Tacoma News Tribune endorses Gregoire!

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Four years ago, we endorsed Dino Rossi for governor. This year, we are endorsing his then-and-now opponent, Gov. Chris Gregoire.
Both are excellent candidates. Gregoire has demonstrated her ability as governor, and Rossi is a very plausible alternative.

We liked Rossi in 2004 (and still do) for several reasons. One was the fact that he would have been the state’s first Republican governor in the 20 years since John Spellman left the office.

There is real value in shifting party control of a state’s administration from time to time. State agencies develop cultures that, over time, can settle into complacency, stagnation and unexamined assumptions about how to spend public money. These tendencies can perpetuate themselves without occasional shake-ups. The election of a Republican governor would have shook state government up royally.

We also like Rossi’s temperament and judgment. For example, he was a sharp-eyed fiscal hawk when he served as the state Senate’s chief budget writer – but did his best to spare essential human services in the face of a massive deficit in 2003.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/story/506344.html