Representative Peter Abbarno Contact information

Serving the 20th District, Rep. Peter Abbarno is a community leader, attorney, and most importantly, a husband and father.

Peter attended the State University of New York at Fredonia, graduating in 1997 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. For almost 10 years, Peter worked in the field of government and politics.

Peter also earned a Juris Doctor from Vermont Law School in 2008, and a Master of Laws in taxation from the University of Washington in 2009.

Peter then worked as a deputy assistant prosecuting attorney in King County Juvenile Court. In 2010, he joined the law firm of Olson Althauser Samuelson and Rayan in Centralia, currently known as Althauser Rayan Abbarno, LLP. Peter became a partner in 2013.

Throughout his career, Peter has practiced many areas of law, including estate planning, business/corporate law, family law, criminal prosecution and defense, workers’ compensation, and personal injury.

Peter also volunteers time to assist victims of domestic violence and assaults, non-profits, and new entrepreneurs with business formation and business planning.

In 2015, Peter was elected to the Centralia City Council, re-elected in 2019, and voted mayor pro tem in 2020. In November 2020, he was elected with 71% of the vote to the 20th District in the Washington State House of Representatives. He ran unopposed in 2022 and was re-elected with over 96% of the vote.

Peter is past president and member of the Centralia College Foundation, past president of the Lewis County Bar Association, former host of the KELA radio’s “Let’s Talk About It” show, a classroom volunteer with WATCH D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) and with the Hub City Mission, and also serves as a mentor at both W.F. West High School and for the Morton High School Mock Trial Team. In addition, Peter and his wife, Holly, started the Centralia Back-to School supply drive, and he has coached Little League Baseball, the Centralia Youth Soccer team, and Centralia Parks and Recreation Basketball.

Rep. Abbarno holds numerous awards for outstanding community involvement. In 2012, he was named one of the top 20 professionals under the age of 40 in Lewis County. In 2018 and 2020, Daily Chronicle readers voted Peter as the “Best Volunteer” in Lewis County. In 2019, he received the “Economic Development Leadership Award” from the Lewis Economic Development Council, the “Human Rights Award” from the Church Women United organization and was voted the “Best Elected Official” in Lewis County. In 2020, Peter was named “Person of the Year” by the Daily Chronicle editorial board.

Peter enjoys spending time with his wife, Holly (Hawes), a math teacher at Centralia Middle School, and their two children, Sophia and Antonio.