Hans Dunshee

The recount in the 44th Legislative District race between Mike Hope (R-Lake Stevens) and Rep. Liz Loomis (D-Snohomish) will begin tomorrow in Snohomish County.

Hope won the first count by 118 votes out of more than 68,000 votes cast over Loomis, who was appointed to the seat midway through the term when John Lovick stepped down upon being elected Snohomish County sheriff.

Elections officials estimate that the count will take two days to complete, and will be done by ten counting boards working in teams of two and each candidate will have representatives observing the process.

Commissioner of Public Lands-elect Peter Goldmark (D-Okanogan) has announced his transition team today. It will be made up of seven groups specializing in the issues relevant to Goldmark's office, and will include of a number of elected officials and interest group leaders.

State Rep. Hans Dunshee (D-Snohomish) will oversee the budget, legislative issues will be handled by Clifford Traisman of the Washington Conservation Voters and Ted Sturdevant, Washington State  Department of Ecology. Former deputy Insurance Commissioner DJ Mark will cover personnel and NW Energy Coalition's Nancy Hirsh and Peter Moulton of the Washington State Community, Trade & Economic Development will tackle climate change & clean energy.

State Sen.-elect Kevin Ranker (D-San Juan Island) will be in charge of aquatic lands issues while forest lands will be over seen by Becky Kelley of the Washington Environmental Council and agricultural lands will be headed by Read Smith of the Ruckelshaus Center. Fred Olson, who used to work in Governor's office, will act as an advisor to the whole transition process.

Washington state House Democrats chose their committee chairs at a meeting in Olympia today, assigning leadership for twenty-five different committees.

"We have a terrific team of chairs," said Majority Leader Lynn Kessler (D-Hoquiam).  "They are experienced and excited, and ready to take on the challenges of the upcoming session."

Notably, the race for the powerful appropriations committee chair, which was well documented this fall between rival Representatives Kelli Linville (D-Bellingham) and Hans Dunshee (D-Snohomish), went to Linville. Dunshee, who had been vice chair, was given the helm of the capital budget committee.

The appropriations committee was then re-named and is now called "ways and means."

See the full list as presented by the House Democrats below.

State Rep. Kelli Linville (D-Bellingham) appears headed to the top opf the influential House appropriations committee for the 2009 session, leapfrogging Rep. Hans Dunshee (D-Snohomish) who was the vice chair this past session under retiring Rep. Helen Sommers (D-Seattle).

Speculation that Linville would get the post has been rampant this fall, but the Seattle P-I now reports that Dunshee was recently informed by Speaker of the House Frank Chopp, considered the man in charge in Olympia, that he would not get the post.

The move was not confirmed by the P-I, but according to Dunshee, the decision is all Chopp's, and therefore as good as done.

One of the most competitive and heated races in the state is in Seattle's 36th Legislative District where two Democrats, Reuven Carlyle and John Burbank, are vying for the seat being vacated by long-serving Rep. Helen Sommers.

But the drama does not end when one of those two is elected this November. There is also the matter of who fills in for Sommers in the House Democratic leadership. Sommers, after all, was the chair of the House Appropriations Committee.

Joe Turner at the TNT gives some speculation on that. Read his take here, involving the fates of Reps. Kelli Linville (D-Bellingham), Hans Dunshee (D-Snohomish) and Timm Ormsby (D-Spokane.)

Rep. Hans DunsheeThe Herald's Jerry Cornfield has the story on Rep. Hans Dunshee recent medical woes. He got a bad infection from a cut on his leg recently, and it was bad enough to hospitalize him and will cause him to miss this week's nominating convention in the 44th District.

Read his letter to supporters after the break.