From the CEO
Last week’s election was a consequential one for our state and nation: we elected a new governor and attorney general for the first time in 12 years, voted on four statewide initiatives, and control of Congress and the White House was decided.
I deeply respect representative democracy, the right to vote, and the ability for everyone to put their trust in the officials they believe in.
In Washington state, our values were on full display with the election results: we protected legislation to reduce climate pollution, said yes to new and important investments in transportation, and elected statewide officials with significant experience and commitment to solving problems, seizing opportunities, and protecting and lifting up everyone in every community.
While what happened in Seattle and Washington state was not especially surprising and held closely to predictions, sweeping changes at the federal level felt shocking to many in our community – expected or not.
Here in our region, we have and will continue to maneuver through a changing political landscape to ensure we are always a positive force in making progress in our community, whether it is navigating the uncertainty of the incoming Trump Administration, or continuing to unravel the consequences of the decisions made when Kshama Sawant was in office. We remain committed to focusing on the priorities of our members and voters across our region. And one of the ways I do that is by embracing our Chamber values, especially “We are Leaders,” meaning we show up and do our mission-based work, regardless of the environment.
To that end, nothing will stop me from believing in my community and the people who make it what it is. Nothing will stop me from making progress on what’s important, and nothing will stop me from having hope. And one of my hopes is that you feel the same.
Final Election Results
- At the federal level, the House and Senate are now both Republican-controlled, and Donald Trump has been elected President.
- In Washington state, we have Governor-Elect Bob Ferguson, Attorney General-Elect Nick Brown, and the next Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands will be Dave Upthegrove. We have great relationships with all these leaders, and I look forward to working with them in the coming months.
- We worked hard on two ballot initiatives this year and were successful on both fronts. First, the No on 2117 campaign – and last week I was thrilled to see the people of our state vote resoundingly to continue addressing climate change and creating a place where business can thrive and innovate to combat the climate crisis. Second, voters’ approval of the Seattle transportation levy shows they see the value in making sure people can safely and reliably get where they need to go, and this measure passed with an even larger margin than I could have imagined.
- In Seattle, we congratulate Alexis Mercedes Rinck on running a strong campaign and on her successful bid for City Council. Because she is taking over a council seat that is currently filled with an appointed leader, she will take office and hit the ground running this month, and we look forward to working with her on voters’ priorities including addressing public safety, homelessness, and affordability.
- And lastly, in Snohomish County, the Chamber-endorsed public safety sales tax was not approved by voters.
I am also pleased to share that I have been named to Governor-Elect Bob Ferguson’s transition team, and I am excited to work with him, his new leadership team, and my colleagues supporting the transition to launch his administration.
As election season winds down, I’m thinking back on our organization’s decision to close our political action committee and to focus on the issues, not endorse candidates. That moment was clearly not a retreat from politics or elections – and we have not been shy about encouraging employees and employers to participate in the election process.
Now our focus is on helping the Puget Sound region move forward.
Onward,
Rachel
Rachel Smith
President and CEO