A roomful of family, friends and state and county officials honored the late King County prosecutor Norm Maleng at a ceremony last Saturday morning at the King County Regional Justice Center in Kent by renaming the complex after him.
Maleng, a longtime Magnolia resident, died unexpectedly last May after serving almost eight terms as the county prosecutor, and he left a lasting legacy, according to speaker after speaker.
King County Executive Ron Sims said a politician like Maleng comes along only once in a generation and was "as complete a public servant as we have ever met."
Noting that Maleng grew up in the small town of Acme, Wash., Sims described him as being incredibly honest and a man who practiced his faith.
Maleng was also diplomatic, according to Sims, who said he could sit in a room with people involved in a major conflict and help resolve the problem. "He always sought out the middle ground," is how Sims put it.
Dan Satterberg, Maleng's former chief of staff and the man who won the election to replace him, also touched on Maleng's upbringing on a small dairy farm in Acme. "Norm was imbued with values that would shape him for a lifetime," he said of faith, hope and love.
"We heard about cows for decades after he last squeezed an udder," Sat-terberg smiled. "But while the man left the farm, it was quite clear the farm never left the man."
Maleng was a man who loved justice, and he was also devoutly religious, according to Satter-berg. "His ministry was to reach out to people who had suffered a terrible loss," said Satterberg, adding that that included him when his mother died suddenly.
"Norm would have never pushed to have a building named after him," Satterberg went on to say. But the honor was bestowed for the benefit of the public, his friends and colleagues, he said.
Sue Rahr, King County sheriff, also spoke of her memories of Maleng. He invited her to his office when she was first running for sheriff and said he liked the smile on her face and her optimism, Rahr said. "He said that to a lot of people."
King County Council member Larry Gossett said it could take all day paying tribute to Maleng. But he spoke of the symbol Maleng decided on for his office.
"He chose the Scales of Justice," Gossett said, "because it represented fairness for all people, regardless of class, race, origins or status in the community."
An example of that, he added, was Maleng's successful effort to get the state legislature to lower jail sentences for first- and second-time drug offenders.
Fellow county councilmember Pete von Reichbauer also praised the man. "Brick and motor built this building, but it's people like Norm Maleng that make it work."
Suzanne Sinclair, president of the Washington Association of County Officials, said she didn't believe it at first when Maleng said he grew up in Acme. "I thought he was kidding," she said. But Maleng left a lasting impression on the association, Sinclair added. "Norm's passion for justice touched all 39 counties."
Putting someone's name on a building is a great honor, observed Robert Lasnik, chief judge for the U.S. District Court for the western district of Washington state. But he asked those at the ceremony to use the naming as "a gentle reminder to follow Norm's example."
Michael Trickey, presiding judge at the King County Superior Court, described Maleng as a straight shooter whom defense attorneys could count on to tell them the truth about evidence in cases.
Maleng also worked on compromise rather than confrontation, said Trickey, who added that Maleng was instrumental in convincing the state legislature to provide money for treatment for people who ended up in drug court. "Without that, the program would have collapsed."
Barbara Linde, presiding judge at the King County Superior Court, noted that Maleng was responsible for starting a special court program for domestic-violence cases. Before then, such cases were "swept under the carpet because they were family matters," she said.
Maleng also helped start a mental-health court, the second in the nation, Linde said. But he also stressed that anyone facing charges in court be treated with the same kind of respect as anyone else, she added.
Maleng's son, Mark Maleng, thanked everyone on behalf of the family and mentioned that Norm Maleng's favorite topic was baseball and the Mariners.
Indeed, his office was covered in Mariners memorabilia, and Mark remembers going to the team's training camp in Arizona. "My dad often talked about heroes. One of his was Mickey Mantle," Mark said. "For many of us, my dad was a hero."
Mark said he could think of no greater honor than to have the justice center named after his father. "As my dad would say," Mark concluded, "'God bless you, real good.'"
Staff reporter Russ Zabel can be reached at rzabel@nwlink.com or 461-1309.
