By Assunta Ng
From left: Steve Gonzalez, Jim McDermott, Joan Yoshitomi, and Bob Santos (Photo by George Liu/NWAW)
Congressman Jim McDermott expanded the 7th Congressional district to include cities like Normandy Park, Burien, Edmonds, and more.
McDermott, a Democrat, is never afraid to speak his mind. A champion for the Asian community, he has sponsored bills to benefit the Asian community and chastise the mainstream. He was probably one of the first to hire Asian American staff in the 1980s, including Grace Chien, when he was a state legislator. Now, Damien Cordova and Heidi Park are on his staff.
Personally, McDermott has deep ties to the Indian American community and has been to India 23 times. He was also a leader for the Washington State India Relations Council Association’s trade mission two years ago. (end)