Department of Corrections Secretary Dan Pacholke hit all the right tones during a visit with state newspaper publishers and editors Thursday in Olympia.
Days after resigning his post, he resisted anger while outlining a political climate that has resulted in the de facto firing of state Transportation Secretary Lynn Peterson, who lost her job when the Republican-controlled state Senate voted against confirming her three years after she took the job.
The surprising Friday night move sparked anger across the corridors of state government, with Inslee and other Democrats lashing out against the state GOP for a “political ploy” in a gubernatorial election year.
The basic allegation is that Republicans are sowing discord as Inslee faces strong competition in the face of Bill Bryant, a candidate for governor born in Morton who is quickly gaining steam against the Democratic incumbent.
Pacholke’s resignation was a recognition of the fact that he would likely have been next following news late last year that more than 3,000 inmates were released before they should have been due to a software error.
It’s not a stretch to say it wasn’t Pacholke’s fault. The problem had existed since Gov. Chris Gregoire was in office, and an attorney in Republican Rob McKenna’s attorney general office had even given advice essentially saying it wasn’t a big deal.
Two people died as a result of the actions of inmates released early.
Pacholke’s resignation was the epitome of a public servant falling on the sword to provide the political blood-letting needed to feed the immediate desire for responsibility.
The gaping holes in Inslee’s cabinet are seen by some in Olympia as evidence of the state Senate running wild.
I’d submit that it’s anything but.
Inslee was guarded in his remarks to newspaper publishers and editors Thursday, choosing not to expand on the anger he exuded during a press conference earlier in the week during which he chided the Senate for Peterson’s dismissal.
He’s wise to do so.
Without attaching blame, it’s clear the Washington State Department of Transportation needs some changes. Blame the contractor all you want, but the debacle that is the Seattle tunnel project is shaping up to be one of the biggest boondoggles in state history.
That’s just to name one issue.
“Agency directors should be well aware that they are ultimately responsible when there are problems within their agency,” state Sen. Curtis King said last week. “Pointing fingers at contractors is just blame-shifting. The Senate confirms or rejects people appointed by the governor, not contractors hired by those people. We are also not the human resources department for the executive branch — meaning our job is not to coach agency heads or manage them. That is the job of the governor. When he fails to do his job, then we are forced to do ours.”
It’s likely the state Senate’s move was at least partially politically motivated, but that’s not a condemnation of the process.
For years, Republicans lacked a voice in state Legislature. Sure, voters in places such as Lewis County elected Republicans to represent them. But before the Senate Majority Coalition, they were largely relegated to the sidelines as Democrats rubber-stamped proposal after proposal.
The coalition is mounting an impressive list of successes, at least in the minds of conservative voters. They’ve reduced tuition at state universities and community colleges, presented a balanced budget, passed a landmark transportation package and have continued to stand against efforts that amount to broad and unneeded tax increases.
The resignation of Pacholke is unfortunate in some ways. He seems to have been a dedicated public servant who spent decades within the agency.
Still, blaming the Senate Republicans for taking action seems counter-intuitive.
It seems to me that a split state government provides broader representation for places like Lewis County, which is represented by one of the coalition’s most active leaders, state Sen. John Braun.
An angry state government atmosphere isn’t necessarily a bad atmosphere.
It just means one party isn’t getting its own way all the time, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing for the state of Washington.
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Eric Schwartz is the editor of The Chronicle. He can be reached at eschwartz@chronline.com or (360) 807-8224.
