Investigators: Governor's office accuses KING of distorting interview

patrick51 said on September 14, 2010 at 7:56 AM

Does she have alezheimers? Last i checked canada had mostly people ferrys and you got off the other side and took the bus. In my opion we should get rid of the car ferrys and have passenger only ferries. Would save a ton of money and if you want a car then rent a parking space in seattle and ferry over and then take your car. As a tax payer it is not my responsibility to pay for other peoples life style, And choosing to live acrost the water is there choice .

captaingreg said on August 10, 2010 at 3:52 PM

crazytrain247: You need to lay off of the recreational pharmaceuticals. Replace them with what? You? You're not qualified to mop the heads. So, after all of this whining about alleged waste can someone please explain to me why the Terminal Employees are being paid 28% over the M.E.C. Salary Survey? The Deck and Engine are (or have been) below the Salary Survey but the Terminal Department is heavily inflated on the wages for ticket takers and parking attendants. I thought that WSF contract negotiations and attendant wages were expected to be based almost solely on the the Marine Employees Commission's Salary Survey? Looks like this little nugget went unnoticed by Susannah. Maybe her "inside sources" are a little close to home for her to mention this discrepancy? 28%; I wonder how many millions that has cost? You all should be asking Susannah why she's ignoring this little story.

crazytrain247 said on July 17, 2010 at 9:46 AM

prestolog, it will also give back our right to fire illegal strikers and scammers, which isnlt happening now!

crazytrain247 said on July 17, 2010 at 9:43 AM

if you people wanna see biased news go to q13. you wont find any story that is negative of the police or their actions due to their tie with americas most wanted. the anchors are pathetic even posing and talking tough like the police they wont report on.

bellevuetom said on July 16, 2010 at 7:38 PM

The gov is partially to blame for the disservice to our state. The liberals that voted for her are partially to blame for putting her into office. The other gov't officials are partially to blame. ME, I am totally innocent. :-) Give her the DONALD (you're fired) or as Nancy Reagan would say....JUST SAY NO (to C.G). We need prayers!!!!!

smithrock said on July 16, 2010 at 3:48 PM

Privatizing the Seattle Ferry system would increase rates. The Vancouver, BC privatizing Ferry System got subsidization from the Canadian Government and not from the city of Vancouver. Would the Seattle get subsidization from the US Government? Perhaps. They could always borrow money from the Bank of China which they now do to finance the Iran War.

nonclassical said on July 8, 2010 at 9:49 AM

"Privatization" of ferries is fine if there are no taxpayer funded subsidies to private profits. So much of the Republi$$K$$an "privatization" scheme has involved paying off corporate contributors by handing over publicly funded infrastructure for pennies on the dollar, then subsidizing private profits with taxpayer funding. Those who propose such schemes are usually "bought and sold" themselves..reading Noami Klein's, "The Shock Doctrine", we see the historical nature of "privatization" schemes, as applied to South America by U.S. corporate interests. This is now being done here. Electricity supplies in the Northwest, held in public interest till Bush deregulated the "Public Utility Act of 1930" have now been sold off to Canadian-Australian conglomerate, this after longtime public funding-taxpayer absorbed charges for infrastructure. Ferries and docks sold at pennies on the dollar to "private ownership", then funded for "private profit" by taxpayers doesn't make any sense,

prestolog said on July 7, 2010 at 7:53 PM

Privatize the ferries? Go right ahead, I dare you. Nothing much will change, I assure you. Think you can replace the crews wholesale? With who or what? (hope they speak english cuz it's required by law). Privatizing the ferries will do away with the MEC and give back the right to strike! C'mon, lets do it!!

trplrdr said on July 7, 2010 at 9:42 AM

Uh eric it's called objective reporting. Its a refreshing break from the keister kissing on the national news.

eric1972sea said on July 6, 2010 at 10:19 PM

King 5 does seem to be out to get the state and its employees as of late.

framed said on July 6, 2010 at 12:48 PM

Ever notice Doogy that people stop commenting when they are given some facts?

doogy said on July 2, 2010 at 6:05 PM

Joe, Of course he is, he is one of the prior Stars of this series, Mark (S)Nitchman

joespectator said on June 30, 2010 at 8:48 PM

framed Are you one of these Staff Chief Engineers? From your repetative writings, I am getting the hint that you may be. I agree, privatize the ferry system. A large majority of the workers on the ferries would immediatly be fired for being rude and non productive employees. A private company would only keep the cream of the crop. You may keep your job, or maybe not, and by all means pay you the same as the 70 year old chain smoking man. He probably has a work eithic, and obviously is not afraid to get caught working.

