booth gardner - Washington Secretary of State

Booth meets the press. David Ammons of the AP is seated at his immediate left, with Bob Partlow of Gannett standing
behind him with a clipboard. Seated, second from left, Dale Folkerts of the Everett Herald. Next is Peter Callaghan of the
Tacoma News Tribune. Dean J. Koepfler ©The News Tribune (Tacoma, WA) 1992 Reprinted with permission.
“We’re extremely disappointed.” It was the beginning of a topsy-turvy, eight-year love-hate
relationship between the governor and the WEA. Gardner vowed that salaries would be his
No. 1 priority in 1986.
Also bitterly disappointed were the other state employee unions, whose lobbyists
crowded into the news conference where the governor unveiled his budget. “The way you
set priorities in state government,” said Mark Brown of the Federation of State Employees,
“is you put your money where your mouth is.” Senator McDermott, however, pronounced
Gardner’s budget “very prudent,” and some Republicans were also impressed with his
fiscal restraint. Then more bad news: The Forecasting Council said state revenues would
be $154 million less than predicted in December, the fourth decline in 12 months. Gardner
ordered an immediate freeze on hiring, purchasing and travel. When he learned that the
commission planning the state’s 100 th anniversary in 1989 was proposing a $152 million
birthday party he was “stunned and astonished,” saying, “The state doesn’t have that kind
of money.” He said it had to be a “grassroots” celebration involving school children and
tapping the creativity of every community in the state. He named First Lady Jean Gardner
and Secretary of State Ralph Munro to head the centennial celebration.
On March 28, Gardner cut short a trip to Eastern Washington and in a move he
would later describe as one of the worst mistakes of his first year, amped up the crisis
atmosphere. Striving to demonstrate forcefulness, he went on statewide television to warn
that painful budget cuts and possible tax hikes would be necessary in the wake of a new
report showing the revenue shortfall for the biennium ending June 30 could be as much as
$60 million. With the sales and business and occupation taxes highly sensitive to economic
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