After dropping his paperwork off at the Secretary of State’s office in Olympia, Inslee joined dozens of supporters on the Capitol steps who came to hear his vision and plan to build a new economy and return Washington to the forefront of innovation and job creation. He was introduced by Ranen Casto, a wounded Army veteran who found work through the Helmets to Hardhats program. 

“I am committed to bringing fresh ideas to Olympia,” Inslee told supporters. “I’m running for governor because I believe in what Washington is, and I have a vision for what Washington can be. We are going to look forward to new opportunity, and we won’t waste time re-fighting old battles. We are going to embrace our strengths, and take advantage of emerging industries like clean energy and biotechnology.”

Inslee, who first kicked off his campaign last June, has a fundraising advantage over McKenna and has raised more than $5.3 million to date. He also successfully cleared the Democratic field of potential primary challengers. Inslee served in the state Legislature from 1989-1992 while living in the Yakima Valley before going on to serve in Congress in the 4^th and 1^st Congressional Districts. He is the only candidate in the race who has worked and represented communities from both sides of the Cascades.

“Jay understands jobs, especially the innovative kinds of jobs that Washington can be a leader in,” said Casto in his introductory remarks. “From clean energy to aerospace to agriculture, Jay Inslee has worked for years in Congress to help these industries grown and he wants to bring that experience home to grow those jobs right here in Washington State. Jay’s plan even includes ideas for helping veterans like me find training, and transition back into civilian life. We need Jay’s experience, and we need his vision. We need Jay to be our next governor!”

“We've got the momentum in this race and we're not stopping. We're gearing up for the most competitive governor's race in the country and thanks to our growing number of supporters we will be ready,” said Joby Shimomura, Inslee’s campaign manager.

“Jay is the kind of leader we need to stand up for working families in these difficult times,” said Local 29 President Mark Vietzke. “The Spokane fire fighters are proud to support Jay and join him in rebuilding Washington's middle class.”

Inslee, who worked as a prosecutor in the Yakima Valley for nearly 20 years and served in the state Legislature and Congress during that time, said the support of the Spokane fire fighters reflects a shared commitment to improving the safety of communities and advocating for working families across both sides of the state.

“As someone who worked for many years to make our communities safer, I have tremendous respect for the men and women who put on their uniforms every day to do the same,” said Inslee. “We are in this together, and together we’ll rebuild our economy, put people back to work and keep our state moving forward.”

Inslee has also been endorsed by the Washington State Council of Fire Fighters.

Democratic candidate for governor, Jay Inslee, says it’s time to drop the costly litigation and let the region move forward.

“Link Light rail is a regional priority, approved by voters, as part of a statewide transportation system that is integral to our economic future,” said Inslee. “As the majority of businesses throughout the region have made clear, we need to move forward with transportation projects, not second guess, or question with additional public votes and ongoing litigation. Armchair engineers like Rob McKenna and Kemper Freeman have other ideas, repeating tired arguments and causing disruptions that waste money, postpone job growth and keep our freeways clogged. Freeman should drop the lawsuit and let the region move forward.”

Republican Rob McKenna, who has received thousands in contributions from Freeman, made headlines for his ongoing criticism of light rail, recently telling the Eastside Transportation Association that “you know that I am a deep, deep skeptic of bringing light rail across I-90” and “the only way out… I can see on that is having a public vote.” He then appeared on KUOW a few days later questioning the “common sense” of the plan’s engineering.

“Perhaps Kemper Freeman was emboldened by McKenna’s comments and determined that a public vote may not be the only way to stop this project,” remarked Jaime Smith, Inslee’s press secretary. “If he can keep this project tied up in litigation in the hopes McKenna is elected, he thinks McKenna will direct WSDOT to create unnecessary delays and obstacles. The public has already made its decision and it’s time for both McKenna and Kemper Freeman to stop standing in the way of progress.”

“There is incredible potential in our maritime sector, and with more than 280,000 people still out of work in Washington, your businesses will play a critical role in putting them back to work,” Inslee said.

Inslee, whose work in Congress included helping pass legislation to rationalize fisheries and expand shipping opportunities at river ports, outlined a range of maritime proposals including strengthening workforce training efforts, helping more maritime businesses contract with Washington’s military installations, expanding markets for commercial fishing companies, and encouraging local construction of maritime vessels.

“I am excited to see that we have a gubernatorial candidate who has an actual jobs plan for the maritime industry,” said Darrell Bryan, President and CEO of Clipper Vacations. “Inslee’s plan is the sort of comprehensive set of policies that our state needs to compete, and it is this kind of vision that should make Inslee our industry’s choice for governor.”

