I graduated from Gonzaga University Law School in 1976, took the Washington State Bar Exam in the fall of 1976, and, pending bar exam results, worked as a legal intern in the Skagit County Prosecuting Attorney Pat McMullen’s office. I tried cases representing the State in both District Court and Juvenile Court. After passing the bar exam, I was sworn in as a member of the Washington State Bar Association in January 1977.
An article in the January 6, 1977, Courier-Times about my appointment as deputy prosecuting attorney quotes me as saying I respected District 3 Judge Hugh Ridgway because “He’s a country lawyer. He knows the law. He’s competent.” Here I was, just a couple of months out of law school, endorsing a veteran judge. Get a grip on yourself, Tom
On the left is the front page of the September 1977 issue of the San Juan Journal, which is about my appointment as San Juan County Prosecuting Attorney, following Mike Redman’s resignation. I arrived by ferry and returned home the same day with a new job. It was a one-attorney office with a legal secretary support staff. The PA’s office was across the street from the Courthouse in Friday Harbor.
One of the things I did not anticipate when I accepted an appointment as the Prosecuting Attorney was that I would also become the County Coroner. This montage of articles includes a photo of me at the scene of a plane crash at Roche Harbor on San Juan Island that claimed the lives of four people.
December 1979, in Superior Court after a hearing on the proposed nuclear plant advisory ballot. At the counsel table are Pat McMullen, Tom Moser, Bill Nielsen, and Paul Luvera. In the background is Skagit County Commissioner Bud Norris.
I returned to Skagit County in 1979 to accept an appointment as Chief Civil Deputy by my friend and mentor Pat McMullen, Skagit County Prosecutor. Two years later, Pat resigned, and I was appointed to fill his term as the elected Prosecuting Attorney. I had formed a relationship with the Board of Commissioners during my time representing the County as Chief Civil Deputy. Most of my work was land-use matters, resolving civil litigation and making sure the County stayed out of trouble. One of my first tasks as the new PA was to hire a new Chief Civil Deputy. Thankfully, John Moffat applied for the position and was selected. John had a background in legal services and became a valuable asset to the PA’s office.
Skagit County Superior Court Judges Harry Follman and Walter Deirelein swore three elected officials in December 1980. Skagit County Commissioners Jerry Mansfield and Bud Norris were both sworn in for a second term. I was sworn in for my first full four-year term as Prosecuting Attorney.
My public office days ended with the 1986 election. To the left is a portion of a campaign flyer that included a photo of me with John Boynton, Skagit County Sheriff, who became a friend during my tenure as prosecutor. The voters set me free, but at the time it was an unwelcomed interruption in both my career and personal life.