It’s no surprise Democrat Janice Zahn’s first few months in the Legislature involved tinkering to improve the state’s contracting processes to construct bridges, ferries and other critical transportation projects. As the Port of Seattle’s chief engineer, she excels in such unsexy but crucial work.
In an era when infrastructure projects are too-often delayed and over budget, Zahn can bring a rare skill set and a penchant for problem-solving to the Legislature. Voters from the 41st Legislative District, including Mercer Island, south Bellevue, Newcastle and Sammamish, should send her back to Olympia.
The former Bellevue City Council member was appointed to the Legislature by the King County Council to replace Tana Senn, who was added to Gov. Bob Ferguson’s cabinet as head of the Department of Children, Youth and Families. In a year that lawmakers had to face up to years of irresponsible overspending by the previous governor and legislatures, it was a trial by fire for Zahn.
She immediately saw opportunities for improving the way the state does business. She took on a bill to make it easier for the state’s transportation department to use different bidding processes to help contain the skyrocketing costs of projects. She also sponsored House Bill 1967, which removed unnecessary bonding requirements from state transportation projects, a move that is sure to save money. Both were signed into law.
She sees government process overkill as an albatross to getting projects completed and vows to continue eliminating such waste.
“How much more cost and risk are we incurring by adding layers of process that (don’t) actually bring us more value?” she told The Times editorial board.
The board does have its criticisms of Zahn, who appeared to deviate little from ruling Democrats as they pushed through a record amount of taxes that will profoundly impact the cost of living in the state. If elected, she should show more of a backbone when vetting future tax proposals and focus on her strengths — the betterment of processes within government that make it more effective.
Zahn faces a credible if politically inexperienced challenger in Republican John Whitney, a Bellevue building contractor. While Whitney shared a vision of lower taxes and deregulation, his positions were unrefined. That, combined with Zahn’s engineering acumen and policy chops, gives her the edge in the race.
Both candidates said they would sign a pledge never to invoke legislative privilege, a questionable legal theory that gives state lawmakers the ability to hide their communications from the public. But Zahn is best to improve the ways of government and help deliver timely and on-budget projects lawmakers have promised.