Inslee’s maritime proposals are the latest in a series of economic development plans to boost Washington’s key industries – aerospace, agriculture, life sciences, military, clean energy technology and information technology. His full plan is available online.

"The good news is, you're going to have a governor who's been totally focused on primary care ... and increased reimbursement for primary care doctors," Inslee told Dr. Lloyd Butler, university president, during a tour of the College of Osteopathic Medicine in Terrace Heights. "We're trying to inspire more people to go into that profession and make sure they're compensated."

Inslee was in the Tri-Cities on Monday morning before stopping at PNWU in the afternoon as part of a campaign trip to Central Washington, where he has ties.

The former congressman from Bainbridge Island lived in Selah and represented the 14th Legislative District followed by the 4th Congressional District for a single term until he was ousted by Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Pasco, in 1994. He is running against state Attorney General Rob McKenna, who is seeking to become the state's first Republican governor in three decades.

On Monday, Inslee discussed job growth as key to his plan for improving the state economy.

"I think the required experience (as governor) is in job creation. And particularly in Central Washington, since I lived here for almost two decades, I have a full understanding of how this economy ticks and how to grow it," he said.

Inslee recently veered from the stance of many state Democrats, including Gov. Chris Gregoire, on education funding. He said job creation and greater government efficiency are the best ways to find more money for education, not increased taxes or new revenue sources.

Funding for education is of particular interest to property-poor school districts in the Valley who depend on state levy equalization money to pay for basic programs. Inslee says his time spent living on both sides of the state makes him more sensitive to those needs.

"I'm totally committed to quality education for every child," whether they live in a poor district or in Mercer Island, he said.

McKenna has also toured the medical school. In August, he spoke to students about his arguments against the Affordable Care Act.

Whatever the Supreme Court rules on the health care reform legislation will greatly affect access to health care, and McKenna is already planning on how to work with any new developments in the law, said his communications director, Charles McCray.

Education is another focal point of McKenna's campaign, particularly as a means to turn out enough skilled workers to fill open jobs in the state, McCray said.

In McKenna, Inslee faces an opponent who's well-known to voters as the head of the Attorney General's office. But Inslee says that kind of executive experience isn't the only factor in determining success as a governor.

"Previous experience of that nature has just not proved a good indicator of success," he said. Instead, he says voters should focus on experience, including what he cited as his work to help Boeing secure the tanker contract for the Air Force last year.

"I'm the person with the experience on how to create jobs," he said.

On Monday, Inslee toured Delta High School in Richland and also met with the Herald to discuss the Mid-Columbia's role in energy production, Hanford environmental cleanup and the Washington State Energy Independence Act, which requires utilities to purchase renewable energy.

The Tri-Cities already is a hub for the state's energy production with 40 percent of the state's electricity produced within 100 miles. That includes 100 percent of the state's wind power generation.

Inslee, who cowrote Apollo's Fire: Igniting America's Clean Energy Economy in 2009, sees potential for the area also to be the nucleus for the next phase of clean energy production.

"What the world needs, the Tri-Cities can offer," Inslee said.

He is proposing creating an Advanced Sustainable Biofuels Center of Excellence led by Washington State University to work as a partner with industry and government to help develop biofuels from research to commercial scale production.

"The sky's the limit when it comes to biofuel, particularly aeronautics," he said.

Before resigning his First Congressional District seat to focus on the campaign, he worked for military use of biofuels and continues to promote the growth of camelina, sometimes called false flax, in the Mid-Columbia. Camelina blends have been used in aircraft field tests and demonstrations, including F-16 fighter jets.

Jobs would be created for farmers growing crops, truckers hauling it and technicians refining it, he said in his jobs plan.

He also supports increased development of wind power, solar power, hydropower and research to continue to develop small modular nuclear reactors as a more economical alternative to traditional nuclear power.

The Energy Independence Act, enacted after state voters approved Initiative 937 in 2006, has been a huge economic benefit to Eastern Washington, he said. It has generated $7 billion in new investments statewide, he said.

In Benton County, $162 million has been invested in wind energy jobs, creating 81 construction jobs and 12 operating jobs, according to the Renewable Northwest Project, a study he cited. In tiny Columbia County, $514 million has been invested in wind energy, creating 480 construction jobs and 18 operating jobs.

The initiative was not popular in the Mid-Columbia, however, with 66 percent of Benton and Franklin county voters opposing it. The Benton and Franklin county public utility districts have pushed legislation saying that utilities like Benton County that already have ample energy supplies under contract should not be required to buy additional unneeded and more expensive energy to meet the law's requirements.

The law requires utilities with 25,000 customers, which Franklin PUD is just short of now, to meet 3 percent of its load in 2012 and 15 percent in 2020 with renewable energy projects. Hydropower cannot be counted toward that total.

