Speeches

Governor Gary Locke’s Remarks
Weekly News Conference—Action Washington Launch
June 4, 2003


Good morning. Thank you for coming.

Garfield H.S. Pep Band

Today I will be joined on the program by:

·Representative Jeff Morris, D-Anacortes
·Sen. Bill Finkbeiner, R-Kirkland
·Ron Sims, King County Executive, and Member, Washington Competitiveness Council
·Mayor Greg Nickels, City of Seattle, and Member, Washington Competitiveness Council
·Judy Runstad, Co-chair, Washington Competitiveness Council, and Chair, Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce
·Mark Blondin, President, IAM 751 (Machinists Union)
·Phil Bussey, President, Washington Roundtable
·Don Brunnell, President, Association of Washington Business (AWB)
·Charles Bofferding, Pres. SPEEA

We also have with us some important guests. I would like to acknowledge:

·Dick Thompson, Executive Director, Washington Competitiveness Council, and Director of Government Relations, University of Washington
·Rep. Of Congressional Delegation Jim Kastama Skip Priest
·Many other members of the Competitiveness Council, or their representatives
·Wendy Holden, Deputy Director, Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development State and local lawmakers, port and EDC officials present

We are here this morning to launch Action Washington.

Action Washington is our statewide, bipartisan effort to win the Boeing 7E7 final assembly work for our state.

Action Washington unites people from across our state to work together for the 7E7. Let’s keep those final assembly and supplier jobs in Washington. And let’s make the 7E7 the most successful Boeing jetliner ever built.

We want Boeing and our other great companies to stay here. We also want to attract new companies to Wash. Washington is changing to become an even stronger business partner for Boeing and other companies.

This is plainly evident in how we’ve handled the recommendations of the Washington Competitiveness Council. Extraordinary effort has led to extraordinary results.

We have enacted virtually all of the Council’s key recommendations. Our competitiveness scorecard is impressive. It includes 32 bills passed by the Legislature this session that I have now signed into law, including:

·Transportation improvement funding
·Simplified municipal B&O taxation & elimination of double taxation of same activity by multiple cities
·Incentives for biodiesel fuels
·Establishment of the Office of Regulatory Assistance within Office of the Governor
·A multi-agency development of integrated permit system
·Consolidation of permit appeals process for complex projects.
·Greater tuition-setting authority for universities
·Economic Development Commission established by statute.

We continue to improve our business climate.

Through Action Washington, we are intensifying our efforts. We’re championing legislative action on key Boeing criteria. We are focusing on worker’s compensation, unemployment insurance costs, worker training, education and regulatory certainty.

We’re working hard to help Boeing reduce costs and improve its competitive position. Our actions are sending a clear message: “Choose Washington.”

I have here letters from all across our state, from groups and individual’s urging Boeing to choose Washington. We will deliver these letters to Boeing.

I also invite you to visit the Action Washington Website at: www.actionwashington.com.

Action Washington is an unprecedented alliance. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. We’re here with one common purpose—we are determined to help our state succeed.

Thank you Senator Finkbeiner. And now let’s hear from King County Executive Ron Sims . . .

Thank you, County Executive Sims. Next up is Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels . . .

Thank you, Mayor Nickels, Jeff Morris and Bill Finkbeiner. Next we’ll hear from Judy Runstad, the Co-chair of the Washington Competitiveness Council, and the Chair of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce . . . .

Thank you, Chair Runstad. Next, here’s Mark Blondin, President, IAM 751, the Machinists Union . . .

Thank you, Mr. Blondin and Charles Bofferding Pres. SPEEA. Now we’ll hear from the President of the Washington Roundtable, Phil Bussey . . .

Thank you, Mr. Bussey. And last but not least, here is Don Brunell, the President of the Association of Washington Business . . .

Thank you, Mr. Brunnell, and thanks again to all our speakers this morning.

We stand together in this cause.

And together, we will succeed.

Together, we will help Boeing effectively tackle the competitive challenges of 21st century commercial aerospace.

Together, we will help Boeing win in the marketplace against Airbus, despite the heavy government subsidies of Airbus.

Together, we will help Boeing build the 7E7 in the best possible location—right here in Washington.

Thank you. Now we’ll take your questions.





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