Friends, neighbors –
We’re now three weeks into session, and I’m proud of what we’ve already accomplished. On the Senate floor we strengthened last year’s investment in higher education access for Washington students; we moved my post-partum Medicaid expansion bill out of the Health and Long Term Care committee and on to Ways & Means (the next step in the process to passage!); I introduced a common sense bike-signal bill in the Transportation committee; and I got to visit with two 4th grade classes visiting the Capitol on field trips!
It’s been a busy and successful week, and I have the support of my neighbors, my colleagues, and my staff to thank for helping me get such great work done. In last week’s newsletter, I introduced my session aide (Cameron) and my intern (Ashley), two awesome young women who are a crucial part of my team. Today, I want to introduce the other half of my team – Sarah, my legislative aide, and Hannah, my communications specialist!
Introducing my team
Communicating with my district – letting you know what we’re working on, being transparent about my schedule, giving you exciting new updates – is so incredibly important to me. It’s how I keep in touch with you and how you keep in touch with me! That’s why I’m excited to work with Hannah Sabio-Howell, my new communications specialist! She helps me prep my outgoing communications, like my Facebook posts, newsletters, speeches, and press releases. Plus, she’s often my photographer and videographer at different events, so we can always show you what we’re up to.
Hannah has lived in St. Louis, MO, Baguio City in the Philippines, and Chicago, IL – but ended up in our wonderful Washington state to be near her extended family in Walla Walla and Ritzville. She attended Whitworth University in Spokane (shout out to our independent colleges and universities!), where she studied Political Science, Spanish, and Law and Justice, then headed even further west to work for the office of Representative Springer in Kirkland. We’re glad that her journey to public service has ultimately landed her on our team, managing communications for our office!
Hannah says that “supporting the community-driven and justice-oriented work of Senator Randall is rewarding, exciting, and fun. The senator and her staff embody the saying that ’empowered women empower women’ and I am honored to be one of the people who gets to work closely with them and for them, for the people of LD 26 and all of Washington State.” You may see Hannah running around with a camera in hand at our events or meetings throughout the year, and when you do, I hope you’ll get a chance to say hey!
Sarah Myers, my fabulous legislative assistant (aka Chief of Staff, aka The Boss) is someone you likely already know! She’s been my amazing #TeamRandall lead for a year now, helping me track policy, bring together stakeholders, organize coffee hours and town halls, and keep our office humming. She helps me out when I need to be in five places at once – and works incredibly hard to make sure we serve you to the very best of our ability.
Sarah grew up in Shelton, so the shores of the Puget Sound are close to her heart. She graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, then jumped straight into the legislature – the 2020 session is her fourth! She says that what drew her in was “a fantastic internship program and wonderful coordinators” who showed her what it means to be a part of a representative government.
Her favorite part of working at the legislature is building long-term relationships with constituents – relationships that continue outside the bustle of legislative session to longer, in-district meetings over interim. Sarah and I had the chance to visit organizations, businesses, and passionate advocates in the summer and fall, and she loves connecting with the familiar faces that pop through our office door in Olympia. If you haven’t had an opportunity to meet her yet, you really should!
My week in Olympia
I believe in transparency, and I want to keep you all informed about what I’m doing on behalf of the 26th District in Olympia. That’s why I’m making a practice of posting my calendar and a week-in-review video on Facebook every week. You can see last week’s calendar here, and last week’s video here.
Keep in touch
Thank you for taking the time to read my update. We are all eager to hear from you about your priorities. I hope you’ll follow me on Facebook so you can see what we’re up to. And please feel free to reach out anytime at 360-786-7650 or Emily.Randall@leg.wa.gov. The more we hear from you, the better our work in Olympia can reflect our shared values and goals.
All my best,