Inslee said he hopes a solution can be found to the problem of utilities buying unneeded power.

He would be supportive of making some hydropower eligible for the act's requirements, including efficiency improvements in dams and turbines and "low impact" hydropower production. In low impact hydropower production, electricity is created with turbines placed in rivers or canals rather than building dams that can affect fish. A Seattle company is demonstrating low impact hydro in the Roza Canal north of Selah.

On the issue of Hanford environmental cleanup, Inslee said he's concerned about proposed budgets for the Hanford vitrification plant and a lack of decision on how to treat at least half of the low-activity radioactive waste now held in underground tanks that the vitrification plant was not planned to treat.

Hanford contractor Bechtel National has been told to develop a proposed new cost and schedule for the vitrification plant that would be based on a $690 million annual budget. That could put at risk court-enforced deadlines won by the state for the plant to start operating in 2019. Workers now are being laid off on the project under a current $740 million annual budget, which is down from $840 million that President Obama had requested for this year.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jay Inslee stood before more than 100 firefighters on Tuesday in Vancouver’s Esther Short Park to receive an endorsement from the state’s firefighters union and the International Association of Firefighters.

Inslee expressed strong support for protecting the firefighters union’s collective bargaining rights, emphasized his blue-collar past and said he is dedicated to fighting for middle class workers.

“We don’t win collective bargaining rights by being mild-mannered,” Inslee told the crowd.

Following Inslee’s speech in the park, the candidate for governor attended lunch at the Hilton Vancouver Washington with the firefighters. From there, he toured the Pacific Coast Shredding scrap metal recycling facility in Vancouver.

During the lunch, notable firefighters spoke in support of Inslee.

“(Gov. Chris) Gregoire has been a big champion for firefighters, and I know Jay Inslee will be right there with us,” firefighter and state Rep. Kevin Van De Wege, D-Sequim, told the group.

Earlier in the day, Kelly Fox, Olympia firefighter and president of the Washington State Council of Firefighters, said the statewide firefighters union has noticed Inslee’s ability to work with Republicans to accomplish goals. Fox added that the state needs a leader whose life has been “framed by working as a blue-collar worker.”

Inslee has been a lawmaker in the state House of Representative and in the U.S. House of Representatives. When he was younger, he worked some construction jobs, which included painting houses and driving a bulldozer. He’s also worked as a prosecuting attorney.

While sitting around the lunch table with firefighters, Inslee told the group that “we’re in a competitive race.” He said he sees their endorsement as a way to get his campaign out ahead of that of his Republican rival, state Attorney General Rob McKenna. The two have been close in recent polls.

Inslee is also endorsed by the Washington Education Association, the Washington State Labor Council, the League of Conservation Voters, the Sierra Club, and NARAL Pro-Choice America, a pro-abortion group. Inslee is scheduled to receive an endorsement from Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest today.

During his Vancouver visit, Inslee called the Columbia River Crossing project to replace the Interstate 5 Bridge a national issue.

“It’s absolutely imperative that we move forward” with the project, he said. When it comes

to paying for light rail and putting tolls on the bridge, Inslee said he would like to move forward with a plan that has broad approval from citizens, but he added that, “one way or another, it has to be funded.”

At Inslee’s tour of Pacific Coast Shredding on Tuesday afternoon, the candidate met up with Southwest Washington Democrats, including state Rep. Tim Probst of Vancouver, state Senate candidate Annette Cleveland and Clark County Commissioner candidate Joe Tanner. Inslee also spoke with Ralph Miller of Portland-based Metro Metals Northwest Inc., which is the parent company of Pacific Coast Shredding.

Miller told Inslee that there needs to be better cooperation between state government and the private sector.

“I believe the private sector makes jobs,” Miller said. “I don’t think (regulatory agencies) care as much about the jobs we create.”

Miller also told Inslee that Gregoire is the only politician he still donates to.

“She visited the yard,” Miller said. “She really helped us to solve the issues in a manageable way. And I never forgot that.”

Inslee said he wanted to visit the Pacific Coast Shredding facility because it’s a combination of two things he loves: exports and recycling. The amount of exporting the company does helps the economy, and recycling metal is more energy efficient than smelting metal from virgin ores.

“They are part of the new way of doing business,” Inslee said.

At a Vancouver gathering with hundreds of Washington fire fighters, the Washington State Council of Fire Fighters announced their support for Democratic candidate for governor, Jay Inslee.

The WSCFF represents more than 8,000 members. Kelly Fox, President of WSCFF, says Inslee is the only candidate with an unwavering commitment to fighting for Washington’s working families.

“Jay has shown time and again that he will stand up for the rights of workers and will not allow the attacks we’re seeing on working families in places like Wisconsin gain ground here in Washington,” says Fox. “We need a governor who will fight for middle-class families and that governor will be Jay Inslee.”

