olympia during the session—her house, which she shares with a housing lobbyist, the Jewish Federation lobbyist, and the Children’s Alliance lobbyist, hosts an annual “gay party” for gay legislators, staffers, and allies. The rest of the year she lives in Seattle on Capitol Hill.
She created a political stir at her all-girls Catholic High School in St. Louis (Sisters of Leretto Nerinx Hall) in 1997, when her friends rallied around her cause to take her girlfriend to the junior prom. There was a petition drive, an all-school meeting, and Justice and her g.f. were allowed to go to the prom together—changing the rule that all couples had to be boy-girl.
Justice got her first dose of politics politics when, after a mentor at college convinced her to attend a program in Washington, D.C. on social justice (!) organizing, she was sent out to do political field work in Oklahoma (trying to stop a “right-to-work” initiative). Next, she hit Washington State, working to elect Rep. Brian Sullivan from the 21st District in Edmonds and later for Rep. Ross Hunter (D-48, Medina).
While working on these key tide-shifting races, she met Speaker Rep. Frank Chopp (D-43, Wallingford) and soon enough, she was working as his session aide in 2002.
After that session, she was hired by the Poverty Action Network to jump-start an electoral organizing component for the non-profit, engaging low-income voters in the details of state politics. Last year, she took on the group’s state lobbying responsibilities.
Asked how she approaches the job, Justice says she mimics what other successful lobbyists in Oly do: “Just be yourself and build personal relationships.” I imagine she took her cue from her excellently boisterous veteran lobbyist housemate Nick Federici, another Oly gem.
On next year’s docket? Justice says “we have every intention of working for payday loan oversight.” The issue, a hot topic last year, was MIA in Olympia this year (although not in other states). Justice says work went on behind the scenes on the issue this year to cultivate support. And, she hints, “we have a lot of support.”
Star legislators she praises this year for taking up the fight for consumer advocacy and low-income people include: Sens. Brian Weinstein (D-41, Mercer Island) and Rodney Tom (D-48, Medina) (they were the sponsors on the broker accountability bills); Rep. Eric Pettigrew (D-37, South Seattle) (who sponsored a renters rights bill), Rep. Jeannie Darnielle (D-27, Tacoma) (who also sponsored a renters’ rights bill); and Speaker Frank Chopp (D-43, Wallingford), who’s making a big stand to put more money into the statewide housing trust fund.
For those that are intimidated (or bored) by Olympia, Justice says they should come down and check it out. In fact, she brought down a friend one day who claimed to have no interest in local politics and said her friend was blown away by how accessible the legislators were (true) and how many important issues are at play (true).
Congratulations to Kim Justice, Slog’s lobbyist of the year.
Slog's lobbyist of the year?
Did I miss the vote?
I love the Kim Justice. She's fantastic. Good call, Stranger.
Kim Justice also has the Fnarf Seal of Approval. Good work, and congratulations!
oy. anytime you're looking to catch my attention to get me to read a post all you need to do is post a picture of a cute politically active lesbian.
Kim Justice is the lobbyist with the mostest! Go Kim Justice Go!
anyone brave enough to stand up for gay rights in HIGH SCHOOL is great. anyone brave enough to stand up for gay rights at a Catholic HS in St. Louis is fucking amazing.
And she damn cute too.
As someone who gets to witness miss justice in action everyday, i say here here to your pick. She is passionate, honest, tenecious, and is true to who she is. She has never compromised herself to be successful. I heart Justice!
Is she single? I want my last name to be Justice.
@6
Yep, cute as a button.
Good work on the issues.
Nice one Nim...I'm thinking you'll have the ladies queuing up for ahem 'tours' of the capitol!
Nice one Nim...I'm thinking you'll have the ladies queuing up for ahem 'tours' of the capitol!
Put more hotties like her in Olympia and there'd be a lot more interest in politics!
As one of Kim's roomies, I can attest that few people do lobbying as well as Kimmy J. Muah, I love you Kim.
i'd do her, but she wouldn't like it.
Kim Justice makes politics hot.