lsmith5870400119 said on June 30, 2010 at 6:42 PM

Who is she going to blame for distorting her face?

framed said on June 30, 2010 at 4:00 PM

king 5 has distorted virtually every piece of this series and so there is some justice to see the Governor pushing back. Today I had a local private business pump out my septic tank. They sent out a 70 year old chain smoking man to dig a 2 foot hole to access the opening. We were so worried about his ability to survive the dig we had our son dig most of it for him. They charged 90 dollars per hour for his digging on top of a flat rate for the rest of the job. That guy with a shovel who could barely breath let alone dig was charging the same rate as a WSF Staff Chief Engineer on overtime. The experience made me think about how Frame has distorted so much in this story. The septic digger, my car mechanic and a host of others charge the same thing on straight time as the state pays it's most highly trained marine engineers on overtime. She has never once told you what the Staff Chief does on the ferry or in the shipyard, just what he made. I can't wait to be privatized.

pnwmission said on June 30, 2010 at 12:24 PM

The best outcome of the KING 5 reporting on WSF is that it provides a base of public and political support for management to reform some processes and practices that have been in place for decades. Let's recognize the reporter for following up a couple of tips by disgruntled employees, but there's no excuse for her boorish behavior with the Governor. The Governor and Paula Hammond deserve credit for bringing in Moseley, an outsider, to make changes, which he's done in his two years. Most importantly he's communicating directly with all ferry communities/users in quarterly meetings in each ferry run town, something that no previous ferry director would have dreamed of doing. He's also working on work rule and business practice reforms, and the reporter's stories/information are contributing to fixing some of those problems. However, this ain't Watergate and she needs to get a grip on her ego!

liberterius said on June 30, 2010 at 11:50 AM

The only thing distorted is Gregoire's view of reality. But we'll straighten her out this November I guarantee you.

wawolf said on June 30, 2010 at 9:32 AM

jackwong: Your trolling gets funnier and funnier every time I read it. Talk about over the top. xtremeracer: I agree that Chris is a crappy governor, but Obamma is definitely not the worst president. Were you around for the 8 years Bush Jr was in office? Now he's definitely a contender for worst president.

slidddllllllll said on June 30, 2010 at 7:54 AM

Gov is useless, has been and there are bigger issues than the WSF service; mark my words, she has got to go period! I find her to be an idiot in any interview.

scott_bellevue said on June 30, 2010 at 6:39 AM

I think Gregoire wants the same thing as the rest of us. She wants to save the state money where she can. The problem with this interview, and with Gregoire in general, is that she won't answer any of these questions directly. She's doing the uber politician thing where she NEVER actually answers the questions being asked, which makes her look slimy. The other problem is that she went into this interview without reading any of the articles. She didn't do her homework. She is absolutely being evasive in the interview and doing all she can to avoid answering a direct question with a direct answer.

dakota001 said on June 30, 2010 at 6:20 AM

@pdova, I would LOVE to be part of the solution, unfortunately, in this series of interviews, the governor is being asked to be part of the solution and asked what she is going to do about solving the waste within the ferry system and all she can respond with is being defensive and a lot of spin. I would love to see her put that much energy into actually getting rid of the waste instead of putting it into being argumentative and defensive.

speedracer said on June 30, 2010 at 5:06 AM

jacks wacked

pdova said on June 30, 2010 at 4:36 AM

The ferry system has been bad for years. Good job King for exposing some of the issues. Exposing these types of issues can and will save money. The heads of the system who where interviewed should have let the govenor know and her comments were in bad form, but a lot of these comments feel like now rotten sour grapes from an election that Rossi lost. Grow up and start being part of the solution instead of the problem.

pixelater said on June 30, 2010 at 4:34 AM

jackwong, seriously? "A good citizen should always support everything that the government does" what about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan should we support that? If good citizens always supported everything there government did this would be England, not the USA. Maybe you meant to say we should always support your left wing socialist government point of view and decisions.

freedomfrank said on June 30, 2010 at 4:33 AM

Yer phunny Jack. I thought you were one of them bleeding hearts till this last post. Hahahahaaa you got me, good one.

pixelater said on June 30, 2010 at 4:26 AM

wong, wong, wong, again wackjack.

jackwong said on June 30, 2010 at 3:28 AM

Kudos to Governor Gregoire for fighting back. This investigative report are definitely unpatriotic acts against the state. A good citizen should always support everything that the government does. Even if there is some minor "unfairness" given to the ferry workers, it is SMALL compared to the scope of the whole budget. We have to look at Washington State as a big picture... and this is what Governor Gregoire is doing. Good for her.

