Senate confirms Franz’s appointment

Senator Mark Schoesler says he gladly supported Tuesday’s Senate confirmation of Grant County attorney Anna Franz’s appointment to the board of trustees for Community College District 18 and Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake.

“Anna Franz comes from a pioneer farming family in Adams County,” said Schoesler, R-Ritzville, “and she attended Big Bend Community College for two years before earning her bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington and graduating from the UW Law School. She has been an enthusiastic member of the board of trustees and her community, and it’s great that the state Senate gave her appointment its unanimous approval today.”

The state Senate alone has the constitutional responsibility to confirm appointments by Washington’s governor. Schoesler, who is Senate Republican leader, said he takes that tradition seriously; he wants appointees to appear in public and answer questions prior to confirmation votes, in contrast to how the former Senate majority handled that duty before this year.

Because former Gov. Christine Gregoire had appointed Franz to the board almost a year ago, after the Legislature’s regular session had already ended for 2012, Franz did not appear before the Senate Higher Education Committee regarding her appointment until Feb. 25.

Her term expires at the end of September 2015.