Governor's Smart Communities Awards Ceremony (As Written)

June 7, 2006

Governor Gregoire: In my State of the State address back in January, I said that all lawmakers needed to make long-term decisions for the greater good of our state and our families, to avoid partisanship and mudslinging when planning for our collective future, and to see ourselves, �through history�s lens.�

Today, fifteen years after the Growth Management Act, we�re focusing history�s lens on those civic, community, and political leaders who feared a future of uncontrolled sprawl and who had the foresight to say, �No. Washington deserves better.�

Thank goodness for those men and women who exhibited the two virtues we hunger for in our leaders�a long-term vision and the political courage to carry out that vision.

We enjoy an extraordinary quality-of-life in Washington. When I�m traveling around the country or overseas, I�m reminded again and again that the �creative class� and the best of the best gravitate to our region because Washington is such magnificent place to live, work, and raise a family.

But all of us here know that that quality of life is not guaranteed. We maintain it through the hard work of our citizens, our businesses, and our state and local-elected officials who make the tough decisions every day to ensure that we have a healthy, natural environment, a strong, sustainable economy, competitive, high-performing schools, and safe and high-quality communities for all of us to enjoy.

All of this makes Washington competitive in the global economy. And if we eliminate even one of these regional values, we diminish ourselves and our communities.

Comprehensive plans give expression to the values and priorities of our communities. These plans provide a 20-to-50-year vision�a roadmap for how our communities want to look and to function. For rural towns, it may be to preserve and sustain their agricultural heritage, for another, prioritizing downtown redevelopment. It all adds up to a shared vision, tough decisions, and, as we�ll see, partnerships.

I talk quite a bit about my vision for moving Washington forward. And our communities, empowered and farsighted in their planning, are successfully moving their own visions forward.

That�s why I�m proud to establish the Smart Communities� Award to recognize the hard-won accomplishments of these communities. They serve as models for all of us in finding creative, local solutions to meet the needs of residents, businesses, and visitors.

We had a strong field of award contenders, and our judges were put to the test in choosing our six award recipients. The judges I selected are people who were influential in shaping the Growth Management Act, and I would like to thank them again for their help in getting the awards off to such a strong start: Joe King, Senator Mary Margaret Haugen, Busse Nutley, Nan Henricksen, and Dick Ford. Will you all please stand?

Communities large and small are doing great work�from Seattle and its 37-neighborhood plans, to the town of Krupp in Grant County, the state�s smallest town that is planning under the Growth Management Act. My own hometown of Auburn is a Smart Communities� award nominee for its efforts transforming downtown and taking advantage of its commuter-rail station.

As you know, we often hear about controversies surrounding planning for growth. But we also know from our nominees and award recipients that neighbors, farmers, business people, and public officials are not only planning, but also making their plans for vibrant and livable communities a reality.

All of us realize that having clear plans save time and money for folks who want to locate, invest, expand a business, or make small improvements on their home. This creates a sense of certainty in a community�the kind of predictability that was a critical factor in landing the 787 project in Everett.

We know that the Growth Management Act deserves our ongoing attention, making sure that we always look for ways to make it work more effectively. We were successful in making progress this past legislative session, and we will continue to listen and work with our partners to continue that progress.

Together, we honor the spirit and vision of the mothers and fathers of the Growth Management Act by staying true to the spirit and vision of the act itself.

Thank you.


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