(The Center Square) – Questions had been mounting about Washington state Gov. Bob Ferguson’s sudden absence.
On Friday, The Center Square received multiple messages from various sources showing a screenshot of an “Office of the Governor Alert”: “Governor Bob Ferguson will be traveling outside Washington from Thursday, Sept. 25, through Thursday, Oct. 9. Whenever the Governor travels out of state, per state law, the Lieutenant Governor serves as Acting Governor of Washington.”
Denny Heck is the lieutenant governor of Washington.
The alert was not available on the governor’s official website on Friday.
Following multiple email inquiries, Ferguson’s Communications Director Brionna Aho responded.
“The governor is on vacation through next week, and then he will be at a conference and meetings on the East Coast,” she emailed The Center Square. “He is in daily contact with the office.”
Rep. Chris Corry, R-Yakima, told The Center Square that lawmakers were not given notice that the governor would be leaving town for two weeks.
“I would imagine if it [were] some sort of state responsibility or tour or something, that we would be given an advance notice or the governor would be talking about where he’s going, or if it’s a vacation. But why can’t they say that, too, right?” he asked. “Maybe the governor and the administration [are] not used to the level of public scrutiny that the Governor’s Office would be under and the need for more proactive communication.”
Steve Gordon, Chair of Project 42 told The Center Square that he, too, received inquiries about Ferguson’s sudden, previously unannounced absence.
“It seems to be a trend and not just an isolated event, and perhaps there are other people trying to do business with the state and find out what’s going on that are having problems getting return emails and return calls,” he said. “We’ve got some pretty major issues when it comes to the budget, and some crime issues, and some bridges that are out, and all kinds of stuff that folks need answers on.”
Corry said people in elected office should communicate openly and consistently with the electorate.
Hopefully, this is feedback that gets to the governor,” he said. “And it seems to be a criticism from both the right and the left, right? So, I think when you typically see the right and the left coming together and criticizing something, it usually means there’s a little more veracity to it, and maybe something that needs to be taken more seriously. You serve the public and you’re supposed to be responsible to the public, and you just check out with no notice, and that seems like the height of not being accountable for the job you’re in or the people that put you there.”
