Page 35: of Marine News Magazine (January 2016)

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FERRIES & PASSENGER VESSELS “Tom Wooten, Chairman of the Samish

Indian Nation, and a tribal member present

Assistant Director of Transportation for

Ferries Lynne Grif? th with a blanket at the dedication of the new ferry M/V Samish.”

Righting the Ship

Grif? th started getting familiar with her new territory by riding every ferry route and stopping at all the terminals and maintenance docks. Grif? th and Peterson also spent several days completing the training for able-bodied sea- man, to the surprise of ferry workers. Grif? th ? attened the management structure of the system; ? red four high-level administrators and brought in members of her own team.

Meanwhile, on the legislative side of state government,

House Transportation Chair Judy Clibborn was lobbying legislators to vote for a transportation budget that would pay for maintenance and new ferries. The 2015 legislative session, balanced between a Democratic House and a Re- publican Senate, went into not one but three extended ses- “I saw they had serious operational sions. By July of 2015, the parties at last agreed on a long- issues. My goal was to come on term transportation package that helped stabilize WSF funding, though there was still no dedicated tax revenue board and stabilize the situation. stream. The deal paid for a fourth Olympic class ferry; new terminals in downtown Seattle and Mukilteo, just north of

That’s what I do.”

Seattle, and some deferred maintenance. There is an RFP pending to convert up to six of the Issaquah Class ferries to – Ferry Chief Lynne Grif? th

LNG, but as yet, no funds.

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