TULALIP — “I’m starting my fifth career,” said state Rep. John McCoy, as he spoke about resigning as general manager of Quil Ceda Village. “My friends have told me, ‘John, you just can’t keep a job,'” he laughed.
McCoy is stepping down as manager of Quil Ceda Village to start a public policy and economic development consulting firm, tentatively titled “Sovereignty Services,” but he has no plans to end his career as a state representative for the 38th Legislative District, nor to leave the Tulalip Tribes.
“I’ll continue to help Indian Country,” McCoy said. “I’m not really leaving, and I’m not moving. I’ll still be living in the middle of it, and I’ll continue to see it grow. I just won’t be involved in the nuts and bolts of it.”
McCoy has been considering this career move for a couple of years, as he’s re-evaluated how he allocates his time to the state and the Tribes.
“I have priorities of things I’d like to get done during my legislative life,” McCoy said. “I’m proud of everything I helped accomplish in the last 16 years, but the Tribes seem to be moving along just fine. I’d like to do more at the state and national levels, and to devote more time to state issues.”
In addition to directing the Quil Ceda Village project, McCoy also takes pride in his involvement in bringing technology to the reservation through Tulalip Data Services, as well as promoting Native American languages and tribal law enforcement in the state legislature.
“The list goes on and on, but it’s been a team effort,” McCoy said. “The interests of the state and the Tribes are more intertwined than people realize. If you do for the state, then the Tribes can benefit, and quid pro quo.”
McCoy spoke highly of his deputy, Steve Gobin, who becomes the interim general manager of Quil Ceda Village in his stead, and looked back fondly on his own time in the position.
“I’m proud of everything I’ve done and there’s not a day of it that I would change,” McCoy said. “I just seem to change careers every 15-20 years. I’d reached a plateau here, and felt comfortable moving on. I’ll still be serving my constituents here, just in a different capacity.”
