State officials defend cost of international trade missions

By Brad Shannon | The Olympian • Published May 04, 2008

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Gov. Chris Gregoire often touts Washington's position as a trade-dependent state, outlining the big growth in exports since she took office in 2005 and the jobs it supports.

Exports hit $66.3 billion last year, nearly $28 billion more than in 2005. The state's Community, Trade and Economic Development Department says one in every three of Washington's jobs depends on trade.

No one disputes that the airplanes, coffee, software and even cherries that Washington ships around the world are essential to the state's economy. But against that backdrop, it has been less obvious how much trade missions led by the state's top officials cost or how much they have contributed to the trade boom — if at all.

Gregoire has led five missions since taking office in 2005; Lt. Gov. Brad Owen has led 16 cultural, educational or economic missions since 1997; and Secretary of State Sam Reed has led six since 2001.

The missions took Gregoire and the other officials, along with entourages of privately funded business representatives and taxpayer-funded state employees, to such places as China, Taiwan, Japan, Australia, India, France, Germany and the United Kingdom.

No one with the offices of the three state leaders has kept a record of the overall cost to taxpayers. But a tally by The Olympian based on a series of public-records requests shows that the missions have cost taxpayers a little more than $380,000 since 2000 — including more than $352,000 for Gregoire's five trips.

Costs for Reed and Owen were less because their trips were underwritten by businesses that paid to go on the missions, or, in the case of several Owen trips, by foreign interests. Owen's office did not have data for trips before 2000.

State officials, including Gregoire, and some business experts say the trips are worth the investment.

"I'm kind of surprised (the costs) are that low," said Debra Glassman, senior lecturer in the finance and business-economics department at the University of Washington's Foster School of Business.