Plan Seaquist: Legislator calls in to PO chamber

The Washington State Legislature’s tough budget decisions will continue beyond this year’s session and eventually change the course of government, according to one local representative.

“We are looking at a slow recovery,” said Rep. Larry Seaquist (D-Gig Harbor). “Growth over the next few years will be slower than what we are used to, and we are facing a very grim future.”

Seaquist addressed members of the Port Orchard Chamber of Commerce on a conference call early Tuesday morning.

Seaquist noted that there are three budget proposals, from the house, senate and governor, which the legislature must blend into a single document. While he said there are a lot of “very bad things” that are in some of the budget documents, he had praise for the way the public has turned out for the Washington State Ferries and predicted the system would get the support it deserves.

“The ‘Plan C’ effort was spectacularly successful and well organized,” he said. “We’ve taken an aggressive approach to funding, and legislators from all the districts affected by ferries have worked together. We’ve made a lot of progress, although we are still wasting money.”

One of the necessary steps is the establishment of a statewide ferry commission, which will make recommendations to the Department of Transportation. This will be comprised of local elected officials, along with a representative from each of the existing committees.

This will provide public input into the management of the ferry system, and allow the implementation of new ideas--even if the statewide ferry commission has no actual authority.

The ferry committee will take some time to assemble and will probably have its first meeting November, according to Seaquist. So its recommendations are not likely to bear fruit until next year’s session.

Stating one of his often-repeated comments, Seaquist said that WSF still has too many high-level executives that need to be let go. Similarly, state government is also top-heavy, and the legislature needs to take action to reduce this imbalance.

To do so, he suggests a reduction study like the Navy’s recent Base Reduction and Closure (BRAC) process, where naval bases that were no longer working to potential were closed. This could take several years and will not yield an immediate payoff, but Seaquist said the state needs to implement a wiser long-term financial strategy.

Seaquist said the shape of the economic downturn will change from a "U" to an "L." That is, the economy will decline and then rise at a lower rate rather than bounce back to previous levels.

The two areas that are most vulnerable, according to to Seaquist, are education and health care. He warns that 3,000 to 5,000 teachers could face layoffs at the end of the school year, which makes preparing students to enter the work force especially difficult.

As for health care, Seaquist echoed Sen. Derek Kilmer’s assertion during a similar conference call two weeks ago that the situation is ugly but would be uglier without the promised federal stimulus money.

Seaquist’s call was the third in a series of remote legislative meetings. The meetings were attended by a small group each time, but Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Coreen Haydock Johnson underscored their value and expressed a desire to establish regular early-morning sessions that are either direct meetings with elected officials or focused on single issues.

Even with the small turnout, Johnson feels the meetings are valuable as each attendee reports on the issues through their personal networks. And once the meetings establish a regular schedule they will attract more people.

As a result, the chamber is looking to establish a regular time and place to host the meetings. For more information or to provide input call Johnson, (360) 876-3505

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