To: Members of LCB Regulated Industries and Stakeholders
Fr: David Postman, Board Chair
Re: Retirement of Board Member Russ Hauge
I am writing to inform you that Board Member Russ Hauge submitted his resignation to Gov. Inslee, effective Jan. 31, 2022. His retirement leaves approximately two years remaining on his six-year term.
Gov. Inslee appointed Russ to his current term in February of 2017 following a long and distinguished legal career, including five terms as the Kitsap County Prosecutor. The Board regularly benefited from his legal analysis and guidance on the issues we face.
In my perspective, Russ’s legacy on the Board will be his passion for fighting for the concerns of small businesses, particularly members of the cannabis industry. He has been a believer in the Board’s regulatory responsibilities and ensuring that it maintained a well-regulated, private-sector marketplace. Further, he strongly advocated for equity within the cannabis marketplace so that the Board delivered on the expectations of the voters who approved legalization in 2012. As such, he led the Board’s efforts to protect the licensed marketplace by ensuring chemically-derived, unregulated Delta-8 THC was prohibited for purchase or sale in Washington.
In a message to LCB staff, Russ wrote that his hope was that his “colleagues and agency staff believe they were well served by my contributions as it was delivered with sincerity, fairness, and dedication to justice. I am proud of our work together and for having had the opportunity to serve.”
On behalf of Board Member Ollie Garrett and agency staff, we thank Russ for his dedicated service and wish him all the best in his retirement.
###
|
