Retired Judges Appointed to the PDC

Retired judges John Bridges and Anne Levinson were recently appointed by Governor Inslee to the Public Disclosure Commission. PDC Chairman Grant Degginger announced the appointments during the December 4 Commission meeting, saying "We are excited for the opportunity to welcome two new commissioners. John Bridges and Anne Levinson are exceptionally well-qualified additions and we look forward to working with both of them."

Governor Inslee commented, "This can be a difficult job, but I know both John and Anne bring a judicial perspective that will be valuable to the Commission. Though they have different backgrounds and come from different sides of the Cascades, both bring reputations that are beyond reproach and skills that will serve the voters of Washington well."

Judge Bridges retired from the judiciary in 2013 after 24 years on the Chelan County Superior Court bench. He received numerous awards while in office, including Washington State Bar Association's Family Law Judge of the year and the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association's Judge of the Year. In 2007, the Washington Judges Foundation recognized Judge Bridges for his service in public legal education.

Commissioner Bridges' appointment takes effect today with a term end date of December 31, 2018. He succeeds Barry Sehlin, whose term expired at the end of 2013.

Before her appointment to the Seattle Municipal Court, Anne Levinson chaired the Washington State Utilities and Transportation Commissioner and served as deputy mayor for the City of Seattle. After retiring from the bench, Judge Levinson helped create a new community-based agency to lead reform in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. She also serves as an independent advisor to the City of Seattle to review administrative police misconduct investigations to ensure their thoroughness and objectivity and to recommend policy, training or system reforms related to police practices.

Levinson succeeds Kathy Turner and will join the Commission January 1, 2015.

The Public Disclosure Commission was created by voter approval of Initiative 276 in 1972. I-276 was a groundbreaking effort to make government more transparent and allow the public to "follow the money" through campaign finance and lobbyist disclosure.