Speeches

Governor Gary Locke’s Remarks
OFM Recognition Breakfast
May 7, 2003


Good morning. I am very pleased to be here.

A good breakfast is the foundation for a productive day. OFM is the foundation for productive state government. The breakfast metaphor only goes so far, however. There’s a lot of waffling and scrambling in state government that has nothing to do with OFM.

I just wanted to thank all of you for your hard work and dedication. This year’s budget exercise was probably as difficult and demanding and controversial as any we’ve been through. I’m sure there were times when the “Priorities of Government” felt more like the “Pain of Government.”

But the resulting budget proposal reflects the realities of these tough economic times. And through this budget exercise, thanks to your efforts and dedication, we changed out state’s focus. We identified the things that matter most to our citizens.

This was a much needed sharpening of focus for our state. It framed the budget debate. This was a direct result of your tireless efforts in preparing the executive budget proposal.

Throughout this demanding session, OFM has been there for the Legislature, for the state agencies, and for my office. We absolutely rely on your fiscal policy analyses and services. We would be lost without you. And we will continue to rely on you in the special session.

Sometimes you may lose sight of just how critical your work is to our state government. Coming to work every day and getting caught up in the details and stress can wear you down. That’s why events like this are so important.

I want to make one thing emphatically clear to you this morning: what you do each day makes a big difference to the people of Washington. And I deeply appreciate what you do. I’m very proud of OFM. Our state government could not be effective without your commitment and expertise. We need you.

Marty will be presenting awards in a moment. I am amazed by the years of service many of you have accumulated. There are 15 of you being recognized for 30 years of service or more. That’s almost 500 years of experience among just that group of 15.

You bring invaluable collective wisdom and perspective to OFM. You are a firm anchor for OFM and state government.

Congratulations to all of today’s award winners. Thanks to every one of you for a “job well done.” Keep up the good work!


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