Transcript: Chat with Gov. Christine Gregoire
Moderator: Today she's been busy answering questions about the state's latest revenue forecast, which suggests Washington can expect about $739 million more in the next two years than was forecast four months ago. Gregoire has said that forecast was the last bit of information she needed before writing her proposed general-fund budget for state government operations. That budget is to be revealed Monday.
Moderator: Tell us, governor, how does today's revenue forecast change what you will do in your budget proposal for 2005-07?
Gregoire: The revenue forecast is good news -- it means the economy is returning, getting stronger, people are getting back to work and we are getting new revenue. On the other hand, when I walked into office on Jan. 12, we had a revenue picture that quickly eroded because the state Supreme Court decided two cases that cut our budget by $518 million. So this new forecast doesn't solve what is a shortfall of between $1.5 and $1.6 billion dollars.
Moderator: Does this mean you will seek tax increases? How much do you think you'll need?
Gregoire: I'm going to have to wait until we make those final decision this weekend, but I'm not going to turn my back on important parts of the economy, like education for children, access to higher education, health care for those who can't afford it, particularly children. I'm going to live by certain principles. One is not to harm our economic recovery but the other is not to maintain the status quo. Our children need good jobs to ensure future economic health.
Grant, Puyallup: In my own life I have to get by with less and still maintain all of my family expenses. Why does the state seem to think the only way to balance the budget is to increase taxes, which I have to pay with my meager wage? In the world that I live in, when my expenses increase I have to decrease other items in order to pay my bills. Learn to live within your means. The rest of us in the state have to.
Gregoire: The same is true in my household and I've tried to live by that as I looked at this budget. Just yesterday I announced three means by which we will cut. First, cut 1000 middle managers. Two, start buying smarter, and we booked $50 million in savings by finding new ways to purchase items. Third, cut programs that are ineffective or don't work. One program was a $28 million job search program --I kept $8 million of it and cut the $20 million of the program that didn't work. I cut the film office, I don't think the film office attracts movie makers to Washington state. $1 million was saved on that.
Albert, Olympia: Are you in favor of raises for state workers? And why does the salary commission always give elected officials raises? This commission should be disbanded, and pay raises for elective officials should be left up to the voters.
Gregoire: I'm going to honor the agreement that was reached by state employees and the previous administration. State employees have gone four years without an increase, but have had health costs increase, so actually had four years of pay cuts. I've asked the state workers to work harder and told them I have high expectations, but I'm going to pay them what they deserve.
There's actually a citizen commission. One resident from each district is chosen more or less at random, so it truly is a citizen commission. When I served as attorney general, they asked if I would advocate a salary increase for attorney general. I was very clear that the pay for the attorney general is woefully inadequate compared to other legal jobs, but I didn't want a raise until my fellow workers in state government received one.
Moderator: The Senate Republicans are typically one vote away from a majority, and Senate Republican Leader Bill Finkbeiner of Kirkland has said giving pay raises to state workers while cutting government services isn't fair to taxpayers. How do you justify the raises to those outside of government, and is doing so a political risk?
Gregoire: I'm going to do the right thing, and that means honoring the agreement reached. That's the fair thing. These are individuals working hard and have families to support that had a net income decrease. The Boeing company may lay off people on one hand and give raises to those it retains because it knows, like any good employer, you have to produce, and if you have high expectations, you have to honor those employees. I'm going to respect our state workers by paying them good salaries and benefits.
Josef, Sedro-Woolley: How is it that you believe your election is legitimate and the Rossi campaign - which has unified Democrats and Republicans - has no grounds? Or am I incorrect in stating your belief, Madame Governor-Pro-Tem?
Gregoire: You know, I think the most recent poll by Elway is very telling. Sixty-three percent of those polled said it's time to move on. What we had is a state law that provided for the original count, mandatory machine or manual count, and then at the option of the candidate, if they could pay, a manual count. We raised the money and paid for the manual count, and the final count had me ahead by 129 votes. And by Washington state law I was certified by the Secretary of State and the Legislature as governor and I am serving as governor. There's nothing illegitimate about that at all and I agree with the poll that it's time for us to move on.
Moderator: Does that mean you are asking Rossi to give up his campaign?
Gregoire: I'm not asking Rossi to do anything, he's free to pursue any course, but I am moving on and I am going to do what I think the voters have called me to do.
John, Olympia: Don't you feel any guilt for accepting the office of Governor when it was obvious that the vote recount was most likely fixed in your favor? Don't you think a revote would prove to us, the citizens of Washington State who the true Governor should be?
Gregoire: I was duly elected by the citizens of Washington. Surely it was a slim amount, but that doesn't change the fact I was voted governor by law and I am serving in that capacity.
Moderator: We received a few submissions that were name calling under the pretense of asking a question. People wrote in just to call you a cheater or say your election was rigged. Are you experiencing that kind of resentment from the public personally, and what do you make of it?
