I was up early yesterday morning for a 7 a.m. appearance before the Gig Harbor Kiwanis. Since session let out in late April I’ve been scrambling to get before just about any community organization that would have me in the 26th District before the birth of our new daughter.
Well, Tess was born last Thursday but I didn’t want to leave the Kiwanians hanging without a speaker.
We enjoyed a fruitful give and take about the state budget, economic development strategies and state fees most notably. I enjoyed the opportunity to let folks know what I've been working on, and -- most importantly -- I appreciated hearing the concerns, priorities, and ideas of the couple dozen folks in the room. Like me, the people at the Kiwanis breakfast are very much concerned about the economy and their place in it. There were also some concerns raised about the state budget -- with some folks concerned about the cuts in education and social services and others concerned about the amount of one-time money the Legislature used to plug what was a $9 billion budget hole. I certainly respect and understand those concerns. No doubt, we’ll be facing steep challenges once again when we sit down to write the next two-year budget in 2011.
I enjoyed the give and take and learned from it, too. Thanks to the Kiwanians for their hospitality, for the invitation and for all they do in our community.