(birds sing)
♪♪
Here in Seattle is this remarkable park named after Cal Anderson,
former legislator from Seattle's 43rd district.
Cal had previously been a Vietnam veteran,
served as an assistant to the city council here in Seattle,
then as an assistant to the mayor,
went on and ran for the House of Representatives,
and then the Senate.
He was a very popular elected official.
He worked closely with our office on a number of
pieces of legislation that related to open government,
voter registration, and campaign reform.
♪♪
I'm proud to say I was a friend of Cal Anderson.
Our state's first openly gay legislator,
he used to call himself
a Democrat from Seattle who happens to be gay.
It didn't seem to bother him or anybody else in the slightest.
♪♪
It was a pleasure and an honor to work with him
as he chaired committees in both the House and the Senate,
and we passed a lot of good legislation in the process.
Cal Anderson was a friend, an advocate,
and a strong representative for this district.
I'm delighted that this park is named after him,
and it truly is one of my favorite places.
♪♪