Here's something I am proud of, John:

In 1993, Stan Marshburn and I started TVW — the first cable network in Washington state to offer unedited coverage of Washington state's government, politics, and public policy.

At the time, local news coverage was beginning to shrink and the number of eyes on Olympia was withering away, threatening both accountability and transparency. So, on the principle of open government, we founded TVW so that Washingtonians could see, hear, and know the work of their government.

[link removed] [[link removed]] (You can tell this picture is from the 90's because of the snazzy pager on my hip! In my final days as Cheif of Staff for Governor Booth Gardner, Stan came to me with the idea of "C-Span for Washington state," and I said "Let's do it.")

Most people saw transparency as a public good, but some elected representatives saw this as a problem. Legislators claimed that their colleagues would never stop grandstanding if there was a camera in the room; others worried it would stifle debate because no one would want to speak on camera.

In short, the folks who opposed the TVW didn't agree on why they opposed the idea of gavel-to-gavel coverage of the state legislature, but they fervently agreed to stop this new level of transparency.

It took two years, a bipartisan coalition, and a lot of gusto, but in 1995 TVW began its first broadcast in the Washington state legislature.

Now, 28 years later, TVW is still broadcasting the business of the government and has become a model for what a state level C-Span should look like by providing coverage of every committee hearing, every moment of floor time, every elected executive branch official, and every oral argument before the state Supreme Court.

I am proud of what TVW has accomplished, its commitment to nonpartisan coverage, its awards, and its work in civic education. But above all else, I am proud that TVW has held to its founding principle and provided the clarity and light that is necessary for a good and honest government.

Government works for the people and the people of Washington deserve full access to the workings of their government. I was committed to this in 1993 and I am committed to it now.

So, when I stand at the dais, gavel in hand, ready to ring in a new day of Senate business, I see the cameras, the cameras I fought to bring into the Capitol, and every day I recommit myself to bringing transparency to Washington state Government.

Together we are building a more transparent government — a government where everyone can fully participate. So, get involved and participate in government, watch the legislative process, call your legislators and city councilors, run for office, and vote. November 7th is election day for local elections across our state, so get involved, vote, and help us fight for a more transparent government.

Denny

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