SENATE RESOLUTION

                                 1999-8677

By Senators Spanel, B. Sheldon, Loveland, Bauer, Wojahn, McDonald, Sellar, Hale, Kline, Rasmussen, Heavey, Goings, Haugen, Fairley, Johnson, Patterson, Gardner, Eide, T. Sheldon, Long, Jacobsen, West, Zarelli, Rossi, Winsley, Deccio, Oke, Morton, McCaslin, Stevens, Franklin, Honeyford, Benton, Sheahan, Horn, Shin, Kohl-Welles, Thibaudeau, Hargrove and Costa

      WHEREAS, In January 1949, a young man from Long Beach began his rise to Senatorial fame as an elevator operator in the State Capitol; and

      WHEREAS, This same man has come to embody the institution he has served for the last fifty years, moving up from the Bill Room and the House of Representatives, to a nineteen year term as Secretary of the Senate, then to elected office as the State Senator from the Nineteenth District and finally to Senate Majority Leader; and

      WHEREAS, A Senator by any other name cannot compare to our own Senator Sid Snyder, a man whose civility, credibility, respect for the legislative process and commitment to Ado the right thing@ remind us why we were elected to office; and 

      WHEREAS, His diplomacy as Secretary of the Senate and dedicated service to forty-nine bosses earned him the well-deserved title of  Athe Fiftieth Senator;@ and

      WHEREAS, While Senator Snyder may portray himself as a Democratic Donkey, he has the institutional memory of an elephant and the well-deserved title of Senate Historian; and

      WHEREAS, This master of Reed=s Rules can bring a sweat to the brow of the opposition by simply thumbing through his Alittle red book@ on the Senate floor; and

      WHEREAS, His personal charm and dedicated work ethic also proved valuable in his successful business endeavors, from Sid=s Market to the Bank of the Pacific; and

      WHEREAS, His passion for politics have often left his poetic Apolitical widow@ Bette Snyder and their three children, Sid Jr., Karen and Sally, AHome Alone@ and running the store; and

      WHEREAS, Back on the coast, trusting constituents have been known to hand over their ballots -- as well as their grocery money -- to the so-called AGovernor of Southwest Washington@;

and  

      WHEREAS, Senator Snyder=s distaste for skinny grocers has made him a self-proclaimed Alight eater@ -- from daylight until dark; and

      WHEREAS, While in the majority, Senator Snyder has been known to run the Senate as he would a grocery store: volume, volume, volume; and

      WHEREAS, His penchant for storytelling often conflicts with his own mantra: AWhen in the majority, vote; when in the minority, talk;@ and

      WHEREAS, Senator Snyder once gave new meaning to the phrase Awag the dog@ when he sat on the beloved canine companion of former Governor Dixy Lee Ray;

      WHEREAS, Always a good listener and willing to compromise, Senator Snyder has earned the respect of both sides of the aisle; and

      WHEREAS, His countless (and often repeated) stories, impersonations of Senator Clyde Tisdale and sense of humor help keep us from taking ourselves too seriously;

      NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate congratulate and thank Senator Sid Snyder for his half-century of dedicated public service, friendship and leadership; and

      BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Senate thank his wife and family for sharing with the Legislature for the last fifty years the company and humor of this very decent and honorable man.

I, Tony M. Cook, Secretary of the Senate,

do hereby certify that this is a true and

correct copy of Senate Resolution 1999-8677,

adopted by the Senate April 20, 1999.

TONY M. COOK

Secretary of the Senate