News Releases
Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - July 31, 2001
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Locke launches Washington Competitiveness Council

SEATTLE – Launching an initiative to help make Washington state the nation’s leader in business development, Gov. Gary Locke announced the formation of the Washington Competitiveness Council.

The governor made the announcement at an afternoon speech to the Seattle Chamber of Commerce.

“We will do everything in our power to guarantee a thriving, environmentally-sustainable business climate,” Locke said. “With that objective in mind, I am today announcing the launch of the Washington Competitiveness Council.”

Before outlining the council’s goals, Locke noted his administration’s achievements to bolster the state’s infrastructure, reform its tax base, advance the state’s workforce and stimulate Washington’s international competitiveness.

These achievements include:

  • Directing $65 million in federal transportation funds to rural communities through the Rural Economic Vitality program

  • Allowing rural counties to keep a larger portion of the state’s sales and use taxes to fund economic development infrastructure

  • Cutting business and occupation taxes to pre-1993 levels, saving businesses $333 million so far

  • Saving employers and their employees $390 million in industrial insurance premiums through June 30, 2001

  • Working aggressively to expand and promote exports, which increased from less than $29 billion in 1996 to over $40 billion in 1999.

“But all these achievements are not enough,” the governor said. “I believe we can do better.”

“We need to consider granting businesses an exemption from the business-and-occupation tax during start-up,” Locke continued. “We should broaden our current exemption from sales tax on machinery and equipment purchased by manufacturers. We need to develop model legislation that would promote more uniformity among the 37 cities with municipal taxes.”

The Washington Competitiveness Council will:

  • Address business needs with an action agenda, using the October 2000 report from the Alliance for a Competitive Economy as a starting point

  • Improve the public’s understanding of the importance of business competitiveness to the future of Washington’s economy

  • Engage the business community in advancing a competitiveness agenda

  • Strengthen state and local governments’ ability to respond to business community suggestions and to operate with a customer service orientation


Dick Thompson, director of government relations at the University of Washington, will serve as the executive director of the council. Alan Mullaly, president of The Boeing Company, Commercial Airlines Group, Norm Rice, president and chief executive officer of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle, Kerry Killinger, president and chief executive officer of Washington Mutual, Judy Runstad, of counsel at Foster Pepper Shefelman, and Bud Mercer of Mercer Ranchers will serve as co-chairs of the council.

The council will hold five meetings between August and December.

The governor reminded the chamber members that Washington state is a great place to do business and an outstanding place to live and raise a family. He also urged the audience to make Washington the national leader in business development.

“With your help, we will make Washington state number one in business development,” Locke said. “It will require perseverance. It will require that we follow through with the council’s action agenda. It will require that we resolve the maddening impasse on transportation. But the futures of our children and our grandchildren are just too important. We must do it. Failure, frankly, is not an option.”
Related Links:
- Washington Competitiveness Council


» Return to this month's News Releases
» View News Release Archive

Access Washington