Welcome to April, it’s springtime and it’s a time of renewal. It’s not usually a time of year that we are all ramped up for a gubernatorial election, but this year, it is.
The next primary in Washington state is in August, but if you are waiting to get involved until then, don’t. Let’s stir up excitement now about our endorsed candidate for governor, Sen. Mark Mullet.
Mark is a member of the Washington Hospitality Association, a franchisee, a small business owner and a tourism champion.
I'm getting more and more phone calls that the business model for our industry just isn't working and the state just doesn't care. Well, this year, we have a chance to elect a new governor that really understands our industry, and now is the time to act.
There is not usually someone who is such a hero of small business and people really trying to make hospitality successful in our state running for office. Many of you will know that he’s a Zeke’s Pizza franchisee, a Ben & Jerry’s franchisee and longtime champion of the industry.
Last fall, Mark and I sat down for an episode of the CEO Podcast. He laid out some of his agenda for us.
Public safety is an important issue for him as a business owner. During the 2023 legislative session, Mark co-sponsored a bill that makes public drug use a gross misdemeanor.
“I think we got the balance right,” he told me. “It’s a treatment focused bill, but at the same time, those refusing treatment there is going to be accountability where you could spend time in jail if you’re saying I don’t want to go into treatment under any scenario.”
He also talked about the need for an easier permitting system to speed up construction in the state. He knows that any delay in construction drives up costs, especially for public entities.
Mark has been a champion of tourism, and he recognizes that as a sales-tax-based state for revenue, attracting tourists to Washington is like bringing in new taxpayers.
Lastly, Mark has done something many of you have stated you want in your next Governor, has signed the front of a paycheck. If he makes the general election, he can win. He has a track record of listening to the industry and is trying to find solutions to the issues that are important to us.
The time to support Mark is not the first week of August. It’s now. If you would like to get involved, but aren’t sure how, you can email Dale Porter, our grassroots coordinator here at the association, you can donate to his campaign, or you can contact his campaign directly. And if you would like to hear more about Mark, check out my interview with him in last October’s CEO Podcast.
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