County commissioners grant 19th District State Representative McEntire’s leave of absence

Thurston County’s Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) on February 20 granted a leave of absence (LOA) to 19th District State Representative Joel McEntire. They also approved the appointment of his stepdaughter, Lilian Hale, to temporarily serve in his place.

State law allows elected officials to seek permission for both a LOA and to appoint a temporary substitute. This appointment is due to McEntire entering “active service or training” as provided for under RCW 73.16.041 from March 5 to 8.

In an email to The JOLT, McEntire said that he is obliged to keep the information about the activity private as it is directly related to his orders from the United States Marine Corps.

“All I can say is that I will be working out of State and will be gone for the duration of the session,” McEntire wrote in the email.

McEntire’s temporary replacement and stepdaughter is studying nursing at Lower Columbia College in Longview. McEntire said he selected Hale because his wife gave birth to another child a few weeks ago.

Aside from Thurston County, McEntire has notified the other  county commissions included in the 19^th District of this LOA and temporary appointment.

The 19th District covers portions of Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Lewis, Pacific, Thurston, and Wahkiakum counties. The district has included a small section of the  southwest corner of Thurston County since the most recent redistricting of legislative districts approved in 2022.

Pacific County, where most of the 19th District is located, acted previously. “On February 13, 2024, the [Pacific County] Board of County Commissioners acted to approve Resolution No. 2024-010 regarding Representative Joel McEntire Leave of Absence,” according to Amanda Bennett, Pacific County’s Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners, in a response to The JOLT’s inquiry.

“I would just like to take this opportunity to recognize Representative McEntire for his service in the United States Marine Corps and his willingness to give us double service— legislature and Armed Services,” said District 2 Commissioner Gary Edwards.

The five commissioners passed the resolution granting McEntire’s LOA and Hale’s temporary appointment.