Reporter Newspapers
Governor Christine Gregoire faces another tough, close fight from Republican challenger Dino Rossi in her bid for re-election.
Seeking a second term in the seat she barely won four years ago, Gregoire, a Democrat, said she would take the state forward and wisely manage her way through potential budget deficits.
“I am going to stand up, make the tough choices, bring hope and greatness to Washington, be responsible in how we manage and make us the proudest state in this entire country,” she said.
Gregoire, who served 12 years as state attorney general, squeaked into the governor’s mansion in 2004 by just 133 votes, after three ballot counts and a six-month court battle.
Supporters say Gregoire has served the state well during relatively good times. They say she is a good bet for a future likely to be less rosy economically.
While Republicans blame the projected budget shortfall on Gregoire, saying she authorized spending way too much money, Gregoire points to President Bush. “This is the worst economic situation we’ve faced since the Depression,” she said. “We’re going to blame that on the Washington Legislature and the governor?”
Rossi, meanwhile, said it’s time for a change in difficult economic times. He called Gregoire an insider who is “the governor for the government, not the governor for the people.”
Rossi has spoken against what he sees as Gregoire’s biggest failures, including tax and budget policy, transportation, foster care, education financing and dealing with criminals. He said he’ll offer effective leadership on all those issues.
“The governor for the government has had her turn. We can do better,” he said.
In the primary election last month, Gregoire finished less than 2 percentage points ahead of Rossi. Both sides have built multimillion-dollar campaign warchests, with even more money raised by third-party surrogates to help their chances.
Expect another close fight to the finish.
Reporter Newspapers: The state’s revenue forecast dropped by $530 million, pushing a projected deficit in the next budget to about $3.2 billion. How do you proposed to make up the difference?
Gregoire: “I have already taken action to cut the projected budget shortfall in half. Over the last several months, I’ve ordered state agencies to implement a hiring freeze and to eliminate non-emergency, out-of-state travel, equipment purchases and services contracts. I’ve ordered a 1 percent, across-the-board cut at state agencies. Unlike my Republican opponent, I won’t sacrifice our values in tough economic times. When he was faced with a budget shortfall, he slashed healthcare for 40,000 kids, taxed nursing home patients and cut education by $1 billion.”
Rossi: “By focusing on the priorities of government and working in a bipartisan fashion to find efficiencies, we will address this deficit without raising taxes. (While a state senator and) chairman of the Senate Ways and Means committee in 2003, I balanced the largest deficit in state history without raising taxes, while protecting the vulnerable and adding $200 million for education. Every single night, I went through the budget line by line and made thousands of decisions. For instance, we decided not to purchase new state cars and we cut expensive retreats for state employees.
I have also pledged to freeze hiring and restore spending limits to get our state on a fiscally stable path. We must bring spending back in line with revenue.”
Reporter Newspapers: Will you raise taxes in wake of a weakening state economy?
Gregoire: “We shouldn’t be talking about taxes in tough times. I also don’t support an income tax.”
Rossi: “No. Families are hurting because of the economy. Over the last four years, Governor Gregoire has increased spending by $8 billion — that’s equal to $4,000 per family. Now, families are struggling to pay the mortgage and feed their children. We shouldn’t be asking them for more of what they don’t have – money.”
Reporter Newspapers: Small-business owners have struggled in the state. How do you propose ways to improve that climate?
Gregoire: “I think the state can help small-business owners succeed by making our state a good place for business. Fortune magazine said our state is the fifth-best state for small business, but I think we can do better. In my first term, I reduced L and I and unemployment insurance costs by $465 million and implemented a total of $900 million in tax incentives to help businesses create jobs. An educated, skilled workforce will attract businesses to our state and keep businesses in our state, because great employees help businesses grow.”
