Joseph Zarelli
{{Short description|American politician from Washington state}}
{{For|murder victim|Murder of Joseph Augustus Zarelli}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Joseph Zarelli
| state_senate = Washington
| district = 18th
| term_start = {{Start date|1995|12|11}}
| term_end = {{Start date|2012|05|31}}
| preceded = Hal Palmer
| succeeded = Ann Rivers
| birth_name = Joseph Peter Zarelli
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1961|10|07}}
| birth_place = Tacoma, Washington, U.S.
| party = Republican
| spouse = Lori Michele Harrison {{small|(1982–1983)}}
Tani Bertelsen {{small|(1985–2014)}}
Maribel Ramirez (2015)
| residence = Ridgefield, Washington, U.S.
| alma_mater = Clark College (AA)
| profession = Business president
| allegiance = {{flag|United States}}
| branch = 25px United States Navy
| serviceyears = 1982 – 1989 (7 years)
| rank =
| website =
}}
Joseph Peter Zarelli ({{IPA|it|tsaˈrelli|}}; born October 7, 1961) is an American former politician of the Republican Party. He was a member of the Washington State Senate representing Washington's 18th legislative district from 1995 to 2012.
Political career
After serving as a top Senate Republican for several years, Zarelli announced his retirement at the end of his current term on May 19, 2012.{{cite web
| url= http://www.columbian.com/news/2012/may/18/zarelli-doesnt-file-re-election/
| title= Zarelli will be leaving state Senate
| publisher= The Columbian
| date= 18 May 2012
| accessdate = 24 May 2012
}}
Jaime Herrera was an intern in Zarelli's office and he was a major supporter of her rise in politics.{{cite web
| url= http://www.columbian.com/news/2010/jul/23/3rd-congressional-district-jaime-herrera-staying-t/
| title= Jaime Herrera: Staying 'true to the principles'
| publisher= The Columbian
| date= 23 July 2010
| accessdate = 12 December 2012
}}
Personal information
According to his official Legislative biography, Senator Zarelli owns a company specializing in business development and risk management services. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1982 to 1989. He earned an Associate's degree from Clark College in 1991. Joe and his wife Tani, have four daughters and two grandchildren.[http://www.senaterepublicans.wa.gov/zarelli/bio.htm Senate Republicans Washington] The couple filed petitions for divorce and for legal separation in November 2013.{{Cite web|url=http://www.columbian.com/news/2013/nov/29/births-marriage-applications-licenses-court-senten/|title=Vital statistics}}
Political controversies
Zarelli was briefly dogged by controversy in 2002 when the Seattle Times reported on the fact that he collected unemployment while simultaneously serving in the State Legislature.{{cite web
| url= https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20020925/zarelli25m/sen-zarelli-collected-unemployment-while-earning-salary
| title= Sen. Zarelli collected unemployment while earning salary
| publisher= The Seattle Times
| date= 25 September 2002
| access-date = 12 December 2012
}} This was seen as especially embarrassing because Zarelli had a well-established political identity as a fiscal conservative. Zarelli defended himself by arguing that the State Employment Security Department had found him to be eligible for benefits, and there were never any allegations of unsavory dealings behind the awarding of benefits. The controversy soon passed.
Sources
{{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zarelli, Joseph}}
Category:Republican Party Washington (state) state senators
Category:People from Ridgefield, Washington
Category:United States Navy sailors
Category:Politicians from Tacoma, Washington
Category:20th-century members of the Washington State Legislature
Category:21st-century members of the Washington State Legislature
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