The 13th Floor blog of Governing Magazine, which recently carried a cover photo of Gov. Chris Gregoire, takes a look at the governor's response to the Supreme Court's jettisoning of I-747.
The governor's response to the court: Thanks, but no thanks.
She's calling for legislation to reinstitute the cap. If local governments rush to raise property taxes, Gregoire says she'll call a special session to stop them.
The subtext here is that Gregoire is up for reelection next year and her opponent, Dino Rossi, was ready to pounce on the issue. Gregoire is part of a trend among Democratic politicians in state government. She's willing to advance many progressive causes, but more cautious on taxation issues -- especially 12 months from an election.
I'm not sure I see that trend, nor would it necessarily apply to the governor. I-747 strikes me as a special case. State government - Gregoire's primary executive responsibility - is relatively unaffected by the initiative. And while state spending has grown substantially in the last 3 years, the strong economy allowed the spending to grow with minimal increases in state taxes.
Meanwhile, the Tri-City Herald, would like to see a "workable solution." Apparently, that's somewhere between 1 and 6 percent.