Inslee joined WSCFF members who were in Vancouver today for their annual educational seminar. Inslee praised the fire fighters for their public service and thanked them for their support.

“Washington’s fire fighters take on difficult, dangerous challenges every day. Their commitment to serving the people in our communities is truly commendable,” said Inslee. “Their support and their help in this race will make a tremendous difference. We’re in this fight together and I know that together we can win.”

"It’s a real plan. He put a stake in the ground on a meaningful teacher and principal evaluation system, making them significant factor in management decisions. And he put a focus on innovation and accountability.” - Lisa McFarlane, Democrats for Education Reform

“Jay Inslee today released an education policy that clearly shows he respects and listens to the voice of educators. Jay understands sustained job growth and a vibrant economy for our state is dependent on a robust public education system. " - Mary Lindquist, WEA President

You can read Jay’s plan here.

Jolt: Inslee Brings Together Union and Reformers

Publicola

Inslee pulled off an impressive feat today. High-profile representatives from both sides of the heated education debate—the state’s teachers’ union leader Mary Lindquist and her rival, longtime reformer Lisa Macfarlane (formerly the senior policy director at the League of Education Voters and now the head of Democrats for Education Reform) —were on hand to applaud Inslee’s speech at Renton’s Talbot Hill Elementary where he unveiled his education plan.

Inslee unveils education plan

Seattle Times

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jay Inslee proposed an expanded fleet of specialty "innovation schools" and prioritizing early learning in an education plan he rolled out on Thursday. Inslee's plan was more fiscally restrained than that of his Republican opponent, Rob McKenna, who has proposed a multibillion-dollar, longterm re-orientation of the state budget toward public education.

Inslee wants new state dollars to go to education

Associated Press

Inslee said the center of his plan is improving the economy and creating jobs, because without new dollars coming into the state, there won't be more money for education. He criticized McKenna for trying to pay for education reform without new money. "My opponent has not been honest with Washingtonians," Inslee said. "It (money) can't come from thin air."

Inslee Announces Plan to Fund Full-Day Kindergarten and Expand Access to Early Learning

SLOG

…Inslee announced plans to phase in funding for full-day kindergarten, to provide early learning to all ECEAP-eligible 3- and 4-year-olds, and to expand the "Innovative Schools" program like that in place at Renton's Talbot Hill Elementary School where he spoke.

Inslee: ‘Rebuild public education’ by starting early

Seattle PI

Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Jay Inslee promised to “rebuild our public education system” on Thursday, offering a limited program that could be summed up in two words:  Learn early!

Candidate Inslee calls for innovation in unveiling school plan in Renton

Renton Reporter

Using Renton's award-winning Talbot Hill Elementary School as his backdrop, Jay Inslee, Democratic contender for governor, said Thursday he would make schools and children's futures the No. 1 priority as governor.

For immediate release: Monday, March 26, 2012

Washington – Citing Jay Inslee's leadership advocating policies that benefit Washington's working families, five SEIU local unions representing nearly 100,000 members announced their support today for Jay Inslee for governor of Washington state.

"When it comes to healthcare, Jay puts people first," said Vicki Neumeier, RN, and member of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW. "He spoke out against the multi-million dollar tax breaks Wall Street banks receive even as our patients lose access to care, and that's the kind of leadership our patients are counting on. We need a governor who stands with patients, not Wall Street profits."

"Our next governor must ensure that all Washingtonians, from their earliest years through college, can get the education they need for success," said Kathy Yasi, a family childcare provider and member of SEIU 925. "We need a leader who will work for the 99% and stand with hard working families. Jay Inslee is the only candidate in this race with the proven experience we need to create jobs, ensure a strong public education system and create a Washington where we all can support our families."

"Jay Inslee has long supported quality in-home care for seniors and people with disabilities—that means a lot to me," said Denese Wallace, a home care worker and member of SEIU Healthcare 775NW. "He's working to rebuild our middle class, create jobs, and lift workers out of poverty by fighting for real career pathways and workforce training."

"We need a governor that respects a worker's right to organize," said Charles Pannell, a janitor and member of SEIU Property Services 6NW. "Jay Inslee supports workers' efforts in Washington State to make every job a good job."

SEIU has a long history of endorsing both Republican and Democratic pro-worker candidates. Rob McKenna and Jay Inslee were both invited to compete for the endorsement of SEIU locals through candidate interviews, questionnaires and meeting with rank and file members including childcare providers, nurses, healthcare workers, nursing home and home care workers, public school and higher education employees, and janitors.

SEIU locals expressed disappointment that Rob McKenna chose not to participate in the endorsement process or complete a candidate questionnaire.