hourforum said on June 29, 2010 at 11:07 PM

I voted for Chris twice now, and will not again. Not that she is a democrat, but her lack luster flipant remarks are not getting her anywhere. due to KING TV's findings, yes it saved the state. The Govenor does not seem to care about this " pocket change", like we do. Maybe she is sad that she was not the one who found it. I bet I could find waste spending by Olympia- and could find where to make cuts in the budget myself without hurting anyone. There are Hundreads of state cars and trucks all insured, UN USED! sitting there. There now are condo's the state owns for state workers..., what a freeking perk this is. Make 100K a year, and stay in a state condo-,wow now thats a nice job

ramac7716 said on June 29, 2010 at 10:46 PM

sell the ferrys and the people on the island can stay on the island don't like them anyhow

inthemuk said on June 29, 2010 at 10:18 PM

Wasn't Gregoire in the movie "Clueless". Better yet, sink the Ferries and build a bridge!!!!! It be far cheaper on the tax payer. Plus, the motorist who wants to cross the Sound on time and no out of pocket expense.

bethanyja said on June 29, 2010 at 9:29 PM

Please don't vote Democratic or Republican. Vote for the person that will do the best job. PLEASE!!!!!! I am so embarrassed for our beautiful state, we are better than this.

lilredcv said on June 29, 2010 at 9:04 PM

They'll claim this story was distorted too... just wait and see....

xtremeracer said on June 29, 2010 at 9:01 PM

It's a shame We now have The worst President and worst Govenor in history at the same time

kanorhar said on June 29, 2010 at 8:00 PM

I'm someone that dislikes this govenor. Inever voted for her. Honestly, we need to get away from the party line. Forget that she is a Democrate. I actaully looked at her character the first time she was elected as govenor by King County, not the citizens of washington state. She was mean and rude to Rossi. She raised taxes on the citizens of this state even though we said it would take a 2/3 vote to rise it. (yes the legislature helped). Then her stupid comment to Rob McKenna sewing over the health care reform. How he didn't represent her?? Well not only does he represent her, but the reset of us. She needs to think before she speaks. So for all of you that voted for her is this the person you wanted to represent you? I sure hope some of you have woken up and know to get someone else in office. Again I could care less about the party line. I want someone that will come in and do the job right and think about the citizens of this state.

emily_litella said on June 29, 2010 at 7:35 PM

Can we have her removed due to "no confidence" etc? I think enough people have had enough of her lies. --- What she is doing is literally criminal. --- Wikipedia - "Impeachment can also occur at the state level; state legislatures can impeach state officials, including governors, according to their respective state constitutions."

dakota001 said on June 29, 2010 at 7:19 PM

Spin, spin, spin, spin, spin, Christine. Take ONE minute of your oh so precious time and read what ALL the commenters are saying on here and what 95% of the voters and taxpayers statewide are saying! If you aren't going to do it for yourself, at least try to have some respect for the politicians of the future and show them a good example by actually listening to someone else for a change!

emily_litella said on June 29, 2010 at 6:47 PM

Does this crazy - even know the difference between million & BILLION? As far as criminal activity, Chrisy, LOOK IN THE MIRROR!! Susannah was a whole lot more polite than could have even thought about being.

unbelievable said on June 29, 2010 at 6:28 PM

I may be wrong, but I believe she said they saved 33 million dollars that didn't exist yet. - not really a savings, kind off like saving money cuz you didn't buy something.

jcosser459095957 said on June 29, 2010 at 6:07 PM

She is what she is and what she is stinks - BUT the fact remains too many of you voted for this excuse of a leader, so suffer we will until the next chance to remove her.

alki50 said on June 29, 2010 at 6:06 PM

"Clueless Chris". That's what I call her. After watching this I think it is a fitting name.

esmarine said on June 29, 2010 at 5:25 PM

King5 absolutely portrayed the Governor fairly, and Susannah has done nothing less than a professional and thorough job of bringing these issues to light. Unfortunately, Gov. Gregoire's tone and body language was so defensive in this piece that I can tell she knows that Susannah's investigation is credible, yet she put on a tough front to (attempt to) save face and nothing more. THIS ADMINISTRATION HAS DONE NOTHING TO PROVE TO ME THAT THEY CARE ABOUT THE CORRUPTION AND WASTE IN STATE GOVERNMENT. Go ahead and act tough Gov., but this ferry scandal is only the tip of the iceberg in regard to the mismanagement and corruption that has occurred under your watch. We all have seen the Empress' new clothes.

jethrobodine said on June 29, 2010 at 5:17 PM

She is way too ignorant to even understand what you were talking about.

