He proved to be a middle of the road type governor by taking a fair stand on most issues. Although I have been angry at his lack of attention to the growing road problem in our state. I think he handled that poorly.
The run up to the next election should be interesting to watch.
M
In his first session Locke faced an all Republican Legislature and set a record for the number of vetoes as he wiped out a large chunk of the Republican agenda.
This year Locke angered many Democrats and their backers by proposing a budget that called for no new taxes and instead modified popular, voter-approved, health and education initiatives and cutting funding to many current programs.
Republicans praised the Democratic governor, though, as well as business leaders who helped him push the plan through the Legislature.
He also won approval for a $4.2 billion, 10-year, transportation plan which raises the gas tax by 5 cents a gallon.
During his term Locke said education was his top priority though many of his bigger plans in that realm did not see the light of day. He was a proponent of the 2000 ballot measure that dedicated more money to reduce school class sizes. But this year was the architect of a plan to make dramatic reductions in the program.
He also oversaw changes to the state welfare system and signed substantial business tax cuts.
Locke's statement makes clear that despite making an announcement 18 months before his term ends, he will try to ward off the negative side effects of being a lame duck.
"I will continue to work hard and intensify our efforts on our state's top priorities of government for the remainder of my term, focusing especially on education, jobs, health care, competitiveness and the environment," he said.
"Together, we will continue to move our state ahead and better position Washington for the future."
seattletimes.nwsource.com |
