Our iconic ferries are one of the many things that make our state unique and beautiful. But our ferries are also an essential part of the day-to-day life of tens of thousands of Washingtonians.
This vital mode of transportation allows us to get to and from work and school and gives us access to some of the most beautiful parts of our state.
I’m proud of the work we’ve done to help strengthen Washington State Ferries in our Move Ahead Washington transportation plan from 2022, and the transportation budget proposal introduced this year.
These investments will help build five badly needed new ferries, offer better pay to recruit and maintain ferry workers, allow kids to ride free, electrify existing ferries and much more.
But our progress is at risk. An initiative being pushed by a multi-millionaire hedge fund manager threatens to undo our work to mitigate damage from climate change and stop in its tracks work to improve our ferry system.
You can read more about all of this in an op-ed I recently wrote for the Everett Herald. In it, I talk about the trouble and — I believe — the coming improvements to our ferry system, but also the devastation that Initiative 2117 would bring to Washington State Ferries.