Kim is without a doubt my favotite lobbyist in Olympia. There is no one that fights harder than she does for the rights of those who have no voice and she always does it with entusiam and a smile on her face. She is probably the lowest paid lobbyist in Olympia, but one of the most effective. She is a champion of the oppressed and downtrodden. While other lobbyists offer dinners which she can't, she offers you the ability to help others.
She is a breath of fresh air in this den of special corporate interests.
I'm very happy you gave her the praise she deserves.
Kim is without a doubt my favotite lobbyist in Olympia. There is no one that fights harder than she does for the rights of those who have no voice and she always does it with entusiam and a smile on her face. She is probably the lowest paid lobbyist in Olympia, but one of the most effective. She is a champion of the oppressed and downtrodden. While other lobbyists offer dinners which she can't, she offers you the ability to help others.
She is a breath of fresh air in this den of special corporate interests.
I'm very happy you gave her the praise she deserves.
Kim is without a doubt my favotite lobbyist in Olympia. There is no one that fights harder than she does for the rights of those who have no voice and she always does it with entusiam and a smile on her face. She is probably the lowest paid lobbyist in Olympia, but one of the most effective. She is a champion of the oppressed and downtrodden. While other lobbyists offer dinners which she can't, she offers you the ability to help others.
She is a breath of fresh air in this den of special corporate interests.
I'm very happy you gave her the praise she deserves.
Damn.....that girl is HOT. If i get involved in politics, can i get her number? Josh...can you forward me her contact information? Or better yet, Kim, can i get a "tour" of the capitol? I want to see your "dome"
@19,
Calm down.
You go, Girl.
Lobbyists are the trump card in the 'public participation in the process matters/doesn't matter' argument.
If you're not a lobbyist, you do not get the final word in what your elected leaders do, period.
It's a shame to see you glorify this fundamental disconnect, and then insult our intelligence by insisting our participation in the process actually matters.
@22: Lobbyists are activists that talk to legislators. Stranger bloggers are activists that write a newspaper. When their interests coincide, they like each other. Why is it such a "shame" to make this public? Activist-on-activist love can be a beautiful thing.
wow, she is really cute.
and kicks ass. cute and kicks ass. neat!
@22
You are way off base here. Kim Justice isn't backed by millions of dollars, she's not down there representing corporate interest or wooing legislators to pad the pockets of the richest in our state. She's being paid peanuts and working 14 hour days to protect people in poverty from predatory lenders and home buyers from greedy, crooked mortgage brokers. She stands up for children, the impoverished, and the disenfranchised of Washington state. I'm the friend mentioned in this article and I can tell you first hand that not only Kim, but many non-profit lobbyists, encouraged me to talk with my legislators while in Olympia and I was surprised by the accesiblity of my reps and senator as well as their interest in what I and the others had to say.
You must misunderstand the role of non-profit lobbyists or you wouldn't have written what you did.
don't mind Gomez, he's our resident downer cow. Pathologically incapable of pissing in the pouch bowl.
my god, she's hot.
Hello there.... :-)
Gomez @ 22:
You are a total schmuck. Every session I see hundreds of refutations to your ignorant claim. We win some and we lose some, but we lose a lot more if we do not engage.
Lobbyists run this country. That's the point. And all of you elected to misinterpret it, because that's the only way you can refute it.
Aoso, Ivan fails for resorting to namecalling instead of offering a reasoned rebuttal. If I'm wrong, you can explain why I am with some arguments and actual evidence, right?
Namecalling reeks of an inability to do this.
Gomez, you didn't give any evidence for your argument so it's difficult to refute.
I also didn't resort to petty namecalling. And my argument is pretty simple and as easy to prove as looking all over Federal politics, even state and local politics.
payday qualifications 24500 loan
KIM...congrats!!! that is amazing. I remember when you dressed in the cat suit...ha ha i mean someone dressed in a cat suit. :-) you are very impressive.
Kim is pretty fantastic and makes excellent sausages and sushi. P.S. If it were not for people lobbying on behalf of children and those without much, do you think there would be any programs or dollars going towards those important groups? Thanks for your work Kim!
Comments Closed
In order to combat spam, we are no longer accepting comments on this post (or any post more than 14 days old).