Nancy Wyatt, president and chief operating officer of the Auburn Area Chamber of Commerce, announced Tuesday that she will run for the 47th District’s State House Position 1 seat, currently held by Rep. Geoff Simpson.

The Kent Republican is a longtime community and business leader in the valley.

“I’m excited for this campaign and ready to dive in head-first. I feel I have a lot to give back to this community,” Wyatt said. “Boeing’s choice of South Carolina over Puget Sound was a real wakeup call for our district and the state. We need legislators who are ready to fight to keep good jobs in Washington.”

Wyatt will draw on her experience with the Chamber to apply financial tools to the legislative process.

“It’s obvious we can’t keep running state government the same old way,” Wyatt said. “Every few years we go through the same boom-and-bust cycle in Olympia. We need legislators with the discipline not to overspend when times are good, because inevitably they have to make painful cuts when the economy slows. We can smooth out these cycles with smarter budgeting and by saving more when the economy is strong,” she said.

Wyatt’s top priority is spurring job growth in the area.

“There’s so much more the state can do to be the kind of place where businesses want to add new jobs,” she said.

“For our area, increasing freight mobility is key. Finally completing SR 167 to the Port of Tacoma is critical. Widening SR 516 over Jenkins Creek, too, would bring new opportunities for Covington.”

Wyatt and husband Greg, a Boeing employee, have lived in unincorporated King County for 15 years. They have two children.

Wyatt also served as president/CEO of the Covington Chamber of Commerce for six years and served on the Covington Economic Development Council.