Meet D’Arcy
A Spotlight on our Legislative Lead and Secretary
Contrary to beauty school training I do talk politics behind the chair- I enjoy staying up to date on current events & engaging in conversations with my hair clients. I think having a balanced + astute dialogue on matters that impact human rights, business, as well as myself personally is key to progressing society. I actually made it a core of my business + brand as a hairstylist to lean into meaty topics while simultaneously making hair happiness!
Regardless, I was as blindsided in 2019 as all of my colleagues in Personal Services when our legislature attempted to completely ban cosmetology booth rental in WA state. I was panicked and confused. At the time, I was co-owner of a booth rental salon on Capitol Hill in Seattle and I was mystified why our local politicians would target my small business. I was and still am passionate and determined to ensure small business for Personal Services is safe from unneeded laws while protecting the public health. That’s when I joined a “rag tag” group of women with cosmetology licenses to cultivate a fervor to educate and activate. We worked as a team to create action items for the overwhelming public demand to halt progress on what we deemed a direct and harmful hit to our livelihood. This process made us realize we had no representation for our industry in Olympia and that we needed to fix that.
Thus was born COSMETOLOGISTS OF WA UNITED. We eventually became a 501c6 non profit organization, and now I serve as the Board Secretary as well as Legislative Lead.
What is a Legislative Lead? Its like the Master of Ceremonies inside the trade association for all the elements that create new laws. Step one of my job is to make sure I am registered as an unpaid lobbyist for COWU through the Public Disclosure Commission of WA state. Throughout session I will work with the association’s lobbyist Brooke Davies to meet with legislators in bill negotiations. In order to avoid limitations on the amount of meetings I attend with them I must monthly make sure to file disclosures to stay “on the up and up.” Every week I have conversations with Brooke about the bills we are tracking and their progress in Committees before reaching the chamber floor for a vote.
What I truthfully enjoy is being able to encourage input from our industry to either squash something illogical and overreaching or amend and sculpt something confusing and weird into a true benefit for our industry. It’s a lot of talking and meetings and sometimes I have to testify in committee to put an inside face to a voice from the world of Personal Services. Cosmetologists United represents all business models and operators in cosmetology, hair design, barbering, esthetician, instructors/schools, manicurist/nail tech, massage, permanent makeup and tattoo.
When something harmful emerges- it is also my job to determine with not only Brooke but our leadership and enrolled Member Advocates how and why we are going to push back. And when nothing else works- I get on a live and compile talking points and phone call scripts for colleagues so we can ignite our over 12k Facebook group to oppose a bill. We had a historic impact in 2019 and our goal is to avoid diluting that collective power in action. To date- we have now not only “killed” everything we have opposed—- but we have also started passing positive bills. I am delighted to do the work and I look forward to teaching more to feel comfortable interacting with their WA state area district legislators! I will always advocate for you to use YOUR VOICE.”