1jdub said on June 29, 2010 at 4:43 PM

This woman does not deserve to be governor of this state. I'm not sure what she is, but she definately is not a leader. We can't afford 2 more years of her. Heads need to roll starting with the gov.

bluemax2001 said on June 29, 2010 at 4:34 PM

Come on now, Governor, invest in a DVR and watch the news. Mismanagement and cooking the books on overtime and travel SHOULD be illegal, too. Quit kissing up to the unions.

plutonomics said on June 29, 2010 at 4:31 PM

I don't think this is the place to ask if you portrayed the governor fairly. I think over half the people on this news site would prefer she be hanging from a rope just because she's a Democrat....just sayin'

matthias said on June 29, 2010 at 4:15 PM

She claims that she does not watch much TV. I guess that is probably why she is so clueless about what is happening in this state as well as what the residents think of her performance so far. Local News is one of the most important sources for information about the state but she seems to rely on only what her minions tell her. I guess as long as you do not hear about how bad things are, they are not really bad at all.

mazking said on June 29, 2010 at 4:13 PM

"She doesn't have time..." Wow! but she does have time to waste and spend our tax dollars like there's no tomorrow.

tacwilster said on June 29, 2010 at 4:11 PM

She hasn't a clue of what is going on in her own state, she is too busy smooching the DC people so she can move east. She could care less about waste of our money, she has plenty.

justmebeckyk said on June 29, 2010 at 4:03 PM

Of course she accuses them of distorting the interview, she couldn't possibly be in the wrong.

7louloukansas said on June 29, 2010 at 3:45 PM

Unbelievable. Isn't that her job - to cut waste? Instead, they eliminate bus service on Sundays in Snohomish County to punish the people, threaten to cut police protection, etc. If there wasn't so much waste, we wouldn't have to cut essential services or raise taxes!

collentine1 said on June 29, 2010 at 3:38 PM

Good work by reporter Frame for exposing the wasteful spending and, dare I say, corruption that exists at the state level. Gregoire should be ashamed!

emily_litella said on June 29, 2010 at 3:37 PM

AAAARGHH!! It's the Grinch who stole our money!!!

jamey said on June 29, 2010 at 3:28 PM

Momma always told me it is easier to fix the blame rather than fix the problem. It's called taking the easy way out. King 5 has historically been one of the Governors biggest supporters. I can't believe she threw them under the bus like that.

freedomfrank said on June 29, 2010 at 3:22 PM

$1 of tax payer money wasted is too much. Governor,,, please don't sit there and say what a great job you are doing by saving "millions" of dollars that shouldn't have been spent in the first place.

quacker said on June 29, 2010 at 3:21 PM

Someone in the Governor's office screwed up letting her come out with only a "briefing". This story has major impact and even if the thought in Olympia was to insulate her from it, that decision in itself was a major screwup. Thanks to KING5 for doing the hard journalistic work that helps keep citizens informed.

clear2copy said on June 29, 2010 at 3:19 PM

owned

rsarris said on June 29, 2010 at 3:16 PM

OK they saved 33 million..great, now how much more will be saved when they cut out the waste..the governor fails to grasp that concept, the last company I worked for did the same thing with "the job made money" when they they should have been looking at how much more could have been made if everything ran correctly..now they are in serious trouble just like this state is with leadership like we have

bazwest said on June 29, 2010 at 3:14 PM

Just like Rodney Dangerfield she gets no respect. Although just between you and me I would prefer Rodney Dangerfield as governor.

kochnfox6276 said on June 29, 2010 at 3:04 PM

I expect nothing less from this governor

freddy6666 said on June 29, 2010 at 3:00 PM

The wicked Witch of Olympia let out her true self in this interview. Am sure that she has people telling her what is going on in the State, maybe that is why her husband is on the payroll to tell her. Course maybe she does not want to understand what is going on with the ferry system. She thinks that she ALWAYS DOES RIGHT!!!

puyalluprox said on June 29, 2010 at 2:35 PM

Sounds like she had a lot of time to learn some statistics she wanted to be sure to use - but not to watch a couple of news stories that was the basis of the whole interview? Stop being a politician and start leading the state! Clearly her two appointees (Ferries and Transportation) have their jobs for other reasons than their efficiencies. Time for some changes.