Former state Rep. Brendan Williams forwarded us this 1987 high school yearbook photo of Timberline High School (Lacey, WA) quarterback Scott White.

Not to get too maudlin over the untimely death of state Sen. Scott White—in fact, much of PubliCola's recent coverage of White had actually been critical (the Safeco Field parking story; our stories on UW's attempt to get an exemption from the commercial parking tax; and we were even nit-picky about White's heralded work to secure arts and workforce housing funding)---but the heartfelt and eloquent tributes keep pouring in.[pullquote]Scott voted against Senate leadership on efforts to roll over working people. To know Scott was to know someone willing to stand strong in the pocket under pressure.[/pullquote]

Two of them have jumped out at me---one formal, the other via email.

The formal one was from City Attorney Pete Holmes. I was not aware of the connection between Holmes and White.

Holmes sent out this statement on Saturday:

I am shocked and saddened to learn of the untimely death of my friend, Senator Scott White.

As classmates in Leadership Tomorrow and the Wellstone Action! organization’s training for new progressive candidates, I came to know Scott as a devoted husband and father as well as a smart, caring and tireless young Democratic leader. I supported Scott in his first campaign in for the Legislature in 2008; Scott, in turn, was the very first elected official to endorse my own campaign for City Attorney in 2009. He has been both a personal inspiration to me and an incredibly effective partner in the Legislature during these trying economic times.

Scott was taken from us all much too soon, and he will be missed terribly. My heart goes out to his wife, Alison, and their children.

Meanwhile, progressive crusader and former state house Rep. Brendan Williams reminded me of some stats on White—detailing his former colleague's conviction to principle (or more to the point, detailing White's penchant for standing up to Democratic leadership when leadership strayed from what White saw as Democratic principles.)

Williams notes that White was the only '08 freshman rep to join the Blue-Green Alliance, an informal group of defiant liberals who broke with leadership over the crippling budget cuts, when it took shape in 2009 and 2010.

And when White moved over tho the Senate for the 2011 session, he continued defying leadership, even though he was swiftly appointed Majority Whip by Senate Majority Leader Sen. Lisa Brown (D-3, Spokane).

On Saturday, we noted that White was one of the few liberals to stick to their guns and vote against the controversial workers' comp reform bill.

But Williams emailed to say there was more where that came from: "He also was part of the minority on the 32-9 vote creating health savings accounts for state employees (Republican Sen. Joseph Zarelli's 2ESB 5773), a longtime Republican objective that made us the only Democratic state to embrace this Republican orthodoxy, as well as a no in the 31-15 vote on Republican Sen. Micheal Baumgartner's anti-union state government reorganization: ESSB 5931. In all cases he broke with Democratic senate majority leader Sen. Lisa Brown."

From the email Williams sent to PubliCola today:

I had known Scott since college. Here's a picture of him from Timberline High School's '87 yearbook.

It did not surprise me when Scott, alone among House freshmen, put principles ahead of political advancement and joined those of us in a "Blue-Green" ... resistance to the leadership oligarchy. Nor did it surprise me when Scott voted against Senate leadership on efforts to roll over working people. To know Scott was to know someone willing to stand strong in the pocket under pressure.

White entered with a class of seven other freshman Democrats in 2008.