Michelle Caldier Valdez | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theWashington House of Representatives from the26th district | |
| Assumed office January 12, 2015 Serving with Adison Richards | |
| Preceded by | Larry Seaquist |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1976 (age 49–50) Bremerton, Washington, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Carlos Valdez |
| Children | 1, and 2 stepchildren[1] |
| Residence | Port Orchard, Washington |
| Alma mater | Olympic College (AA) University of Washington School of Dentistry (BS,DDS) |
| Occupation | State Representative |
| Profession | Dentist,professor,politician |
| Signature |  |
| Website | Legislative website |
Michelle L. Downey Caldier Valdez (born 1976)[2] is an American dentist, professor, and politician serving as a member of theWashington House of Representatives, representing the26th district since 2015. A member of theRepublican Party, Caldier Valdez was elected to theWashington House of Representatives in 2014, defeating incumbentDemocratLarry Seaquist.[3] Her district includes the cities ofBremerton,Gig Harbor andPort Orchard.
Caldier was born inBremerton, Washington, and raised inKitsap County. Caldier graduated fromCentral Kitsap High School. Caldier earned her Associate of Sciences atOlympic College, and went on to earn her Bachelor of Science from theUniversity of Washington, followed by her Doctorate in Dental Surgery from theUniversity of Washington School of Dentistry.[4]
Caldier has owned a dentistry practice for more than a decade that serves nursing homes aroundPuget Sound. She was also an Affiliate Professor at the University of Washington School of Dentistry.[5]
In 2012, Caldier joined others to lobby the Legislature to restore funding to adult dental care for those onMedicaid, and was successful. This inspired her to run for the Legislature and continue fighting for those who cannot care for themselves.[6] Caldier has donated thousands of hours to caring for the underserved, and chaired the Access to Care Committee for several years.
In 2014, Caldier challenged incumbent Democratic State RepresentativeLarry Seaquist for Washington's 26th house district, seat 2. She defeated him 50.61% – 49.37%, a difference of 601 votes.[7] Caldier became the first Republican elected to the seat since then Rep.Lois McMahan was defeated byDerek Kilmer in 2004. Her election provided theWashington Republicans one of four pickups in the House in the 2014 election.[8]
The first bill sponsored by Caldier to become law was House Bill 1855, a measure that requires local school districts to waive local requirements for foster children, homeless children, and at-risk youth who have attended three or more high schools and have met all state requirements for graduation. This is similar to current exceptions allowed for military dependent of active service members.[9] TheWashington State House of Representatives unanimously passed the bill on March 2, 2015.[10]
She served on the following committees during the 2024 session: Healthcare & Wellness; Innovation, Community & Economic Development, & Veterans; and Regulated Substances & Gaming.[11]
On November 17, 2022, Rep. Michelle Caldier left the House Republican Caucus during its reorganization meeting in Spokane. At the time, she did not immediately explain the reason for her departure. It was later revealed that Caldier's exit stemmed from allegations that the House Republican leadership had failed to provide reasonable accommodations for her disability. She returned to the Caucus on April 23, 2023, the same day Minority LeaderJ.T. Wilcox announced he would step down. Caldier publicly stated that Wilcox's resignation and the subsequent election of new leadership, particularlyRep. Stokesbary andRep. Steele, influenced her decision to return.
During a December 2022 independent investigation into Caldier’s treatment of staff, Caldier alleged that the state had discriminated against her by not providing adequate accommodations for her disability. However, the investigator found her claims unsubstantiated, stating that the allegations appeared to be an attempt to deflect attention from her own conduct, which was the focus of the investigation. The report also noted that Caldier had provided false information in some interviews regarding her accommodation requests.[12]
Caldier has been the subject of multiple investigations regarding her treatment of staff. The first independent investigation was initiated following an incident atSpokane Airport, which occurred immediately after the House Republican Caucus reorganization meeting, during which Caldier exited the Caucus. In that incident, Caldier allegedly told a Republican staff member they were "a horrible person." Following interviews with over a dozen people, the investigator concluded that Caldier demonstrated "a pattern of behavior in which she lashes out at people, makes public statements that have the impact of demeaning and embarrassing individuals, and is generally disrespectful."[13] Caldier appealed the report; the House Executive Rules Committee denied her appeal.[14]A second investigation was launched shortly after the release of the first report. Caldier was accused of violating a workplace policy on retaliation after she identified some of the staff members involved in Spokane Airport incident to the press.[15] The second report concluded:
Caldier’s actions were retaliatory and bullying; she lashed out at the witnesses not only by disclosing their names, but by portraying them as political operatives. In doing so, she may have damaged their careers. This was a failure of respect, dignity, and civility, in violation of the Legislative Code of Conduct…Caldier did not make much, if any, effort to walk back the disclosures; rather, she proclaimed that to be pointless because she was going to be investigated anyway. The purpose of a walk-back would be to protect the witnesses, not Caldier, from reputational damage. Caldier’s failure to acknowledge that demonstrated a lack of remorse.[16]
Caldier denied any intention to retaliate and said “there [was] no point” in more appeals.[17]
Caldier resides inGig Harbor, Washington. She has been an advocate for foster children, having been a foster child herself. She is the mother and foster mother of three daughters.[14]
In December 2016, Caldier lost sight in her left eye due to acuteglaucoma. She has limited vision in her right eye.[18]
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