OLYMPIA – Outgoing Democratic Gov. Gary Locke blistered Republican Dino Rossi on Wednesday as “neither qualified nor prepared to be governor.”
Rossi called Locke’s attack “fairly sad and pathetic. Look who’s desperate. They’ve seen the same polling we’ve seen, and they’re going to lose their grip on the governor’s mansion they’ve had for 20 years.”
Locke, who strongly supports his longtime ally, Democratic Attorney General Christine Gregoire, as his successor, said he has held his tongue for most of the campaign.
But after a Rossi ad blitz that berates the Olympia status quo and the deterioration of the business climate on the Democrats’ watch, Locke slammed back.
“I’m finally fed up and angry,” he said. “Dino is not telling the truth about our state’s growth and prosperity over the state’s last 20 years. I don’t think a person can be an effective governor if you tear down the state and create fear and deception.”
Rossi has portrayed Gregoire and Locke as peas in a pod, and said a changing of the guard is the only way to fix Washington’s problems.
“We’re broke and out of work,” is a favorite Rossi line. He has said the state isn’t considered a good place to do business and that major changes are needed, including regulatory reform and a better tax climate.
“The Democrats from Booth Gardner (first elected in 1984) to myself have created over a million new jobs,” said Locke, who has served for the past eight years. “The reality is that we had a tough economic downturn because of the national recession after Sept. 11.
“Now our economy is growing at one of the strongest and fastest rates in America. Our unemployment rate is virtually identical to the national average.”
The state has taken major strides toward becoming more business-friendly, and last year’s decision by the Boeing Co. to assemble its new 7E7 Dreamliner jet in Everett put the state on the map as a business leader, Locke said.
Several tax councils and business groups call Washington one of the best places to do business, he said.
“You can’t effectively lead our state and attract new companies if you’re tearing down our state and creating fear and deception, especially when we have one of the strongest and fastest recoveries in America,” Locke said.
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