Clyde Shavers new state rep for LD 10 Position 1

After winning a razor-thin race made closer by late campaign charges that he had embellished his military service and civilian career resumes, it is full steam ahead for U.S. Naval Academy graduate Clyde Shavers as he embarks for Olympia as the 10th Legislative District's newest lawmaker.

Shavers said he has already been swamped with work ahead of the Jan. 9 opening of the 2023 legislative session.

"These past few weeks," he told the Weekly News recently, "I have been tirelessly working on researching and drafting legislation that supports public safety and law enforcement, environmental protection, veterans and our military, preservation of farmland, affordable housing and several community projects."

Shavers, a Democrat, eked out a 216-vote victory over incumbent Republican Greg Gilday following a machine recount, flipping the state house seat. The district covers Island County and portions of North Snohomish and South Skagit counties, including La Conner.

Gilday inferred allegations lodged by Shavers' father, Brett Shavers, that his son had falsely claimed to have served as a naval submarine officer and was a working attorney, if made earlier would have altered the outcome in Gilday's favor.

According to Gilday, numerous people reached out afterward to learn if they could change their votes. The Everett Herald, which had endorsed candidate Shavers, rescinded that endorsement after Brett Shavers went public with a letter citing his concerns.

Rep.-elect Shavers and his campaign, while apologetic, disputed the accuracy of the allegations.

Their response was the younger Shavers never said he was deployed on a sub – only that he was commissioned as a nuclear submarine officer. They said the candidate was a lawyer, having graduated from Yale Law School, but never represented himself as an attorney who had passed a state bar exam.

"My father's letter was entirely political," Shavers explained to the Weekly News. "He is a deeply partisan person who attended the January 6th insurrection. While we haven't had a close relationship, never did I think that he would personally attack me. He remained largely absent while I attended the U.S. Naval Academy, graduated from Naval Nuclear Power School and trained at a nuclear power plant as a nuclear submarine officer and served in the Middle East and Southeast Asia as a public affairs officer.

"Serving in the military is one of the greatest honors of my life," Shavers stressed, "and I stayed in the U.S. Navy longer than my service requirement."

Shavers has much preferred talking about district issues than the resume flap.

"All of my legislative priorities come directly from voters in our communities," he said. "Every idea, proposal and piece of legislation comes from ordinary people, like all of us. Throughout the campaign, I had the honor and privilege of connecting with so many people and listening to their stories – farmers and farmworkers who feed us and the world, public safety and healthcare workers who protect us each and every day, veterans who continue to serve, teachers and administrators who care for our children and small business owners who support our communities.

"My job," stressed Shavers, "is to fight for all these voices and stories so that they are heard in Olympia."

Shavers will start his tour in Olympia as vice chair of the House Education committee and as a member of the Innovation, Technology and Economic Development, Veterans and Capital Budget panels. Oak Harbor) on proposed legislation that would allow government entities to contract with local groups on bills designed to directly benefit communities with less state involvement.

"This means that our schools, park services and other organizations can find ways of helping our own community members while also saving money," he said.

Shavers said he has also been meeting with municipal and county officials throughout the district "to make sure that we are closely working together every step of the way."

What he experienced during his navy career and legal education were key factors in Shavers' decision to make a run for the state house.

"I became concerned that Americans are more focused about being politically right or left instead of being simply right or wrong," he said. "We need public servants who can break through this that makes us ugly towards each other. I decided to run for office because I believe that for all of us to build a better future, we need to walk away from today's divisive politics and usher in a new generation of young public servants and leaders."

Shavers was not surprised at the tightness of his race with Gilday, a Camano Island attorney and real estate broker who prioritized housing, public safety and environmental preservation during his term.

"The 10th Legislative District has always had close elections," Shavers said. "Our district represents the best of America with people of so many different backgrounds, experiences and ideas.

"Our district," he said, "is wonderful because at the end of our elections we always come together and move forward."

Coming off an election decided by less than three-tenths of one per cent, that outlook will likely be put to the test more than usual in the next two years.