Gregoire: Every day that I serve as governor, I don't hear one word about the election. Frankly, people lost interest in even chatting with me about it probably one week after inauguration. All of the talented individuals I am appointing as heads of departments don't even mention it. Surely there are people who feel strongly about it, and I respect it, but nobody, not even Republican legislators ask me about it. They have moved on and I have moved on.
Moderator: And so, we shall move on.
Patricia, Olympia: Have you experienced any comments directed at being a female governor? I am absolutely excited at the idea that Washington has a woman for governor.
Gregoire: Actually I have. A number of young women, meaning grade school through high school, have approached me when they visit the office to tell me how excited they are to have a woman governor. One of most exciting things I've done was going to a Huskies women's basketball game, and at halftime I read a proclamation about Title IX and what it means to women's sports and there were hundreds of women who swarmed around me. It meant a lot to them and because of that it meant a lot to me. I just think young men and women need to see role models in positions like governor. There's nothing you can't do, and I think having a woman as governor says that.
Steve, Olympia: I can't pay tuition and live at the same time. On financial aid I can pay for tuition, but have no money to live. If I were to work enough to live comfortably, I would not be able to fully engage myself in my education. What can be done about this? Many people are in my situation, having to decide whether to work and remain in a low paying job or to suffer trying to juggle work and school in the hopes of gaining an education to make more money. When will our country quit spending money on war and start spending money on our countries future, which is the youth's education?
Gregoire: I believe every individual who qualifies ought to have an opportunity to attend as far as they want to go in higher education, and it's our job to ensure that opportunity. So I must be mindful that when we raise tuition there's a state financial aid portion of it. We have to challenge higher education institutions to do a better job.
They have to ensure student finish in four years. They have to make sure community college students can transfer their credits -- today they lose a lot of them. Many students are graduating with 20 or more credits they didn't need because they couldn't transfer them or couldn't get the classes they needed. I am trying to make sure the doors of higher education stay open to every student.
Moderator: You have named education and health care as top priorities, particularly for children. Will college funding, like increasing access through new enrollment slots, take a back seat to K-12 education in your budget?
Gregoire: We're clearly going to have to do something in higher education. It's not good enough to do something in K-12 and not for higher education. Will my budget do everything we need? No, because we simply do not have enough state revenue to do all we have to. So I've called for a commission to look at our entire educational structure in our state so that we stop the one-third of students who drop out, so that we make all three pieces work together. What's the stable source of funding to make sure we don't have a Band-Aid approach every two years to education funding.
Carol, Kenmore: I do not want to vote by mail ... in an article in the PI it states that the " State Democratic Party Chairman Paul Berendt said his party favors mail voting because it increases participation and security." I have talked to several Democrats and no one asked them or myself our opinions on this! We prefer voting in person! How can I be guaranteed that my vote made it and that it was counted correctly?
Gregoire: I love to vote at the polls. I'm a permanent absentee, but when I'm home I deliver my absentee ballot to the poll because I think it's fun. Today we have about 70 percent voting absentee, but we still really enjoy the opportunity to know we can go to the polls, so I prefer at this point that each county can decide on their own if they want to go totally by mail or to have the option for voters to show up at the poll.
Moderator: Would you veto the bill requiring full conversion to a vote-by-mail system?
Gregoire: I'll look at it. I need to know why they're so emphatic about that. Maybe it's the budget. It might be cheaper to have an all-mail system, like they do in Oregon, but I'd have to look at that. I prefer the option to go to the polls and vote in person.
Mary, Shelton: Is your husband on the State payroll?
Gregoire: My husband is retired, he was at DSHS then with the attorney general's office. He doesn't get paid for being First Gentleman, but he really is doing a great job. He dedicates every day to doing something for the veterans of our state. He's a Vietnam vet himself and feels passionate about veterans. He welcomes home the soldiers, he's visited our bases and is helping make sure none of our bases get cut in this round of Pentagon closures.
He's in Seattle trying to figure out why so many veterans are homeless, 40 percent of the homeless in Seattle are vets and of that most are Vietnam veterans. He's reaching out to veterans and making sure that when the men and women come home from Iraq or Afghanistan, that they get their lives back and that we appreciate and respect their service to our country.
James, Lilliwaup: While you've expressed your willingness to sign a law that would provide anti-discrimination protection for gays and lesbians (HB 1515/SB 6069), is there anything else you can or will do to get this passed this session?
Gregoire: Yes, I've indicated in particular to Sen. Brown that when she's prepared to bring the bill to the floor for a vote, and if she thinks I'll be of help, I'll talk to any Senators who have questions about it. I don't think Washington state should have discrimination in any way or form. I would welcome the bill onto my desk and will help to make that happen.
Mike, Olympia: What is your personal opinion on legalizing homosexual marriage.
Gregoire: You know, the issue is before our state Supreme Court, it was argued there recently. I'm going to respect the decision of the court. Right now I'm simply asking those with strenouous opinions on whichever side to honor and respect the difference of opinion there may be. I think it's our job to be the model state to accept diversity and different views and I will respect the decision of the court.