These SEIU locals represent 100,000 Washington state workers in health care, public services, and property services. SEIU is the nation's largest and fastest growing union and represents over 2 million members nationwide.

###
SEIU Locals endorsing Jay Inslee include:

SEIU Local 6 – representing 3,500 janitors and security guards in central Puget Sound and Spokane
SEIU Local 49 – representing 1,200 health care workers in Southwest Washington
SEIU Healthcare 775NW – representing 43,000 home care and nursing home workers statewide
SEIU 925 – representing 23,000 education and child care workers statewide
SEIU Healthcare 1199NW – representing 22,000 nurses, healthcare workers, mental health, and state employees statewide

###
For more information:

SEIU Healthcare 775NW: Adam Glickman, 206-295-9613
SEIU Local 925: Sudha Nandagopal, 206-659-5079
SEIU Healthcare 1199NW: Linnae Riesen, 425-306-2061

Jay Inslee’s statement regarding the Friday deadline for the state to appeal a recent federal court ruling that would allow pharmacists with religious objections to refuse to carry or dispense Plan B emergency contraception.

“With Friday’s deadline coming fast, it’s important the state quickly pursue an appeal to the recent court ruling that would allow pharmacists the right to deny Plan B to women in crisis. We’ve recently seen an alarming movement – both around the nation and here at home – to undermine a wide range of women’s family planning and reproductive care services. Whether it’s protecting funding for family planning or fighting to maintain access to emergency contraception, women need to know our state leaders won’t let Washington slide backwards when it comes to their health and their rights.”

Thurston County Superior Court Judge Thomas McPhee today ruled in favor of marriage equality proponents who were challenging the biased language in a ballot title drafted by Republican Attorney General Rob McKenna.

Democratic candidate for governor Jay Inslee issued the following statement in response to today's ruling:

"I applaud the Judge's decision to remove Rob McKenna's politically charged language from the ballot title. It's unfortunate that it took a Judge to stop Rob McKenna from playing politics with marriage. Washington is a forward-thinking, fair-minded state. Granting equality to all will bring fairness to the state of Washington. I believe this is a value worth fighting for."

Jay Inslee's decision to resign his 1st Congressional District seat to devote his full attention to the race for governor serves the best interests of Washington voters. 

That's not an endorsement of his candidacy. Far from it. The likely matchup between Democrat Inslee and Republican Attorney General Rob McKenna represents a pivotal moment in our state's history, and a foundational debate over priorities that we hope most voters will follow closely before making up their minds.

The full-fledged debate Washington needs wasn't as likely if one of the candidates was working a continent away. 

So Inslee announced Saturday that he'll resign his House seat effective next Tuesday. Having occurred after a key deadline, his decision won't trigger a costly special election to replace him for the remainder of his term. Instead, the seat will remain empty until the November election is certified on Dec. 6. Inslee's offices in Shoreline, Poulsbo and Washington, D.C., will remain open, and staff will continue to address constituent needs.

As to missing votes in the House, few if any crucial ones remain this year. This is a Congress that has given new meaning to dysfunction, anyway.

Now the likely gubernatorial finalists can engage in a robust campaign of ideas. The current budget battle in Olympia provides a meaningful template.

Most importantly, voters need to hear how the candidates favor strengthening education at all levels, and specifically how they would pay for it.

Both must put forth a workable plan for funding the state's transportation infrastructure, including transit.

They must detail their priorities for addressing the state's social service needs; especially how they would protect the most vulnerable citizens. 

They also need to put forth a vision for state-employee compensation plans that are fair and sustainable for workers and taxpayers, and air their views about the state's tax structure.

McKenna may be the GOP's most viable candidate since the last Republican to occupy the governor's mansion -- John Spellman, who was elected to his only term way back in 1980, the same year Ronald Reagan first won the presidency. McKenna enjoys broad name familiarity, having won statewide office twice before. Inslee no doubt concluded that he couldn't make up much of that gap without being here. 

Now both candidates will be front and center for a campaign with the potential to be a major turning point in our state's history.

That is as it should be.

Jay Inslee’s latest fundraising reports show the Democratic candidate for governor is widening his lead over his opponent. Inslee, who led last month in fundraising as well, raised $460,729 in February, bringing his total raised to $4.25 million with $2.44 million cash-on-hand. Republican opponent Rob McKenna reported $2.03 million cash-on-hand with $3.74 million total raised.

“We’re proud to have the support of the nearly 20,000 people who believe in Jay’s vision for Washington, and with Jay coming home to focus full time on his race we’re excited about the months ahead,” said Joby Shimomura, Inslee’s campaign manager. “Our numbers are strong, our team is growing and we’re talking to more voters than ever."

