We have talented and dedicated state employees who deliver important services and programs to Washingtonians every day. However, with the last 33 years of Democratic control of the governor’s mansion, we have seen many failures in state government – including several problems since Gov. Jay Inslee took office in January 2013. In many cases, it’s leadership in state government that has failed – not front-line state employees.
We need to hold the governor and state agencies accountable for their actions and results. A smarter, more effective state government will lead to better results and more public confidence in how tax dollars are being used.
Here are stories that illustrate many of the failures in state government.
Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)
Seattle Tunnel Project
Bertha’s woes grind on: cost rises, tunnel delayed until 2019 | The Seattle Times | July 16, 2016
WSDOT: Bertha problems worse than first thought, further delays possible | Q-13 TV | May 18, 2015
520 Bridge
520 project overruns could cost taxpayers nearly $400 million | KOMO News | Aug. 23, 2013
Costs for SR 520 pontoon repairs announced | WSDOT | July 20, 2013
Inslee says 520 Bridge pontoon cracks shouldn’t derail funding package | NW News Network | Feb. 27, 2013
Washington State Ferries
State settles with Washington State Ferries whistleblower | KING-5 News | July 7, 2016
Waste On The Water: KING 5 keeps hammering away at Washington State Ferries in ongoing investigative series | Seattle P-I | June 25, 2010
Tolls
Computer glitch causes hefty late bills for WSDOT tolls | The Seattle Times | April 21, 2016
Other
WSDOT apologizes for ‘inappropriate message’ on traffic sign | The Seattle Times | April 18, 2018
Department of Corrections (DOC)
Review: Corrections center broke Washington state purchasing rules, inflated budget projections | The Seattle Times | May 6, 2018
Washington inmate held 3-1/2 years past release date | NW News Network | May 5, 2017
Corrections Secretary: Washington sentencing so complex, more errors certain | NW News Network | Dec. 8, 2016
Despite improvements, audit finds safety gaps in Washington prisons | NW News Network | March 22, 2016
Head of Washington State Prisons resigns | NW News Network | Feb. 6, 2016
‘Totally unacceptable’: State knew thousands of inmates released in error | The Seattle Times | Dec. 22, 2015
Ethics hearing begins for former top Washington prisons official | NW News Network | Jan. 9, 2013
Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS)
DSHS sued for allowing ‘crazy drunk’ to care for children | KIRO TV | April 6, 2018
Second Plaintiff Joins Lawsuit Alleging Culture of Sexual Abuse at Green Hill School | The Chronicle | March 23, 2018
Bedbugs, moldy food, skipped background checks: Feds slam Washington foster-care group homes after surprise visits | The Seattle Times | March 22, 2018Girl rescued from trash and feces-filled house receives $4 million settlement | NW News Network | Nov. 13, 2017
Washington DSHS faced with third case of staff sex with juvenile offender | NW News Network | Jan. 13, 2016
DSHS employees rarely pay a price for failing to protect foster children | The Seattle Times| Aug. 17, 2015
Washington pays record $9.75M to settle child abuse case | NW News Network | Oct. 10, 2014
Department of Licensing (DOL)
State’s firearms records months behind | The Everett Herald | April 1, 2018
State wants car owners to pay a fee it failed to collect | The Everett Herald | March 30, 2018
Washington state prisoner mistakenly released early sues over re-arrest | The Seattle Times | March 22, 2018
Couple plan to sue state over daughter’s death at hands of man mistakenly freed from prison | The Seattle Times | January 10, 2017
‘Calamity of errors’ and ‘incompetence’ led to state’s early prison releases |The Seattle Times | February 25, 2016
Washington State Lottery
Washington’s Lottery deputy director ousted after ethics investigation | The Seattle Times | April 20, 2018
Department of Ecology (DOE)
Judge: State can’t enforce Inslee order to cut greenhouse-gas emissions | The Seattle Times | Dec. 19, 2017
Western State Hospital, mental health
Editorial: Western State Hospital’s inexcusable inefficiency | The Seattle Times | March 27, 2018
Editorial: Time to dig into management problems at Western State Hospital | The Seattle Times | Dec. 15, 2017
Delays, extensions as Western State Hospital struggles to get back on track | NW News Network | Oct. 5, 2017
Staffing, management issues plagued Western State Hospital says report | NW News Network | Sept. 29, 2016
After Inslee announced firing, Western State CEO continued in state service | NW News Network | Sept. 12, 2016
State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW)
WDFW Director orders changes after reports of sexualized workplace | NW News Network | Sept. 5, 2017
Rape allegation against division manager reveals ‘highly sexualized’ culture at state agency | The News Tribune | Aug. 6, 2017