Rossi: “Small business is the top creator of jobs in our state, but unfortunately Washington has one of the highest small-business failure rates in the nation. I’ll ease the unnecessary regulations that impede the success of these small businesses, while ensuring they are operating in the best interest of consumers. My goal is to turn Washington into an entrepreneurial state. To do so, we must eliminate the challenges facing business. Specifically, I’ll increase the B and O tax credit for small businesses and eliminate the death tax. Also, I’ll appoint directors to agencies such as Labor and Industries and the Department of Ecology who believe helping people succeed is their job.”
Reporter Newspapers: What are your plans to improve transportation options, relieve congestion and improve environmental conditions, particularly in the Puget Sound area?
Gregoire: “When I took office in 2005, I inherited a neglected highway system. In 2003 and 2004, there were only 12 projects completed in Washington. Under my leadership, 167 transportation projects have been completed and 109 more are on the way. Voters upheld the projects by rejecting an initiative that would have canceled the investments. Our environment is the greatest legacy we can leave our children. Washington is leading the nation’s fight against global warming. I signed bills to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our state and create 25,000 green jobs by 2020. I also created the Puget Sound Partnership to clean up and restore the Sound to good health.”
Rossi: “Congestion costs Washington’s economy $624 million a year. My top transportation priority is congestion relief. We’ll address nine of the state’s worst traffic chokepoints, including replacing the 520 bridge with a bridge capable of eight lanes, widening portions of I-405, and extending Highway 167 to the Port of Tacoma. We’ll reduce our carbon footprint by encouraging innovative technology through the use of tax breaks on hybrid and electric cars and relieving congestion. I won’t raise taxes to pay for these projects. Funding will come from 40 percent of the sales tax from new and used vehicles.”
Reporter Newspapers: What will you do to help improve the quality of patient care?
Gregoire: “I’m implementing a healthcare plan that will increase access and reduce costs. The basics are to use the most effective medicine and medical technology, expand preventative care and care for the chronically ill, and increase transparency in our healthcare system. With this plan, we’ve expanded healthcare coverage to 84,000 low-income kids and thousands more adults. We are on track to have all kids covered by 2010. And more than 82,000 people enrolled in our state’s new prescription discount drug program, saving them about $23 per prescription filled.”
Rossi: “I support improving the quality of patient care for our citizens. To do that, we need a, stable, well-trained workforce. One way to offer better care will be through technology and innovation. Washington has become a leader in health information technology, which can improve the delivery of health care while reducing costs.
“We also need to increase access to quality healthcare. We must act now to recruit, train and retain our physician workforce. Finally, I will support programs that help place doctors into our rural communities. These areas consistently face physician shortages, and we must find doctors to serve those smaller communities.”
Reporter Newspapers: You differ greatly in regard to the fate of education. What are some of your concerns and some of your proposals?
Gregoire: “We must provide all our children a world-class education so they can compete in the global economy. I’ve directed K-12 schools to focus more on math and science standards. I also restored funding for voter-approved initiatives to reduce class sizes to provide more individual attention to students and to increase teacher pay. Thanks to these investments, more than 91 percent of students passed the WASL this year.”
Rossi: “Math and science scores in Washington are abysmal. In 2006, only one-third of 10th-graders passed all part of the WASL, leaving lawmakers to eliminate math and science as graduation requirements. I will work to allow school districts to pay qualified math and science teachers more. We will also change the rules on accreditation to allow qualified individuals from the private sector to teach in these areas. This will help address teacher shortages in these high-demand fields and also bring experts into our classrooms.”
Reporter Newspapers: Why should people vote for you?
Gregoire: “Times are tough right now across our entire nation. Our state isn’t immune to the economic fallout from Wall Street and the other Washington. We need a governor who will fight for working families and Main Street. I’ve balanced a $2.2 billion budget, created nearly 250,000 new jobs in a tough economy, and fought the Bush Administration over its irresponsible decision to cut healthcare. Special interests don’t need another person to fight for them, but working families do. I’m that candidate.”
Rossi: “There is much at stake in this election. We have the opportunity to restore fiscal responsibility to Olympia and start fixing real problems. But we need new leadership. This campaign isn’t about me, it’s not about Christine Gregoire – it’s about changing the culture and direction of state government for a generation.”
