Washingtonians Getting Results from State Government

For Immediate Release: November 1, 2007

Governor receives national recognition as a �Public Official of the Year� by Governing Magazine

OLYMPIA � Governor Chris Gregoire has led a �bold experiment in open management� of Washington state government, according to Governing Magazine, which this week named her a �Public Official of the Year.�

In its November edition, which features a photo of the governor on the cover, the magazine said, �The list of her accomplishments would be the envy of any governor, ranging from budget surpluses to ambitious education and economic development initiatives to the resolution of some of the state's longest running legislative battles�She also runs one of the most open state governments in the country.�

Governor Gregoire, one of nine public officials in the country to be recognized, credited the award to her commitment to the idea that government should be accountable, open and accessible to citizens.

�The most exciting aspect of the award is that it means Washington citizens are seeing results that matter from their state government,� she said. �I am honored and humbled by the recognition that Washingtonians are being well-served. But the best measure of our success is whether we are getting the results our citizens expect and deserve.�

The governor cited several examples:

• The state is responding faster to reports of child abuse and neglect, and as a result fewer children are being re-victimized;
  
• Error rates on tax returns and food stamp benefits are among the lowest in the country, and the state is a national leader in providing key services online;
  
• Fewer workplace injuries and claims helped enable the state to declare a six-month �rate holiday� this year on payments by employers and workers into the workers� compensation medical fund; and
  
• Service improvements reduced the �on-hold� waiting time by more than 60 percent since 2006 for callers to two state Medicaid telephone hotlines.

These and other positive results are tracked by the governor and her cabinet agency leaders through the Government Management Accountability & Performance (GMAP) program, which was specifically cited by the magazine.

The accountability program focuses on high-priority issues like health care, economic development and transportation and �includes regular meetings featuring frank discussion among top state staff about various agencies' performance. The meetings are open to the public and the press,� Governing said.

Business and public policy leaders commended Washington on the award.

Steve Reynolds, CEO of Puget Sound Energy, said, �Governor Gregoire has made management of her organization a top priority, along with strategic investments in important policy areas like education, trade development, health care, energy and the environment. She understands how to lead Washington to focus on citizens� top priorities, take action to improve performance, get results and communicate to citizens what they get for their tax dollars. Governor Gregoire is an exceptional leader and a perfect example of what all public officials should aspire to be.�

Jason Mercier, director of the Center for Government Reform at the Washington Policy Center, said, �The GMAP initiative is an important step on the path to focusing government on delivering the results taxpayers expect. Agencies are starting to rethink what they are doing and focusing on those strategies that maximize results. Taxpayers don�t want the governor to be an advocate for agencies, but instead to be an active manager of government�s activities.�

Governing also highlighted Gregoire�s �negotiator-in-chief� approach to resolving conflicts on such difficult issues as medical malpractice and management of Columbia River water. The magazine added that �shouldn�t have come as any surprise,� given the governor�s earlier successes on Hanford nuclear facility cleanup and as a lead negotiator on the national tobacco settlement.

Governor Gregoire is scheduled to accept the award on behalf of Washington at a ceremony Nov. 7 in Washington, D.C.

Governing Magazine is the nation�s leading periodical analyzing state and local government.

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