Through the course of more than 20 years working on behalf of Washington State, including more than a decade in Congress, Jay Inslee has never forgotten where he came from. A son of the Pacific Northwest, Jay has been a champion of our natural resources while pushing for new sources of clean energy. Jay has supported new frontiers in technology, and worked to increase fairness in our nation’s health care system. While Jay’s voice in Congress will be missed, I know he will continue his dedicated service to the people of Washington State. Michelle and I wish him and his family well in the future.

Democratic candidate for governor, Jay Inslee, today announced that he will step down from his seat in Congress to focus full time on his campaign and talking to voters about rebuilding Washington’s economy and creating jobs for the nearly 300,000 people still out of work.

“I am excited about focusing full-time on talking about my job-creation agenda and building a new economy for Washington state,” Inslee told a group of supporters at his campaign headquarters today. “We have a great chance to seize our own destiny, build our own industries, and create our own technological revolutions right here at home.”

“I am not one for half measures or half-hearted efforts,” continued Inslee. “I am going to leave everything on the field. I am going everywhere and I am going to listen to everybody. If you have an idea, I want to hear it. If you have a problem, I want to know it. If you have a business, I want to help you grow it. I am all in.”

Inslee, who is currently leading in fundraising and running neck-in-neck with his opponent based on recent polls, said he made the decision very recently after watching the GOP presidential nominees visiting Washington with what Inslee described as a “divisive social issues agenda” and then seeing state Republicans offer budget proposals that slashed education funding.

“It was a difficult decision, but what I need to do right now is focus all my attention on talking to people about what’s really important – creating jobs and growing our economy,” said Inslee.

Inslee’s resignation is effective March 20.

Gubernatorial candidate and Congressman Jay Inslee, D-1st District, recently released a jobs plan to train more skilled workers for Washington state’s growing aerospace industry.

Rep. Inslee discussed his ideas on Feb. 22 during a visit to the Washington Aerospace Training & Research Center (WATR) in South Everett.

The WATR, located at Paine Field, is one of the keys to bringing a new workforce to aerospace.

“We have a huge challenge,” Inslee said. “How are we going to keep the Washington spirit of innovation alive? To do this, we have to have the skilled people.

“We now need a whole new generation of aerospace workers. The Boomers are starting to retire.”

Inslee has made job creation his top priority if elected governor. And, because aerospace is the state’s most important manufacturing sector, he said government needs to be proactive to ensure that Boeing and other aerospace companies have the workforce they need.

Addressing about 40 students at the WATR, he said, “We need to increase slots at centers like this, at community colleges and four-year universities, too. We have to have the full spectrum.”

Last year, he said, Washington state industry needed about 5,200 graduates in the sciences to fill open slots, but only about 2,000 graduated from Washington’s colleges.

Inslee said his jobs plan would include direct involvement by the governor’s office to ensure education centers were offering needed skills sets.

Further, he would work on updating recruitment and retention systems, improving military relationships, helping small businesses get started, and proposing a series of tax benefits for manufacturers here.

Despite tight purse strings, Inslee said he would propose a series of steps to free up funds for students needing financial assistance.

First, he would promote the lessons of “lean manufacturing” in state government.

He pointed to the state’s victory in securing the Boeing tanker contract, suggesting it was the workers who made it possible.

“It was the Boeing workers who won that contract,” Inslee said, “by bringing efficiencies to the line – lean manufacturing.

“We’ve got to get the state of Washington to follow that example.”

In addition, Inslee said the state could free up more money by improving health care, specifically by helping people stay healthy.

“Health care costs are eating us alive,” he said. “We can save money there.”

He said King County saved about $62 million last year. By taking small steps with an emphasis on preventive measures, the county got people to pay more attention to their health.

Inslee also would level the playing field by closing corporate tax loopholes and making that money available to people seeking an education.

“Putting people to work is key to economic improvement,” Inslee said.

He said Washington could further improve its reputation as a business-friendly state by updating and expanding infrastructure – freight mobility, in particular – and speeding up the permitting process.

Jason Redrup, business representative for District 751 of the Machinists Union, said Inslee’s proposals to help create a skilled workforce would be key in drawing more aerospace companies to Washington.

“We’re about the race to the top,” Redrup said. “We’ve got the most highly skilled workers.”

He said other states try luring industry with tax breaks and other enticements, “but we can offer the most highly skilled workforce in the world.”

Emphasizing the importance of manufacturing here, Inslee said, “Many people have said we should give up on manufacturing.

“That’s hogwash.”

The words have been like music to my ears.

"We need to go back to a state commitment where public education receives the kind of share of the budget it got when we were in school," said the state's top Republican, Rob McKenna.

