Editorial views from across the state

Cost-of-living freeze too little, too late

We sometimes get a bit cynical in the newsroom, particularly when it comes to politicians, particularly during the campaign season.

Friday was one such day. Gov. Christine Gregoire announced yesterday that the agency department heads under her control will not be getting cost-of-living raises this year. This means that 84 of her senior staff will not get additional money. Gregoire said it wasn't because they didn't deserve the raises, but the economic struggles of the country and Washington state would make it "not appropriate" to do so.

The directive will only save $160,000, which is not much compared with a looming $2.7 billion state-budget shortfall. And the freeze on the cost-of-living raises perhaps would not have been necessary had the state budget, under Gregoire's leadership these past almost four years, not risen by 33 percent.

We wish Gregoire had realized, or admitted, the coming budget crunch much earlier and taken appropriate actions. And perhaps she should not have spent so much pleasing state workers with their lucrative pay packages these past few years.

Yet, we accept this symbolic offer by Gregoire on behalf of her senior management teams. These are hard economic times and our leaders need to lead by example. It is too bad it takes place as the election heads into high gear. It is, perhaps, too little, too late. Now, if she could expand this stop on state spending deeper with meaningful cuts, we could really drop our cynical leanings.

— The Chronicle, Centralia, Aug. 30

Taxes are no fun

The University of Washington has found a powerful friend to carry the ball for it on a proposed football-stadium renovation. State Sen. Margarita Prentice, chairwoman of the budget committee, was the prime sponsor of a bill last session that would raise money for the project. The bill didn't pass, but the issue is still alive.

This isn't Prentice's first time foraging for public money to assist sports teams. She was a huge Sonics fan and worked hard to shake money loose to keep the team from moving.

In her world, good times are important. As she told the Seattle Weekly last year, "I want my community to have a whole lot of fun."

Everybody likes fun, but the question of when to use public money to pursue it is a serious one. If her bill were to pass, the largest impact would be in King County. Eastern Washington residents would be affected when they stayed in hotels, ate in a restaurants and rented cars.

The bill would "repurpose" a sales-tax assessment on those services. The levy has been used to pay off construction bonds for Qwest Field, Safeco Field and the old Kingdome. Those payments are coming to an end, so the tax is set to expire. Prentice's bill would keep it going, with $150 million flowing to stadium renovation. The university would raise another $150 million privately. The sales tax on stadium-related construction would be forgiven for five years.

Prentice says she is motivated by safety concerns, but the project includes luxury items such as a new sound system, a club room and premium-seating areas. Those are the kinds of amenities being added to stadiums across the country as schools try to keep their athletic programs competitive. Washington State University and the University of Oregon have accomplished that with private funding. Oregon State University tapped a corporate sponsor (Reser) to help.

Other interests are vying for a chance to redirect that revenue, including a group that wants it for affordable housing. Or maybe the businesses that have been saddled with handing their customers higher bills could get the break they were promised when the sunset clause was affixed.

Legislators are heading into a difficult budget year, with a projected deficit of $2.7 billion. Budgeting challenges abound. We don't want to tell King County how to tax and spend, but the Senate's budget chairwoman ought to seriously consider the political ramifications if the Legislature chooses to finance more fun in tough times.

— The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Sept. 3