Irene, Shelton: Recently The Olympian carried an article about Brian Sonntag's auditors having difficulty with certain state agencies refusing, in many cases, to let auditors do their work. This confirms to me their lack of accountability, which has been one of the Governors goals. What will be your plan of action to get these departments to comply?
Gregoire: First, when I get my entire cabinet put together, I would like the Auditor to come in and talk to members of the cabinet so that the auditors of the state get what they need from the cabinet members. I'm really much more engaged in making sure I have measurement of accountability in place, Government Management Accountability and Performance to identify objective measures to see if we are really delivering to the public.
And where we find programs that are underperforming, we will modify them. Where we find programs that don't work we'll eliminate them. This program actually started in New York City, Giuliani took it from the police department there, then Baltimore city did the same thing. It's never been done at the state level, but I think it's the perfect compliment to Locke's Priorities of Government. It's one thing to set priorities, it's one thing to set the price, but it's something different to say "did we get the job done and did we get it done efficiently and effectively?" That's what GMAP will tell us.
Moderator: Combining a couple state worker questions from Mary in Kettle Falls and Liz in Colville: Is there a connection between proposal to eliminate 1,000 middle-management employees and the fact that those workers are not generally union members, and don't you think it would be a good idea to poll state employees to see if they support or reject the contract, because some employees were not notified they could vote on the collective bargaining agreement?
Gregoire: I don't know whether they are union or not, but the fact of the matter is that when you have under four percent growth in non-management and over 40 percent growth in middle-management, something's wrong. You've got to put people on the ground to deliver the service.
That's what my goal is, and to do that I have to get rid of the obviously bloated middle-management. It's not only not cost effective, but if I'm on the ground reporting to many layers, its inefficient. I was told yesterday that you have to have six layers of management approve travel costs. That's simply too much middle-management. So I'm getting at what every good business and corporation has gotten to: looking at streamlining by cutting middle-management. And that's what I did.
Moderator: What about the rest of the question -- some state employees claim they didn't know or weren't informed that they could vote on the collective bargaining agreement.
Gregoire: I really don't know anything about that.
Sandy, Rochester: When we are looking at cutting jobs, wouldn't it help to offer early retirement to PERS 1 employees willing to take a reduced benefit?
Gregoire: It's been done in the past with a good degree of success. My goal here was not just motivated by cutting the number of employees, it was solely directed at cutting middle-management. If I'm going to have to add people on the ground, for example in child protective services, I can add those numbers by cutting middle-management. My goal isn't to put people out of jobs, it's to make state government more streamlined and effective, and bloated middle-management stands in the way of that.
Moderator: We have time for a few more questions.
Judith, Olympia: Will the State have a campaign on water and energy conservation this year, since our snow pack is so low and energy prices could increase? Will there be public service announcements and more information, made public, for our awareness? Also, do you think a ban on 4th of July fireworks, this summer, would be in our good interest to cut down on fire danger?
Gregoire: I'm going to propose a drought package tomorrow and in it I'll have some major efforts for how we're going to transfer water rights to Washington for growers, and $200,000 for an education campaign. I'm going to partner with local utilities for education campaigns because this is a statewide problem and it's going to take everybody participating in the solution. So when we individually conserve today it will serve us well as we work through what may be the driest summer in Washington history. We will give tips for water conservation to people because we believe that to do the least damage to the economy, we all have to work together.
I haven't thought about the fireworks issue. I would like to talk to the fire marshal about it. I do have some efforts toward fighting fires. I have supplemental money for early hires by DNR. This early spring is beautiful, but it's fuel for fires. Doug Sutherland asked for money to hire early, and at the same time I have Gen. Lowenburg working on table-top emergency exercises, readying us for fire emergencies. He will have much of the Guard trained by next month in case we get into a situation where DNR can't handle it.
Moderator: Last question: Today is a Saints Day. You've spoken about your faith a bit in the past. How has your faith guided you so far as and where do you see it guiding you as governor.
Gregoire: I'm very private about it. I've looked to my faith in times past, when I lost a child or when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and I'm looking toward it again so when I make decisions as governor, those decisions aren't just good for my faith but good for the people of Washington. I need to make sure people of the state have what they need, those without. This is a tough time. It's got to be a partnership and I will be looking towards the faith community to help serve not just those who need it, but to serve the entire state. My faith is important to me and every day I look towards it for strength.
Moderator: Anything else you'd like to add?
Gregoire: I'm looking forward to a University of Washington win and a Gonzaga win so I can get my eight rib steaks from the Governor of Montana and a crate of tomatoes from the governor of South Carolina. So I'm looking forward to my dinner of steak and tomatoes.
Moderator: OK, thank you very much for your time today, Governor.
Moderator: Tune in to Capitol Chat next week, when Rep. Gary Alexander, R-Thurston County, will answer readers' questions.
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