Legislative Matriarch Margarita Prentice Eases Into Retirement

When a new 11th District senator is sworn in on Jan. 14, it will signal the end of Sen. Margarita Prentice’s nearly 25-year legislative career. The esteemed matriarch is currently the oldest legislator and will retire at the age of 81. 

In recent weeks, several organizations have recognized her significant efforts on their behalf: 

The King County Parent Coalition for Developmental Disabilities honored Prentice for sponsoring bills on rural health clinics and employment opportunities for people with disabilities, noting, “Olympia will miss her wisdom and mother’s voice for her son with developmental disabilities.” 

At another event, the Washington State Chiropractic Association presented Prentice with its William S. Day Award, named for a chiropractor and state representative in the 1950s who launched the fight to win recognition and rights for chiropractic medicine. The group honored the Senator's long career as a nurse “who believed in the role of chiropractors long before we were accepted, paving the way for our issues through the years.” 

In May, the Pediatric Interim Care Center honored Prentice for her 20-plus years as the babies’ champion in the Senate. With some state funds, this specialized care unit for drug-affected newborns survived tough times to continue its unique mission in this small piece of the war on drugs. 

Prentice takes little credit for her accomplishments. “I'm a nurse. I see the problem, triage it, draft a bill, and work to get it passed,” she said. “No one can do anything in the Legislature on their own. You can't push or ram anything through without strong support from both political parties, the governor and lieutenant governor." 

For the past 18 years, Prentice has served as the Senate’s non-voting ex-officio member of the Washington State Gambling Commission. She recently resigned that position and was appointed by the governor as a full commissioner on Aug. 1. As one of four ex-officio members, Prentice voted only on tribal gaming compacts. Now she will vote on all commission business. 

“I’m very proud to be a part of this agency because it rules on issues I feel strongly about,” she said. “I’ll never forget the death and corruption in gambling clubs in our area back in the early 70s and 80s. Our goal is to protect the public by ensuring gambling is legal and honest. This new assignment is a great way for me to continue serving the public in retirement.” 

Editor's Note: Submitted by Rick Manugian, Senate Democratic Communications.