Pam Roach
{{Short description|American politician from Washington}}
{{use mdy dates |date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Pam Roach
|office = Member of the Pierce County Council from the 2nd District
|term_start = January 3, 2017
|term_end = January 13, 2021
|predecessor = Joyce McDonald
|successor = Hans Zeiger
|office1 = President pro tempore of the Washington Senate
|term_start1 = January 12, 2015
|term_end1 = January 3, 2017
|predecessor1 = Tim Sheldon
|successor1 = Tim Sheldon
|state_senate2 = Washington
|district2 = 31st
|term_start2 = January 14, 1991
|term_end2 = January 3, 2017
|predecessor2 = Frank Warnke
|successor2 = Phil Fortunato
|birth_name = Pamela Jean Norris
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1948|4|26}}
|birth_place = San Diego, California, U.S.
|residence = Sumner, Washington
|death_date =
|death_place =
|party = Republican
|spouse = Jim Roach
|children = 5
|alma_mater = Brigham Young University,
Utah
|website =
}}
Pamela Jean Roach (née Norris,{{cite news|url=https://magazine.byu.edu/article/profiles-15/|title=Profiles|work=Y Magazine|date=Fall 2002|access-date=2021-12-24}}{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/banyan54brig/page/398/|title=The Banyan|work=Brigham Young University|year=1968|access-date=2021-12-24}} born April 26, 1948) is an American politician who was a member of the Pierce County Council from 2017 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, she served as a member of the Washington State Senate, representing the 31st district from 1991 to 2017.
Elected office
Roach was elected to the Senate in 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014. Her last term would have expired in January 2019, but she was elected to the Pierce County Council and resigned her Senate seat in January 2017.
She ran for governor in 1996, finishing in 8th place out of 15 candidates in the jungle primary with 2.43% of the vote.{{Cite web |title=Election Search Results - Elections & Voting - WA Secretary of State |url=https://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/results_report.aspx?e=16&c=&c2=&t=440&t2=&p=&p2=&y= |access-date=2021-03-15 |website=www.sos.wa.gov}}
= Censures and sanctions while senator =
In 2003, Roach was reprimanded and asked to seek counseling after she allegedly illegally obtained employee e-mails and drove some to quit.{{cite news |last1=Santos |first1=Melissa |title=Washington's lieutenant governor boots Pam Roach off human trafficking task force |url=https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/politics-government/article56497173.html |work=The News Tribune |date=January 25, 2016}}
In 2010, fellow Senate Republicans banned her from the Senate Caucus after colleagues said she had repeatedly mistreated staff. Roach attributed the sanction to rough politics, and said she was not informed of the complaints or accusers.{{Cite web|last=Baker|first=Mike|date=2013-01-16|title=Documents describe vulgar outburst by Sen. Roach|url=https://komonews.com/news/local/documents-describe-vulgar-outburst-by-sen-roach-11-21-2015|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-06-30|website=KOMO}} Republicans barred her from the caucus room, though she could still vote on the Senate Floor.{{cite news |last1=Brunner |first1=Jim |last2=Garber |first2=Andrew |title=GOP caucus bans state Sen. Pam Roach, tells her to get anger counseling |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/gop-caucus-bans-state-sen-pam-roach-tells-her-to-get-anger-counseling-1/ |work=The Seattle Times |date=January 29, 2010}}{{cite web|last=Anderson|first=Rick|url=http://www.seattleweekly.com/home/932542-129/politics|title=Politics: Coming up roaches|work=Seattle Weekly|date=October 9, 2006|accessdate=20 April 2016}} While sanctioned, Roach abused a Republican staffer charged to uphold the sanction. The Facilities and Operations Committee reaffirmed their 2010 sanctions in a 2012 legal settlement with a senior Republican attorney who claimed he was subjected to a hostile and abusive workplace because of Roach, which included a verbal dispute about limits on use of the official website provided to each Senator. Roach apologized after the dispute, but attributed the Committee ruling to a harassment campaign against her. Senate authorities sanctioned Roach five times during 20 years as a Senator.{{cite news |last1=Schrader |first1=Jordan |title=Roach investigations cost taxpayers $55,413 |url=https://www.theolympian.com/news/politics-government/article25248058.html |work=The Olympian |date=February 11, 2010}}
Senate Republican leadership lifted the sanctions in February 2012,{{cite news |last1=Garber |first1=Andrew |title=GOP staffer seeks $1.75 million settlement over Pam Roach decision |url=http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2017906943_roach05m.html |work=The Seattle Times |date=April 4, 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223141045/http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/gop-staffer-seeks-175-million-settlement-over-pam-roach-decision/ |archivedate=December 23, 2015}} and Roach said the sanctions had no merit. Not long after Roach was invited into the Senate Republican caucus, Senate Republicans—along with three Democrats—used Roach's deciding vote for an obscure procedural motion to wrest control of the budget writing process away from the Democratic caucus and pass their own budget.{{cite web|first= Josh |last=Feit|url=http://www.seattlemet.com/news-and-profiles/publicola/articles/update-on-attempted-budget-coup-senate-at-ease-as-both-sides-plot-next-move|title=Budget Coup Update: GOP Seizes Control of Senate, Passes Their Own Budget, Special Session Looms|date=March 3, 2012|work=Seattle Met|accessdate=20 April 2016}} Shortly after returning to the Republican caucus, Roach again engaged in speech that frightened staff.