"We must stop the erosion of state support for higher education," echoed state Sen. Michael Baumgartner, the GOP candidate for U.S. Senate. He put in a bill in January that would increase funding for state universities by an astonishing 32 percent — nearly a billion dollars.

"Our state constitution is clear: Education is the 'paramount duty,' " said state House Republicans when they released a plan calling for more school spending. To underscore it, they named their budget "Fund Education First."

All of this is right on key — and refreshing coming from the usually slash-happy Republicans. It's a disgrace that my generation and the one before mine reaped the benefits of amply funded schools and colleges, and then said "thanks!" by allowing the entire system to wither.

But local Republicans have sung this new song of theirs from the political wilds. What would they actually do if they ever found themselves in charge?

Last weekend we got a sample. When it comes to education, it wasn't so sweet.

For eight hours Republicans pulled off a palace coup, wooing a few Democrats to their side in order to take control and pass their own budget. Democrats brayed about the indignity of it all, but that was cover for their own embarrassment. Republicans did what you're supposed to do in politics: Seize the moment.

A "political earthquake not seen in 25 years" was how this newspaper described it.

So what did the GOP do with its earthquake moment?

They slashed education!

Compared with the Senate Democrats' budget, the one they rebelled against, Republicans cut $39 million more from the already beleaguered state university system — almost all of it from tuition help for students.

Their budget spends $88 million less on K-12 schools, including eliminating $28 million for smaller class sizes in high-poverty elementary schools and a big cut to the popular Running Start college-prep program.

Plus, they seek to cancel, permanently, two initiatives backed by voters that said small classes and higher teacher pay are among the state's top priorities.

I asked a couple of Republicans: Is this what it looks like to put education first?

Baumgartner said, "If I had my druthers, we wouldn't cut anything from higher education." But he says he voted for a budget he doesn't much like in order to take a stand against a Democratic "gimmick" — an accounting shift that borrows money for schools from future years.

Another word for it, though, is "loan." It's something most of us will take out from time to time when we can't pay all the bills immediately.

It's true too much borrowing can lead to trouble. But the amount the Democrats want to borrow — $340 million — is just 2 percent of the $16 billion annual budget. Not that big a deal. To me, it's better than hacking away yet again at the schools.

But Joe Zarelli, the Senate Republicans' budget chief, said all the education-spending ideas, including those from his own party, simply must wait for better times.

"I'll take the bullets for it, but I try to operate in reality," he said. "I don't know how you manage a $1.2 billion deficit problem without everyone taking some kind of cut."

Well, you could manage it like the Senate Democrats did. Their budget didn't cut a dime from education. Republicans say they will do this — "Fund Education First." But when they had the gavel, "first" changed to "at some later date."

"We've got to stop the bleeding first," Zarelli said.

Got it. Now that's a Republican tune I'm more familiar with.

Rush Limbaugh reopened a debate about how women can maintain ownership of their own bodies. Now the co-chairs of Washington Women for Choice want this state's gubernatorial candidates to make clear their beliefs about women's reproductive health.

It's 2012, and the battle for control of the American uterus rages on.

Two weeks ago, a House committee held a hearing on a bill that, if it had passed, would have allowed employers to avoid providing insurance coverage for contraception for religious reasons.

There wasn't a single woman at the committee table. No one who had carried a child, taken the pill, missed a period or struggled with whether to have an abortion.

So House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi hosted an unofficial hearing and invited Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke to testify about how contraception is not covered on the Jesuit campus, and can cost a woman as much as $3,000 annually. As a result, many go without.

You probably know what happened next: Conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh called Fluke a "slut" for wanting other people to pay for her to have sex. "Roundheeled," he called her, and then suggested she make a sex tape.

Limbaugh apologized to Fluke over the weekend, and had lost 11 key advertisers as of Monday. (There is a God.)

But his hot air reignited a new national debate about how women can maintain ownership of, and responsibility for, their own bodies.

The co-chairs of Washington Women for Choice (WWFC) want to be clear on how our state's two gubernatorial candidates feel about women's reproductive health before we get too far into this election.

They've posted an open letter on Facebook to U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, and Attorney General Rob McKenna, a Republican, asking them to commit "to fighting against attempts to restrict or limit access to contraceptives and abortion here in Washington state."

Women are invited to go to Facebook and "like" the page. (You'll find a link from this column onseattletimes.com).

WWFC co-chairs Monica Harrington and Valerie Tarico will then add the names to the letter, which will be forwarded to the candidates. They hope to sponsor a town-hall-style meeting focused on reproductive freedoms.

"We need to have that open discussion before the election," Harrington said. "Not after we're living with the consequences. It's unfair for the voters to not know."

