Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn endorsed former Naval aviator Scott Whelpley in his campaign for state house in the 21st Legislative District on Monday.
“As the only parent with school-aged children in this race, Scott Whelpley knows the challenges our public schools are facing because his young daughter and son attend our public schools. Scott is the only candidate with the leadership, experience and passion necessary to prioritize and overcome the challenges our schools face,” said Dorn. “I heartily endorse Scott for the state house and look forward to working with him to fully fund our public schools to support our students and teachers.”
“Our public schools are my number one priority and they have to be our legislature’s number one priority. My Hispanic mother only completed eight years of her education. She taught me the value of hard work, which helped me to become the first college graduate in my family and propel me through graduate school after retiring from the U.S. Navy,” said Whelpley. “We need strong public schools for our children’s future and to promote a robust middle class.”
Democrat Whelpley, a 47-year-old former Naval aviator and 20-year military veteran, is seeking the House seat vacated by retiring Rep. Mary Helen Roberts. He has two children in the Washington state public school system, 14-year-old daughter Brooke and 12-year-old son Calvin. Whelpley earned his Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Washington and a Bachelor of Arts in social psychology from California State University, Chico. He currently manages projects related to the EA-18 Super Hornet simulators used to train Naval aviators.
Whelpley has the endorsement of the Washington Federation of State Employees, the Pacific Northwest College of Carpenters, State Senators Steve Hobbs, Tracey Eide, and Brian Hatfield, State Representatives Cindy Ryu and Judy Clibborn, and former Senator of the 21st District Paull Shin.
Whelpley is running for position 1 in the 21st District, which covers all of Mukilteo, most of Edmonds and parts of Lynnwood and Everett. For more information about Whelpley’s campaign see www.vote4scottw.org.