Chris Marr
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chris Marr is a State Senator from Spokane, Washington representing Washington's 6th legislative district in the Washington State Legislature in Olympia.
Marr, elected to a four year term in November 2006, [1] is the first Democrat elected to the state Senate from the 6th district since 1940. [2][3]
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[edit] Biography
Senator Marr, a Buddhist, has been married for 30 years to his wife, Christine, and they have a daughter and son, both attending college. [4]
Until he ran for the Senate, Senator Marr was president of the Foothills Auto Group, which operates Lincoln Mercury, Mazda, Acura and Honda dealerships in the Spokane area.
Senator Marr is a past chair of the Spokane Regional Chamber of Commerce and a past president of the Spokane New Car Dealers Association. [5]
Senator Marr holds a Bachelor's in marketing and an MBA from San Francisco State University.
[edit] Criticism & Controversy
Sexual Harassment Allegations
Allegations surfaced in the Spokesman Review that Marr and other managers at his local auto dealership ignored, for years, the sexual harassment of a saleswoman by male colleagues.
In a lawsuit filed last year, former saleswoman Dawn Fowler said that she was subjected to harassment by co-workers including sexually explicit verbal abuse, sexual comments about Fowler's body and inappropriate physical contact. Fowler also said a manager hired a stripper for a sales meeting that she – the only female employee there – was required to attend. Another manager, she said, had a computer screen saver of nude women. At the time, Marr was part-owner, vice president and then president of the dealership. The company settled Fowler's claim for an undisclosed amount. [6]
An Expensive Campaign
Each vote cost Marr $17.05 to win. Marr's per-vote spending was the most for any candidate for any office in Spokane, and the second highest per vote spending in Washington state. [7]
[edit] Senate Term 2007-2010
As a freshman Senator, he was appointed to four committees, including the Vice-Chair of the Transportation Committee. He is also the Majority Assistant Whip. [8]
He has been the primary sponsor of very important bills for Washington State and especially Spokane and the 6th LD. The First bill was one that created a state veteran's cemetery in the Spokane area. Although Marr was the 2007 bill sponsor, this project started many years ago, before Senator Marr was first elected.[9][10] Most of the money for the VA Cemetery will come from the Federal Government.[11][12] The second equally important piece of legislation guaranteed healthcare to all of the children in Washington State. [13]
