OPINION: Gov. Bob Ferguson signals a return to common sense

This editorial was published in The Seattle Times.

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Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson seemed to sing music to the ears of Republicans in his inaugural address Wednesday, while angering the more progressive members within his own party. In truth, his speech was a return to common sense: policy that is good for Washington can come from either side of the aisle.

“Let us listen to one another, without consideration for party, so that the strongest argument prevails,” the new governor said.

This welcome pragmatism from Ferguson’s first few days in office is a pursuit of a new political center of gravity, one that drifted leftward throughout the tenure of his predecessor, Gov. Jay Inslee. But it’s not really novel. It’s a return to efficacy regardless of party ideology as the chief desire of state policymakers, in the tradition of Democrats Christine Gregoire (2005-13) and Gary Locke (1997-2005), the latter of whom watched Ferguson’s speech from the gallery.

“I’m not here to defend government,” Ferguson said. “I’m here to reform it.”

To give concrete examples, Ferguson named nine lawmakers — five Democrats and four Republicans — whose policies he supports. Included was a proposal by Rep. Sharlett Mena, D-Tacoma, to stand up to incoming President Donald Trump by not allowing National Guard troops from other states here without state permission. Also in his remarks was a campaign promise — and longtime Republican goal, advanced by Sen. Jeff Holy, R-Cheney — of $100 million in additional funding for law enforcement. Singling out Senate Republican Leader John Braun, of Centralia, Ferguson expressed a willingness to amend the governor’s emergency powers, which the state GOP frequently criticized during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This legislative session will be dominated by a $12 billion to $16 billion budget deficit of Inslee and the Democratic-dominated Legislature’s own making. Rising revenues have simply not kept pace with all that lawmakers have wanted to spend. Ferguson, in contrast to Inslee, will be combing the budget for cuts and efficiencies, with any new taxes, he says, as only a last resort.

To back his words on the rostrum, Ferguson pushed three worthy executive orders out of the gates: a doubling down of the “robust legal protections” for reproductive health; and directing state agencies to streamline or eliminate housing permitting to “speed up government” and help alleviate the housing crisis.

A caveat to all of this is that it’s early: Ferguson is only in his second week on the job. How he actually approaches the budget and policy could change throughout the 105-day session. But he’s a politician who has a track record of sticking to his promises. Here’s hoping he continues to do so, for the betterment of Washington.

TNS