James McIntire, who served two terms as Washington state treasurer, died in August. He was 71.
The cause was an aggressive and rare type of prostate cancer, his wife, Christina Koons, told the Seattle Times.
An economics student and later professor on the University of Washington, McIntire’s first step into government service was as a fiscal policy advisor to Gov. Booth Gardner.
Jim McIntire served as Washington state treasurer from 2009 to 2017.
State Treasurer’s Office
He was elected to the state legislature in 1998, where he began constructing his repute as a fiscally sensible Democrat, focusing, in keeping with the Times, on fiscal reforms and sponsoring bills to reinstate an estate tax, increase tobacco and alcohol taxes, and tax web sales.
He also championed a constitutional “rainy-day” fund.
McIntire was elected treasurer in 2008, entering into a statewide banking crisis stemming from the worldwide financial crisis, and leading an effort to rewrite Washington’s public banking statutes to guard public funds.
In 2009, his office sold the state government’s first negotiated bond deal in greater than a decade: a taxable Construct America Bond sale. Under McIntire, the treasurer’s office also structured a tax-exempt bond deal to incorporate a negotiated component designed to draw retail investors, though many of the bond deals his office sold during his two terms remained competitive auctions.
As treasurer, McIntire spearheaded efforts that led to a constitutional amendment that can bring the state’s debt limit to eight% from 9% over time.
“I absolutely love politics,” McIntire said in an interview earlier this 12 months with the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, which honored him with the Neil Staebler Distinguished Service Award.
“Running for office got my juices up like nothing else. I enjoyed getting on the market and fascinating with people. And once I used to be in office, I actually loved making things work, and being a part of the here’s-how-you-do-it side of things.”
McIntire served as president of the National Association of State Treasurers, where he led initiatives to expand financial literacy and adopted a nationwide code of ethics, the present state treasurer, Mike Pellicciotti, said in a press release commemorating McIntire’s passing.
“Jim was a public servant in every measure of the word and an example for all those aspiring to guide when the times we live in demand integrity, determination, and humility,” Pellicciotti said. “He will probably be sorely missed.”
McInitire died at his home in Seattle on Aug. 16. Along with his wife, McIntire is survived by two brothers, a sister, children Sarah, Seth and Matt, stepsons Nick and Carson and 6 grandchildren.
“In his memory, Jim urges you to support candidates for public office who will uphold democracy and seek the common good,” his obituary concluded.