Plain Talk

about matters of interest in Washington State and, often, elsewhere

January 2007

The statewide government performance audits deriving from Proposition 900 are underway, with results expected by mid-year at latest; but we don't have to wait for them for some insights. The Government Performance Project puts out an extremely detailed nationwide state-by-state report every few years: the most recent is from 2005. The GPP is universally respected as accurate and non-partisan by experts and the states themselves.

In my experience, the citizens of any area seem to divide into two camps, with little ground between them: this is the best place, this is the worst place. So what do the independent experts at GPP say about Washington State?

Overall grade, B+. How does that look nationally? Only two states did better, Utah and Virginia, each at A-, only one tiny notch up. How many did as well? Only three, Minnesota, Michigan, and Delaware. So it looks like the "we're the best" camp has dibs here. We're not the best, but we're awfully close, and in rarefied company.

The more detailed breakdowns for Washington are also interesting: Money, A-; People, B+; Infrastructure, B; and Information, A-. The GPP noted no major weaknesses, and these major strengths: long-term financial planning, the nature of budget process, financial controls and reporting, government hiring and personnel training, intergovernmental coordination, and electronic government (and there were other points).

The report notes that much credit for the state's current good condition goes to former governor Gary Locke. It quotes Richard Davis, president of the Washington Research Council: "It was said that this was a guy whose idea of a nice weekend was fixing the plumbing in a friend's house. To a certain extent, his eight years in office were fixing the plumbing."

Plumbing ain't sexy, and there were and are state governors with much fatter national reputations than Locke ever had; but, as the Report notes, "officials in other states are certainly paying close attention" to what Locke did and how. However gorgeous the house, if the plumbing leaks, brother, you got big problems.

Also worth considering is the report's caution to other states thinking of imitating Locke's success: Washington's success was "contingent on sufficiently strong managerial capacity." In other words, it takes both brains and guts to pull off.

Within Washington, one hears all sorts of groans and moans, typically quite partisan, about our state government. (One also hears groans about taxes, but that's another topic for another day.) But when disinterested experts look at Washington, they see a model for the rest of the nation. Make of that what you will.

The general feeling is that Chris Gregoire's administration is in many ways a continuation of Locke's: careful attention to managerial detail and the courage of her convictions. It will be interesting to see what the next report, due February 2008, will be saying.

Plain Talk is a more or less monthly feature carried in the weekly Ritzville Adams County Journal.