In my previous role as the state’s Director of Commerce, I spent a lot of time traveling across Washington. No matter the region or industry, I kept hearing the same message.
“We’re focused on running our business.”
“We don’t want to get political.”
“We don’t have time for distractions.”
That instinct makes sense. Running a business today is harder than it has been in a long time. Margins are thinner. Workforce challenges are real. Capital is more expensive. Staying focused is not disengagement. It is survival.
And to be clear, many of you are already engaged. You show up through the Chamber, share your perspective, and help shape better outcomes. This message is not about questioning that commitment. It is about why that engagement matters now more than ever.
There is no neutral position in an economy where public decisions shape nearly every aspect of doing business. Taxes, permitting timelines, zoning, infrastructure, workforce policy, and housing all show up directly on balance sheets and hiring plans.
When businesses opt out, decisions are still made.
There is another reality that often surprises even experienced business leaders.
In Washington state and in Seattle, businesses already pay for most of the public services we all rely on.
Businesses pay 100 percent of B&O taxes.
Businesses pay 100 percent of payroll taxes.
Commercial property taxes make up a significant share of local revenue.
Sales tax revenue rises and falls with business activity. When you add it up, roughly 60 to 70 percent of state and local revenue is directly or indirectly tied to business activity. When business slows, public budgets become volatile. When hiring pauses, investments stall, consumer demand drops and the revenue that funds schools, transportation, public safety, and basic services declines. Economic health and public capacity are tightly linked.
This region remains strong in many ways. The Greater Seattle metropolitan economy has one of the highest GDPs in the country at more than $560 billion and some of the highest wages nationwide. But we are seeing signs of economic headwinds. The Central Puget Sound region lost about 12,900 jobs in 2025, the first annual job decline outside of a recession year since 2009. This reflects slowing job growth even as the region remains an attractive destination for talent and investment, as recently reported by the Puget Sound Business Journal.
In recent years, much of the public conversation in the Seattle region has focused on whether business is paying enough.
This is not about pointing fingers or relitigating past debates. It is about recognizing how our system actually works and asking a more productive question. Not whether business contributes, because it clearly does, but whether the outcomes we are collectively funding are delivering what our region needs.
We are all paying into systems that are unpredictable, slow, or misaligned with real-world operations. Permitting timelines extend from months into years. Infrastructure investments lag behind growth. Workforce systems struggle to keep pace with employer needs. Housing shortages make it harder to recruit and retain talent even as costs continue to rise.
These are not ideological concerns. They are operational ones. They affect whether companies expand, hire, or stay in the region.
What business leaders consistently ask for is not special treatment. It is competence. Clear rules. Predictable timelines. Policies that work in the real world. Those are not partisan demands. They are practical ones.
Which brings me to a simple truth I believe deeply.
The most expensive position for business is silence.
Silence does not avoid risk. It defers it. And deferred risk shows up later as poorly designed policies, higher long-term costs, slower growth, and missed opportunities. Silence can feel safe in the moment, but it carries a price.
Engagement does not have to look political. It does not require taking sides or making speeches. It can mean sharing data, flagging unintended consequences early, helping design workable solutions, or engaging through trusted partners who can represent your perspective efficiently.
You do not have to be political. But you do have to be economic.
This is where the Seattle Metro Chamber plays a critical role, because we represent you, our members.
Collectively, we are powerful. The Chamber exists to translate the lived experience of business into better public outcomes and to provide a credible, coordinated way to engage so that the people carrying the economy have a voice in how it is governed.
Our region has extraordinary assets and enormous opportunities. But success is not automatic. It requires engagement from many, not just a few.
The question before us is not whether business should get political, but rather how we are willing to help deliver results for Washingtonians.
Because silence has a cost. And it is one we can no longer afford.
Joe Nguyễn
President and CEO, Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce