HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 2024-4700, by Representatives Jinkins, Stokesbary,
Abbarno, Alvarado, Barkis, Barnard, Bateman, Berg, Bergquist, Berry, Bronoske,
Caldier, Callan, Chambers, Chandler, Chapman, Cheney, Chopp, Christian, Connors,
Corry, Cortes, Couture, Davis, Dent, Doglio, Donaghy, Duerr, Dye, Entenman, Eslick,
Farivar, Fey, Fitzgibbon, Fosse, Goehner, Goodman, Graham, Gregerson, Griffey,
Hackney, Harris, Hutchins, Jacobsen, Klicker, Kloba, Leavitt, Lekanoff, Low, Macri,
Maycumber, McClintock, McEntire, Mena, Morgan, Mosbrucker, Nance, Orcutt, Ormsby,
Ortiz-Self, Orwall, Paul, Peterson, Pollet, Ramel, Ramos, Reed, Reeves, Riccelli,
Robertson, Rude, Rule, Ryu, Sandlin, Santos, Schmick, Schmidt, Senn, Shavers,
Simmons, Slatter, Springer, Stearns, Steele, Stonier, Street, Taylor, Thai,
Tharinger, Timmons, Volz, Walen, Walsh, Waters, Wilcox, Wylie, and Ybarra
1 WHEREAS, Joel Andrew Kretz was born in Seattle to Marjory and
2 Vincent Kretz; and
3 WHEREAS, He grew up in Mercer Island and graduated from Mercer
4 Island High School; and
5 WHEREAS, Kretz worked closely with his father at Timber Traders
6 and Preston Mill Company in the timber business; and
7 WHEREAS, He started a logging company, Kretz Logging; and
8 WHEREAS, Kretz has a son, Jed (Chandra), and two grandchildren –
9 Waylon and Josette; and
10 WHEREAS, He is lucky to be married to Lucka from Bohemia; and
11 WHEREAS, Kretz is the owner of Promised Land Ranch in Wauconda,
12 where he raises horses, cattle, and timber; and
13 WHEREAS, He has welcomed all who were interested in gaining a
14 real country perspective the opportunity to visit his beautiful home
15 – provided they could find his four-mile driveway with no cell
16 service or GPS system and traverse its multiple gates; and
17 WHEREAS, Kretz was first elected to the Washington State House of
18 Representatives in 2004 to represent the 7th Legislative District;
19 and
20 WHEREAS, He was elected House Republican Deputy Leader in late
21 2008 – a position he held until he stepped down in April 2023 (15
22 years!); and
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 1 WHEREAS, Kretz has advocated for private property rights, small
2 businesses, solutions to address predator problems in Northeast
3 Washington, fire-resilient forests, and wildfire prevention and
4 response; and
5 WHEREAS, He has fought tirelessly for his constituents – the
6 ranchers, farmers, and families of the great frontier; and
7 WHEREAS, Kretz has worked closely with Colville Tribal Leaders,
8 such as Mel Tonasket, on their shared commitments to the lands,
9 waters, and resources of the region; and
10 WHEREAS, He will always be remembered for his love of the land,
11 his fierce loyalty to his friends, and his mustache; and
12 WHEREAS, Kretz is known for his passion for the rural lifestyle,
13 the rural economy, and the rural code of "make sure you're not all
14 hat and no cattle"; and
15 WHEREAS, He will always be Olympia's favorite cowboy from
16 Wauconda and his life a country song. And as we all know, a cowboy
17 never says goodbye – it's not in his nature; and
18 WHEREAS, Kretz has always had an open-door policy, often hosting
19 both Republicans and Democrats at the same time in his Western-themed
20 office to share thoughts and ideas. All who entered his office were
21 greeted with a "come on in" and treated as a close friend; and
22 WHEREAS, As he concludes his time in the Washington State House
23 of Representatives, we share our heartfelt thanks and appreciation
24 for his public service and friendship;
25 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State House
26 of Representatives recognize Representative Joel Kretz's record of
27 public service to this institution, his constituents, and the people
28 of Washington state.
29
30 I hereby certify this to be a true and correct copy of
31 Resolution 4700 adopted by the House of Representatives
32 March 6, 2024
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36
37 __________________________
38 Bernard Dean, Chief Clerk
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