As imperfect as it may seem the Governor in office appoints Commissioners to what are staggered terms. The Commissioners hire and fire the Director. The staggered terms for Commissioners plus the fact that they are required to be from different regions within the State provides some semblance of mitigating unhealthy political swings.

If the Director were to be an elected office the Commission would effectively become obsolete - either gone entirely or in an advisory role. Do you really want the Seattle voting block determining the direction of the WDFW? Just remember, the Seattle Times just got rid of their outdoor reporting - we are no longer considered relevant in their Seattle centric perspective.

If you are unhappy with the Director's performance and/or the policies he is implementing then address those issues to the Commission! Yes, it is difficult to overcome the inertia but that may be the lesser evil to rapid swings in management policy driven by (generally ignorant) public opinion.