The WWFC letter also asks that the candidates endorse HB 2330, called the Reproductive Parity Act, which would require all health-insurance plans under the state's jurisdiction to include abortion coverage.

The bill is groundbreaking in that it would formally make abortion as much a part of women's health coverage as maternity care, which Washington insurers are mandated to provide.

Inslee already has pledged to support the bill and has regularly posted on Facebook comments like: "It is beyond reason that women are still forced to battle for something as basic as contraception in the year 2012."

But McKenna has not commented. I tried to reach him, but he's in Washington, D.C., for the National Association of Attorneys General meeting and wasn't available for comment.

But when questioned about abortion during a January interview with Q13's (KCPQ-TV) C.R. Douglas, McKenna said that he believes "life begins at conception, and I would hope every woman would have a chance to choose to carry the baby to term. ... However, it's her choice and it should remain her choice."

He also said that abortion is an issue that "voters have repeatedly decided and reaffirmed. And it's the right law. So within those boundaries that the law establishes, the woman has a right to choose."

It's the "within those boundaries" part that spooks WWFC co-chair Valerie Tarico.

"Those parameters are everything," she said. "And the strategy from the right has been to keep redefining those parameters in ways that limit a woman's reproductive freedoms."

There was a time when I would have thought Tarico was overreacting. But not anymore.

Women are fighting not only to keep abortion safe and legal, but for access to the contraception that would prevent the unwanted pregnancies that lead to abortions.

Is that logic too much for some people? Am I talking too fast? Or is it that I'm a woman?

Don't answer that.

Nonpartisan ways and means staff says Republican budget hits education harder then Democratic proposal. What does Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob McKenna say?

When the senate Democrats released their budget last week (the one that was fated to get deep sixed by the Republicans on Friday night), Democratic ways and means chair Sen. Ed Murray (D-43, Seattle) boasted that the Democratic  plan made no cuts to education.

When the Republicans unveiled their budget late Friday—the one that passed dramatically late Friday night after the Republicans gained control of the senate floor by wooing three conservative Democrats to their side—the ranking Republican on ways and means, Sen. Joe Zarelli (R-18, Ridgefield) bragged:”K-12 education alone would get $251 million more in this budget than what Senate Democrats proposed.”

The facts are with the Democrats on this one: According to the non-partisan ways and means committee staff analysis, Murray’s budget actually adds $38.6 million to K-12 education while Zarelli’s budget cuts $43.8 million, meaning the GOP lags $82.5 million behind the Democrats. (Both budgets, by the way, fund the controversial teacher evaluation proposal.)

When it comes to higher education, the Murray budget adds $65,000 while the Zarelli budget cuts $30 million. The difference: A $30.4 million advantage in the Democratic budget.

The GOP claim comes from the fact that the Murray budget delays (by 24 hours) a $330 million payment to local schools districts, pushing the payment into the next biennium. The GOP have condemned the budget move as a gimmick, but the the Democrats point out that no teacher or student would see a reduction in funding.

The Republican gubernatorial candidate, Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna, has made education funding the centerpiece of his campaign, lamenting the fact that K-12 funding has dropped from 50 percent to 41 percent of the state budget and that higher ed funding has dropped from 16 percent to eight percent over the last several decades. McKenna wants to restore funding to those higher levels, which would cost $2.1 billion and $2.6 billion, respectively, over the next biennium.

His party’s proposal raises questions for McKenna. (In fact, sources tell PubliCola that McKenna’s office actually helped the Republicans round up the votes for their budget power play on Friday night).

PubliCola asked McKenna’s office about both issues.

Here’s the email exchange:

PubliCola:

Two questions:

1. The [Republican] budget cuts more from education than the [Sen. Ed] Murray proposal did…
Does AG McKenna have a comment on that?

2. Word is McKenna staff had a role in shoring up the votes on Friday night. Any truth to that?

McKenna’s spokesman in the Attorney General’s office Dan Sytman:

Legislators deserve the credit for reaching across the aisle, finding areas of consensus and passing a budget.

Of course, the campaign would be the appropriate source for the education question.

I have a message into the McKenna campaign about education funding.

UPDATE:

McKenna’s opponent, US Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA, 1), denounced the senate budget proposal late this afternoon. Inslee said, “The budget proposal put forth by Senate Republicans – an 11th hour proposal put to a vote without any public input – defies common sense. If Republicans want to put us in a race against the likes of Louisiana and Wisconsin, this budget is the way to do it. We cannot afford the $74 million they want to cut from schools and colleges and the damage it would do to our ability to grow our economy.”

And directly seizing the opportunity on McKenna’s education focus, Inslee concluded: “I hope my opponent, Rob McKenna, who has claimed he wants to increase education funding, will join me in urging legislators to re-prioritize funding for our schools.”