Helen Sommers: An Oral History

Chapter 16
Gary Locke elected Governor
Monahan: The 1996 election saw your friend,
Democrat Gary Locke win
election as Washington’s
21 st Governor.
Washington
State Governor
Gary Locke
was sworn in Jan. 15, 1997.
He served two terms
1997-2005
gained a majority of 26-23.
Locke was one of your
House colleagues and a good
friend for many years, and had
served as King County Executive
for two and a half years
(1994-1997). But, when Locke
became Governor he had
to work with a Republicancontrolled
House and Senate.
The House Republicans
maintained a 56-42 majority
and the Senate Republicans
Representative Sommers: Yes, Gary Locke was
elected Governor in 1996. I knew Gary very well;
we had served together for 12 years in the House,
and we were good friends. He is very bright and
very capable. He provided leadership during his
time in the House and he was a role model for many.
A Democratic governor coming in with a Republican
majority in both the House and Senate,
though, really made Locke’s task much more difficult.
But, Gary had served six terms in the House
and he understood the process. He knew what he
wanted to accomplish as Governor, and I would
say he worked pretty well with the Republican
leadership. He had to pass the budget, so he had
to work with the Republican Legislature.
Of course, not having majorities in either of the
chambers was a big disadvantage to Gary. But, I can’t
imagine anyone who was better qualified to work
with such a difficult situation. It was Gary’s strong
legislative experience that gave him, a Democrat,
the ability to deal with the Republican Legislature.
He used his veto and his partial veto very widely.
It’s always difficult to negotiate with a majority
of the other party, but you have to do it! You
have to make trade-offs on budget situations and
legislation, and you must be flexible and make it
work. Governor Locke understood what he had
to do. The veto pen was an important weapon to
him. He was a very strong Governor.
Monahan: As a member of the minority, and Ranking
Democrat on Appropriations, how did you
perceive the 1997 session?
Representative Sommers: The session was difficult.
It was dominated by differences on welfare, health
care and transportation. There were differences on
tax cuts and spending levels. Of course, there was
controversy over abortion and gay rights, as well.
However, Governor Locke did use his veto power
extensively to try to moderate actions by the Legislature;
and he was successful.
Another issue for the session dealt with transportation
issues. The state gasoline tax had not been
raised since the one-cent increase in 1991. But, six
Helen Sommers reviews budget issues