It is no secret that Deb Eddy (D-Kirkland) has been an agent for change.

As a State Representative for the 48th District, which includes parts of Redmond, she helped push the new state law allowing for gay marriage; she has never been one to toe the party line for Democrats and she was a big part of getting legislation passed allowing for the new Evergreen Point Floating Bridge to be built.

But it was the last accomplishment that was not only the biggest, but the most costly.

“Honestly, it cost me my legislative career,” said Eddy, who announced last week that she will retire after her current term has ended. “I would never be a committee chair or afforded a leadership role. Crossing the speaker (of the House) is not a good career move.”

She said that when she was elected in 2006 it was not a big secret that Speaker of the House Frank Chopp (D-Seattle) was generally opposed to the 520 bridge in its current design.

But Eddy is not one to back down from a fight, even if it is within her own party. The former Kirkland mayor, who is known for working across the aisle, worked for most of her legislative career to get the bridge replaced.

“It was apparent we needed to put pressure on him (Chopp),” said Eddy. “It was my job and it worked. But I quickly realized I wasn’t going to accomplish things in the other areas … I am a change agent but that means that you use up political capital very quickly. I didn’t understand that until I was in politics for a while.”

The building of a new 520 bridge has been discussed for decades and is a major accomplishment.

“I am going to miss her in so many ways,” said House Transportation Committee Chair Judy Clibborn (D-Mercer Island). “Her influence here over the last six years can’t be overstated. She changed the place, but so often her work has been behind the scenes.”

Eddy began her career as an agent of change living in the Bridle Trails Neighborhood during its annexation into Kirkland in the late 1980s. The annexation had some major zoning conflicts in relation to horse stables.

“The city didn’t have a clue on how to deal with the zoning,” said Eddy. “We had a new owner piling manure at the corner of his property and it became a public-health issue.”

After attempting to fight city hall, Eddy decided to fight the issue from the inside.

“I knew that if I was going to change anything I would need to get on the City Council,” said Eddy, who won election to the council in 1993.

Eddy would serve six years on the Council, with two of those as mayor.

During her time on the council the city approved the building of the Kirkland Performance Center, planned for the Kirkland Teen Center and acquired more land for parks.

“We also brought a level of transparency to the budget,” said Eddy.

Along with that transparency the council decided not to raise property taxes the allowable amount.

“You are tempting fate by always taking the allowable amount,” said Eddy. “If you don’t need it, you should’t take it.”

The city also made a major change when it came to collective bargaining practices with city employees, by instituting an interest-based bargaining system.

But Eddy has also made it a point to not overstay her welcome. “I have learned how to make a difference but also how to step away,” said Eddy.

She has been a member of the House Technology, Energy and Communication Committee for six years and is now a board member of the Pacific Northwest Economic Region, an association of Western states and Canadian provinces engaged in cross-border problem-solving, including on energy and infrastructure issues.

Eddy would like to move on to help in modernizing the power grid when she is done in Olympia later this year. She said that with 64 power distributors in Washington State it will be difficult to transition to a smart grid.

“Some (of the distributors) are forward thinking and some are not,” said Eddy, who added that she will not run for public office again.

Eddy said that she has not endorsed anyone for her seat in Olympia, saying: “I am going to encourage some people to look at it.”

She has stayed true to her views, even if they do not run along the party line. That is what has drawn many of her constituents to her.

“What I have enjoyed so much is when people come up and say, ‘I wish there were more people like you,’” said Eddy.

“I am a bad Democrat, but I would be an even worse Republican.”

Eddy’s future plans also include spending time with her family and traveling. She is married to professor Jon Eddy, currently director of the Asian Law Center at the University of Washington Law School, and has three children and two grandchildren.