Jay Inslee has been taking well-deserved grief for his tendency towards secrecy, whether it’s regarding his plans for raising gas prices by more than $1 per gallon to not providing much advance notice or access to the meetings of his climate committee working on his California-style cap-and-trade plan.
Most recently, political observers and editorial boards from across the state are asking why Inslee is not being transparent in his negotiations with the public employee unions that are seeking big raises next year.
The reason is a simple one, as the Seattle Times pointed out in an editorial today—“Gov. Jay Inslee, elected with huge contributions from the public-employee unions, has promised salary increases for their members.”
Unfortunately for the taxpayers who will pay those bills, Jay Inslee is keeping his plans hidden not just from the public, but also from the legislative committee that is supposed to provide some oversight of negotiations to ensure Inslee doesn’t reward his big campaign donors too much with other people’s money.
The question is whether the public will continue to rise up against Inslee’s preference for secrecy when it comes to spending those taxpayer dollars to reward his friends.