Washington State Department of Agriculture | Weights and Measures Program
State fails to monitor Washington gas pumps | KING TV | April 27, 2018
Washington State Patrol (WSP)
Washington State Patrol agrees to $15M settlement in veterans hiring, promotion case | NW News Network | May 8, 2017
Gov. Inslee’s Clean Energy Grants
State dollars flowing to clean energy start-ups spurs debate | NW News Network | Dec. 15, 2015
Revolving door casts shadow on Inslee’s Clean Energy Grants | NW News Network | Dec. 15, 2015
Washington Soldiers Home
Washington Soldiers Home ordered to take corrective action to protect residents | NW News Network | April 28, 2017
Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)
PDC Director takes GOP concerns ‘seriously,’ but won’t resign | NW News Network | Oct. 28, 2016
Cybersecurity
One million people affected by WSU data breach | KUOW | June 15, 2017
Data breach happened as Washington was trying to move to new vendor | NW News Network | Aug. 29, 2016
Cyber hack shuts down hunting, fishing license sales in 3 Northwest states | NW News Network | Aug. 25, 2016
Cyber security audit: Washington agencies not in full compliance | NW News Network | Dec. 15, 2014
Washington courts seek IT security review, audit following breach | NW News Network | May 14, 2013
Washington courts announce potential massive data breach | NW News Network | May 9, 2013
Higher education
Price tag for community colleges’ new IT system goes up $45 million | The Spokesman-Review | Dec. 12, 2017
Another Evergreen professor resigns following racial protests | Crosscut | Dec. 11, 2017
Evergreen professor at center of protests resigns; college will pay $500,000 | The Seattle Times | Sept. 16, 2017
Public safety
Man whose life sentence was commuted by then-Gov. Gregoire now facing Kent murder charge | The Seattle Times | Nov. 26, 2017
Washington Data Center
As data center ‘halls’ sit empty, Washington casts wider net for tenants | NW News Network | Dec. 8, 2014
State acknowledges Washington Data Center was overbuilt | NW News Network | July 15, 2013
Pacific Tower in Seattle
Pacific Tower expected to fill with tenants; long-term funding an issue | NW News Network | May 27, 2014
Washington state signs Pacific Tower 30-year lease | NW News Network | Nov. 12, 2013
Nineties real estate deal proved to be money-loser for Washington state | NW News Network | Nov. 11, 2013
Former Amazon building lease could cost Washington $270M over 30 years | NW News Network | Sept. 26, 2013
Washington Exchange
Washington Exchange website stumbles out of the gates | NW News Network | Oct. 1, 2013
Health Exchange foreign language fact sheets get poor marks | NW News Network | July 29, 2013
State government
Sexual assault, near drowning, choking to death: Report highlights ‘failures’ at state institutions | NW News Network | July 19, 2017
‘This is big stuff’: Judge orders Washington to pay $100K sanction for withholding emails | NW News Network | June 22, 2017
Lawsuits, claims cost state of Washington $59 million in FY 2015 | NW News Network | Oct. 29, 2015
Washington pays out $48M in liability claims in FY 2014 | NW News Network | Sept. 23, 2014
Democratic Lt. Governor Brad Owen
Washington Lt. Governor touted company at center of SEC investigation | NW News Network | Aug. 26, 2015
Washington Lt. Governor agrees to $15K ethics fine | NW News Network | Sept. 12, 2014
Facing ethics charge, Washington Lt. Gov. wants legal defense fund | NW News Network | March 12, 2014
Democratic Attorney General Bob Ferguson
Attorney General takes responsibility for deleted Oso emails, lawyer off case | NW News Network | Oct. 4, 2016
Democratic State Auditor Troy Kelley
Former Democratic Washington State Auditor once again on trial for money laundering | NW News Network | Nov. 9, 2017
Indicted Washington State Auditor Troy Kelley fires staffers | KING 5 News | May 6, 2016
Democratic Lands Commissioner Peter Goldmark
$6,000 flight to BC? Outgoing Lands Commissioner defends use of air charters | NW News Network | Dec. 18, 2016
King County, environment
A disaster years in the making — A cascade of errors led to catastrophe at the West Point treatment plant. Sheer luck spared workers’ lives. | The Seattle Times | April 28, 2017
Editorial: Investigate West Point plant breakdown that dumped sewage into Puget Sound | The Seattle Times | March 9, 2017
As sewage still spills, no timeline for fix to treatment plant’s Katrina-scale damage | The Seattle Times | March 7, 2017
Opinion: Sewage spill reveals double standard in environmental priorities (Reps. Drew MacEwen, Vincent Buys and David Taylor) | The Seattle Times | March 6, 2017
Power outage leads to 330,000 gallons of storm water, wastewater being pumped into Puget Sound | Q-13 | Feb. 16, 2017
Millions of gallons of wastewater dumping into Puget Sound after heavy rainfall | The Seattle Times | Feb. 9, 2017
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