The Times They are A’Changin, But We Can Choose How It Matures

By Guy Hoyle-Dodson

Washington State’s Governor, Christine Gregoire has decided that its time for a new direction in how we administer state government. She is looking for efficiencies and savings in all agencies at all levels and has formed a Business and Labor Advisory Group on State Government Reform. Her vision for transforming state government includes:

• Focus on prioritizing core services
• Consolidate and streamline shared functions
• Serve the customer, i.e. the public, not the bureaucracy
• Identify priorities by comparing value against the investment of time and resources
• Involve citizens to strengthen our democracy and enrich our civil society
• Empower employees who actually deliver the services
• Build trust, openness, accountability, and integrity
• Embrace and reward creativity and innovation

The governor has assured everyone that change will happen. How and what kind of change is still an open question. Of course, change can come with a whole load of baggage, mistakes can be made, and change does not always reflect what is best for the public or for our mission.

Our director, Jay Manning has come to our Bargaining Unit and asked us to help Ecology to sort through the many nuances of what would be the best kind of change for our mission to protect the environment, serve the public interest, and preserve the many fine attributes of Ecology as an institution. His basic strategy: this is going to happen and we had better provide the best possible advice to the governor to preempt other, perhaps not so sound advice. He has turned to the bargaining unit, because it represents the rank and file, those people who best know just what is environmentally sound policy, what truly serves the public interest, and who know what is brightest about our agency. This represents a profound change from past interactions with our members and offers a level of respect and trust that is at last commensurate with our actual role in pursuing our mission.

The Bargaining Unit realized intuitively that the best way to accomplish this undertaking was to go directly to our members and ask for their collective insights, wisdom, and their practical experience.

This is a daunting task. There are as many opinions as there are members, not all information is available to everyone, and of course, there will be disagreements. How this divergent counsel would be organized into a practical and unified position to be presented to the Governor also presented an awesome challenge. Committee members from the Bargaining Unit were convinced, however, that this was the best approach and that we should find a means, at all costs.

Fortunately, there is new technology that can help with this. We proposed a Wiki, a shared site, where opinions could be aired and consolidated. This had some practical difficulties, so we settled for an Agency SharePoint, an Intranet site, where ideas could be presented and debated. Management agreed, and this has now become a reality.

Now it is up to you, our members, to bring this task to fruition. The leadership and activists of the Bargaining Unit urge you to visit this site, to share your well considered thoughts about the future of the agency. This is also the desire of Jay and our management. They need your advice. More importantly, you need to give it.

This is our opportunity. This is an open forum. No negative consequences will result from a free, honest, open opinion. Large and important positive consequences could result for both the agency and its employees. A lack of input could have equally dire consequences. Please, find the time to add you voice to this important endeavor. You will influence these changing times.