In 2016, Roach was removed from a human trafficking task force by Lt. Governor Brad Owen in a letter that mentioned numerous complaints about comments Roach made in a meeting about sex traffic victims, suggesting tattoos and nose rings contributed to young girls becoming victims of human trafficking. Owen called the comments "vile," and said her history of "egregious and offensive behavior" disqualified Roach from keeping her seat in the Senate. Roach said she said nothing inappropriate during the meeting, but had offered specific job-seeking guidance sex traffic victims should consider. She attributed frustration to slow organization by officials.
=County councilmember=
After her election, Roach resigned from the state Senate and became a councilmember for Pierce County, Washington in January 2017.{{cite web|title=November 8, 2016 General Election|url=http://results.vote.wa.gov/results/20161108/pierce/|publisher=Pierce County Auditor|date=29 November 2016|accessdate=23 December 2016}}
In August 2017, county executive Bruce Dammeier issued a letter to department directors and staffers, directing them to communicate with Roach only in writing or in public council meetings. Dammeier's memo cited "rude and unprofessional behavior" with county staff as the basis for the restrictions. Roach, in response, asserted that the strictures were based on politics.{{cite news |last1=Robinson |first1=Sean |title=Councilwoman's 'rude and unprofessional behavior' triggers ban on staff contact – again |url=https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article170071417.html |work=The News Tribune |date=August 29, 2017}}
During a council offsite meeting in 2018, Roach uttered a profane word to her son Dan Roach, who was also a councilmember, during a heated discussion. Roach later issued a statement saying: "In the heat of the moment, I used harsh words that I regret. It was a mistake. I love my son dearly but sometimes we have political disagreements. Nonetheless, that's no excuse for harsh language."{{cite news |last1=Robinson |first1=Sean |title=Pam Roach drops F-bomb on her son at Pierce County Council meeting |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/pam-roach-drops-f-bomb-on-her-son-at-pierce-county-council-meeting/ |work=The Seattle Times |date=October 10, 2018}}
Awards
- 2014 Guardians of Small Business award. Presented by NFIB.{{cite web |url=https://www.nfib.com/content/news/washington/69-lawmakers-win-main-streets-highest-award-65593/ |title=69 Lawmakers Win Main Street's Highest Award |website=nfib.com |date=May 12, 2014 |accessdate=September 18, 2021}}
Roach received the Key Award from the WA Coalition for Open Government.{{cite web|last1=Chan|first1=April|title=Sen. Pam Roach Awarded for Government Transparency Efforts|url=http://patch.com/washington/enumclaw/sen-pam-roach-awarded-for-government-transparency-eff44989c693d|publisher=Enumclaw Patch|date=December 3, 2011}}
Personal life and education
Roach received a bachelor's degree in history from Brigham Young University in 1970, and received a teaching certificate the next year. {{Citation needed|date=February 2013}}
Roach and her husband, Jim, have been married for over 30 years. They have five grown children, one of whom (Dan Roach) chaired the Pierce County Council while Pam was also a member.{{cite web|url=http://www.co.pierce.wa.us/index.aspx?NID=1368|title=Pierce County, WA - Official Website - District 1|publisher=|accessdate=20 April 2016}}
Roach is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.{{cite news |url=http://www.seattlepi.com/archives/1996/9607230038.asp |title=Pam Roach Fires Away |work=Seattle PI |accessdate=March 22, 2009 }}{{cite news |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/delegates-dont-see-romneys-mormon-faith-as-an-issue-anymore/ |work=Seattle Times |date=August 30, 2012 |title=Delegates don't see Romney's Mormon faith as an issue anymore }}
References
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{{s-par|us-wa-sen}}
{{s-bef|before=Tim Sheldon}}
{{s-ttl|title=President pro tempore of the Washington Senate|years=2015–2017}}
{{s-aft|after=Tim Sheldon}}
{{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roach, Pam}}
Category:American Latter Day Saints
Category:American radio personalities
Category:Brigham Young University alumni
Category:People from Auburn, Washington
Category:Politicians from San Diego
Category:Pierce County Councillors
Category:Republican Party Washington (state) state senators
Category:Women state legislators in Washington (state)
Category:21st-century members of the Washington State Legislature
Category:21st-century American women politicians