Locke urges united effort

Gov. Gary Locke urged state lawmakers Wednesday to focus on the "ingredients for prosperity": water, power, education and transportation.

"As I've said before, 25, 50, 100 years from now, citizens won't remember what parties we belonged to, but rather, what we accomplished," Locke said. "We must put politics aside and get to work. I want us to leave this session proud that we've solved the tough issues."

Standing in a packed state House of Representatives chamber, Locke delivered his annual State of the State address three days into a legislative session that's expected to last at least 105 days. State lawmakers face a host of tough problems this year, many with big price tags attached. Tops on the list: finding $9.6 billion for the state's aging, overcrowded transportation network, and persuading state voters to pay for it.

"We are ordinary people entrusted to do extraordinary things," said Locke. "but all of it is within our ability. We can find solutions."

Spokane-area lawmakers from both parties praised the Democratic governor's vision, although Republicans called for more specifics. On several issues - such as changing certification standards for people wanting to switch careers to teach schoolchildren - Locke sounded a lot like a Republican.

"I think if a Republican governor had stood up and made that speech, talking about alternative certification, you would have heard hisses from the gallery," said Spokane Republican Sen. Jim West.

But Locke, on the eve of his second inaugural ball, took a more stern tone than normal. While joking about his reputation as a weak leader, the governor repeatedly warned lawmakers that he will keep them in Olympia this year until they produce acceptable legislation.

The governor addressed four main points:

Transportation: Washington expects 2 million more vehicles over the next 20 years, Locke said, but has less transportation money than a decade ago.

"Our state's record on transportation has been nothing but a series of fits and starts," he said. "Projects begun but never finished. Solutions presented, then dismissed. Years wasted."

He wants to streamline the construction permit process, expedite projects, and trim the state Department of Transportation. Interstate 90 in Spokane needs widening, he said, decades-old ferries must be replaced, and high-occupancy vehicle lanes are badly needed from Everett to Tacoma. Without such fixes, he said, businesses will flee the state.

"We all campaigned promising transportation improvements," Locke told lawmakers. "Any mention of needing more time to think about this is out of the question."

Education: Locke praised Initiative 728, which shrinks class sizes. But in a move that jolted some lawmakers, he called for rewriting the state's education code by 2004. He said it gets in the way of commonsense solutions - like alternative certification - to the teacher shortage.

"If a Microsoft retiree wants to teach math, she should not have to go back to college for an education degree," said Locke.

He also called for more money for school safety, and pay based on teacher performance.

Water: Echoing a longtime refrain from frustrated Eastern Washington lawmakers, Locke said the state must streamline the process for water permits. It now takes years for the Department of Ecology to approve even a simple permit. The deadlock is strangling badly needed rural growth, he said.

"We must put common sense into our water laws," Locke said. He also called for conservation and water-storage incentives.

Energy: Locke said he will propose tax breaks to encourage cleaner, more diverse power for the state. He also wants to plug more cash into programs to help the poor pay power bills.

Listening lawmakers said they found much to agree with.

"I think it's a good speech for Spokane," said Rep. Jeff Gombosky, a Spokane Democrat. "This is not a governor that's just from Puget Sound. This is a governor that recognizes needs throughout the state."

"I think those are all key (issues) and he had a balance of things that matter to both Eastern and Western Washington, rural and urban," said Sen. Lisa Brown, also a Democrat.

"I think there are a couple of missing pieces," Brown said. "Health care is one." State health care costs are growing at three times the state spending cap, she said.

On the other side of the aisle, Republican lawmakers called for more specifics.

"If the details mirror the proposals accurately, we can do some good things," said Rep. Mark Schoesler, a Ritzville Republican. "But the proof is in the details."

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