Locke Seeks Civic Involvement To Achieve Goals

Gov. Gary Locke called for increased civic involvement to help Washington state achieve its goals during a time of economic prosperity.

The state needs to focus on beefing up education, restoring salmon runs, improving transportation, and decreasing the disparity between the Puget Sound and rural communities, Locke told a crowd of 350 gathered at the Ridpath Hotel for the Spokane Area Convention and Visitors Bureau annual meeting.

“It’s obvious to me real wisdom does not reside in Olympia, but in its people - people who live on both sides of the Cascades,” Locke said.

Playing up his attempts to focus on both sides of the state, Locke drew laughter and applause when he said: “It’s really a pleasure to be here again … and again and again and again. I intend to set a record for the amount of time a governor has spent in Eastern Washington.”

In November, Spokane will become “Capitol for a Day” when Locke brings his entire cabinet to the Lilac City for a day.

Responding to questions from reporters before his speech, Locke also said he’s “willing to look at” state help for a $75 million proposal to expand Spokane’s Convention Center.

Though Washington state has one of the nation’s lowest tourism budgets, Locke said that doesn’t include millions of dollars directed toward tourism through economic development efforts.

The state might be best served, Locke added, by advertising its tourism destinations within its own boundaries, rather than elsewhere.

“There are many parts of Washington state our people have never visited and know little about,” Locke said.

During his speech, Locke said Washington needs to take advantage of its current prosperity by rebuilding citizens’ trust in government, reducing poverty and helping more people enter the economic mainstream.

Recently released test results concerning the state’s fourth-graders were a “sobering wake-up call,” Locke said. Only 21 percent met or exceeded standards in math and fewer than half in reading. Locke called upon the crowd to participate in educating the state’s youth.

Locke also called for increased environmental awareness as the state’s economy grows. All citizens need to know about the importance of salmon runs, he said. Issues such as urban growth, water usage and forest practices all impact the health of threatened fish runs, he said.

Locke also focused on transportation, both here and abroad. Within the next few weeks, Locke, the nation’s first Chinese-American governor, will travel to Japan and China to promote international trade.

But the spotlight needs to shine on transportation issues at home as well, Locke said, calling for improvement of roads and railroads.

Repeating a common theme, Locke said he wants to reduce the economic gap between the Puget Sound and the state’s rural areas. People from rural areas are just as capable and enterprising as their city counterparts, he said.

“Let’s help them join the economic winner’s circle,” he said. “This optimism and confidence has given us a window of opportunity.”

, DataTimes