Bryant calls Inslee a "failed governor'

Washington State Sen. Kirk Pearson teamed up with U.S. 2 Safety Coalition president Fred Walser last week, inviting Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Bryant to Monroe to congratulate him on his success in the August primary and help raise funds for his campaign.

Hosted by Tuscano's Italian Kitchen owner Scott Perry at his North Kelsey Street restaurant, the meet-and-greet fundraiser took place 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 7. Eleven candidates for governor appeared on the August primary ballot, out of which incumbent Gov. Jay Inslee and Bryant were the top-two vote earners; Inslee with more than 49 percent and Bryant with more than 38 percent. Bryant said he's optimistic about the numbers and looking forward to hitting the campaign trail with renewed energy to start closing the gap.

"It's kind of where we thought it was, and it's beginning to tighten,GÇ¥ Bryant said. "As people learn more about what I want to do as governor, then they're moving into our camp.GÇ¥

A lifelong Washingtonian, Bryant was born in Morton, a small town in Lewis County. He grew up in Hoodsport, another small town, along the Hood Canal. He attended a small rural school district during his early years and went to high school in Olympia. He earned a degree in trade and diplomacy from Georgetown University, and went to work in international trade.

He and his wife, Barbara, eventually landed in Yakima, where he managed trade negotiations for the apple industry. The couple moved to Seattle in 1992, where he founded Bryant Christie Inc. (BCI), a company that handles international trade negotiations for agricultural food and beverage exporters. He started BCI in his basement, with a phone and a fax machine, he said.

Currently, he has more than 35 employees engaged in projects all over the world.

He first ventured into politics about nine years ago. -á -á

"By 2007, the company had grown to a point where I didn't need to be there every day, and so I ran for a seat on the King County Seattle Port Commission and won,GÇ¥ Bryant said.

He served two terms on the commission. The experience helped move him toward gubernatorial ambitions, he said, but the issue that really compelled him to run for governor is education. He's concerned about the equity of the educational experience for kids, and feels there is a disparity between the education offered in affluent communities and the education offered in areas that are less privileged. Communities that can pass levies have a distinct advantage, he said, which is wrong.

"We've got a situation where kids who grow up in very rich school districts get one education and kids who grow up in rural school districts, like I did, or school districts in disadvantaged neighborhoods, don't get the same education,GÇ¥ Bryant said. "That's not only unconstitutional, it's morally wrong.GÇ¥

He said he wants to work with the Legislature to develop a solution that includes a 10-20 year funding mechanism that ensures equity among all students. Gov. Inslee has been kicking the can down the road for far too long, Bryant said, and they need to take action.

"He has failed at the paramount responsibility of the state, and that means he is a failed governor,GÇ¥ Bryant said.

Along with education, traffic is a key issue for Bryant. His goal for transportation would be to work specifically toward the elimination of traffic jams. He said he would hire a secretary of transportation skilled at engineering ' not social engineering ' and would make the reduction of traffic congestion the primary priority.

As a Seattle resident, Bryant is all too familiar with the city's traffic problem.

"We need to have a governor who really understands it,GÇ¥ Bryant said. "I drive in it every day; I get it. I want to fix it.GÇ¥

Curbing agency authority to pass new regulations would be another area of focus.

Increasing agency regulations have been a challenge for residents in the 39th, particularly dairy farmers, who recently expressed their concerns to Congresswoman Suzan DelBene during a meeting at Qualco Energy, a nutrient management facility located outside of Monroe. Dairy farmers from around the county are frustrated by increasing regulations, particularly in light of the Washington State Department of Ecology's recent efforts to update its Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation General Permit (CAFO).

Second-generation dairy farmer Andy Werkhoven said he wished the governor would be more proactive in working with them, rather than giving the agencies such significant control.

If elected, Bryant said he intends to tackle that very issue.-á -á

"On day one, I'm going to impose a moratorium on all new regulations until the departments can justify the ones that we've already got,GÇ¥ Bryant said. "We're going to start reining them in.GÇ¥

Agencies would be required to perform a comprehensive review of regulations already in place.

"One of the questions they will be asked to answer is, "Which law gives you the authority to enforce this regulation?' GÇ¥ Bryant said. "Because I would bet, in many cases, they have probably run beyond the scope of the original legislation that gave them that authority.GÇ¥

Bryant said he visualizes a systematic approach, and wants to reshape Olympia from the ground up. He would identify strategic objectives for every state department, including future goal planning. Then, he said, he would hire experienced leaders to meet those objectives. His departmental leaders would have experience directly related to the departments they head up.

Accountability is a crucial part of the model, he said.

"You hire people that have experience in the field and have their own ideas on how to accomplish the objectives the governor has set up, and then you hold them accountable,GÇ¥ Bryant said. "If they don't do it, you fire them.GÇ¥

Bryant sees his small-town upbringing as a distinct advantage, along with his entrepreneurial experience.

"I've spent my whole career in the private sector building a company, and as a result I've understood that the way you get things done is not by going in and blaming everybody else and being a bully,GÇ¥ Bryant said. "The way you get things done is you build a coalition.GÇ¥

A coalition of people that don't always agree is a great asset, he said.

He faulted Inslee for his inability to pull people together. Former Gov. Christine Gregoire was in office for a total of eight years during economically trying times, he said, and called a total of seven special sessions. In his 3 1/2 years in office, Inslee has also called seven special sessions.

"He has repeatedly proven an inability to pull people together and deliver a budget on time, and that is one of the paramount responsibilities of the governor,GÇ¥ Bryant said. "And again, he is a failed governor.GÇ¥

He faulted Inslee for touting low levels of unemployment, when Washington has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country. According to the United States Department of Labor, the state's unemployment rate is ranked at the high end of the spectrum, at 5.8 percent, nestled between West Virginia and Arizona. But Washington's smaller communities have much higher unemployment rates, Bryant said. In Lewis County, where he was born, it's more than 8 percent, and around 10 in coastal cities like Westport.-á -á

"That's something that the governor doesn't talk about at all. He talks about how it's a "boom town;' and whenever he says "boom town,' these people in these small towns feel that he's just totally forgotten them,GÇ¥ Bryant said. "I want to be a governor for the entire state.GÇ¥

For more information on Bryant, visit www.billbryantforgovernor.com.