Sen. Brian Dansel has accepted a position as a Special Assistant to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. Dansel has resigned his post as state senator for the 7th Legislative District, effective immediately.

Dansel started his political career when he was elected as a Ferry County commissioner in 2010. He has served the 7th District in the state Legislature since December 2013, after a special election due to the retirement of longtime Sen. Bob Morton, and was elected in 2014 to a full four-year term.

“It has been the honor of my life to serve as your senator, and this decision was not an easy one for me,” said Dansel, R-Republic. “Words cannot express the gratitude my family and I feel toward the citizens of this district, and I didn’t take the decision lightly.”

Republican precinct committee officers in the 7th District are now charged with the task of presenting commissioners from the counties that comprise the district — Okanogan, Ferry, Stevens, Pend Oreille and Spokane – with three candidates to replace Dansel. The commissioners of the five counties will then pick from among the three candidates; the person appointed will serve until the next general election, when district voters will choose someone to serve the year remaining in the Senate term.

Ultimately, Dansel said, he was convinced that being a voice in Washington, D.C. would allow him to do more for the 7th District than he could as a senator.

“It is no secret that I think we could be moving more timber off the forests, while putting people back to work and reducing our susceptibility to wildfires. I think we also need to reform regulations that have prevented mining companies from exploratory drilling, rendering the mining industry nearly obsolete when it has been an iconic industry in Northeast Washington for many decades,” Dansel added.

Dansel will begin his new role in Washington D.C. immediately.