Interim period busy with 12th District visits

Friends and neighbors,

I hope that you and your families have been having a fun and safe summer. It has been over two months since the 105-day legislative session and the May 16 special session ended. My schedule is more manageable during the summer months with in-district visits and occasional committee meetings and appointments in Olympia, but the schedule gets busy in the fall as I hold my listening tour throughout the district and begin preparing for next year’s legislative session. Over the past several weeks, I have enjoyed connecting with various local groups to reflect up recent legislative actions and learn more about upcoming community projects. Here are some recent events and activities:

12th District Interim activities

Serving as State Senator is a year-round effort, involving a mix of “in session” activities at the State Capitol and “interim” activities during the time the Legislature is not in session. A typical year for me begins in the fall with my annual listening tour and group meetings to prepare for the Legislative session in the winter. The spring usually involves meeting with groups to recap the Olympia activities and participating in field tours and events with legislators and stakeholders. The summer is a continuation of those activities with occasional caucus meetings, legislative briefings, and interim committee work. My favorite aspect of the non-session interim work involves personal meetings and visits throughout the 12th District. Here is a summary of some of this year’s interim activities:

• Post-session Interviews with local media. Following the adjournment of the 105-day session and the passage of the state budgets, I had the opportunity to connect in studio with KPQ and KOZI radio. I have enjoyed close connections to these stations and their listeners during my service in the Legislature, participating in interviews weekly during the session and monthly in the interim months.

• Apple Blossom Festival and Grand Parade. This year celebrated the 104th Apple Blossom Festival in Wenatchee April 27-May 7. My family enjoyed riding in the Grand Parade and connecting with community members. I’d like to extend a big thank-you to the festival royalty, staff, board, and community volunteers who came together to make the festival so special.

• Wenatchee Kiwanis Club Presentation. I enjoyed attending a recent Kiwanis Service Club lunch at the Pybus Public Market event center. I summarized the legislative session and had a good discussion with the Kiwanis members.

• Snoqualmie Valley Governments Association.The SVGA hosted an evening dinner meeting at the North Bend City Hall to hear about the legislative session and to discuss Snoqualmie Valley priorities. The event host, North Bend Mayor Rob McFarland, offered a warm greeting to the group on behalf of the city and council. I had the pleasure of sitting with the Carnation City Council.

• Wenatchee Valley Chamber of Commerce. I enjoyed joining my 12th District seatmates, Representatives Mike Steele and Keith Goehner, to recap the 105-day legislative session and the May 16 special session at a chamber “coffee and commerce” event. We discussed the budgets, local transportation projects, and police pursuits and drug possession bills.

• Lincoln Park Renovation Celebration. I was honored to attend the recent event to celebrate renovations to the City of Wenatchee’s Lincoln Park. The park received local, state, and federal dollars to update its stage, play area, and rest rooms. I appreciated joining Mayor Kuntz and other local leaders to celebrate the improvements.

• Fall City Community Groups. I met with representatives from the Fall City Sustainable Growth and Fall City Community Association groups recently. These stakeholders shared the intense pressures and challenges resulting from recent developments in the Fall City area along with other important priorities for Fall City.

• North Bend Block Party. It was terrific attending the 2023 North Bend Downtown Foundation’s “Block Party”. This is an annual summer event is a major source of pride for the city, celebrating all things North Bend, featuring local officials, artists, business people, and more. It was great to connect with the community.

Additional Interim district activities:

• North Bend “Meet Your Senator” Coffees. I have hosted two “coffee hour” events in North Bend to hear directly from constituents in this portion of the 12th. Being accessible to the people you serve is a very important part of this job, so I look forward to offering more of these opportunities in the months ahead. Please like and follow me on Facebook @SenatorBradHawkins for future invites.

• East Wenatchee City Council. It was my honor to attend a meeting of the East Wenatchee City Council. I provided councilmembers a legislative update and presented Mayor Jerrilea Crawford with the bill signing pen from Senate Bill 5001 related to the Regional Sports Complex.

• Chelan Valley Republican Women. Women from the Chelan and Manson areas graciously hosted me at a luncheon to discuss the legislative session. Topics included the recently approved budgets, drug possession law, and property taxes. Chelan County Commissioner Tiffany Gering also attended to report on county activities.

• Chelan-Douglas Regional Port Authority. I had the opportunity to attend a meeting of the Regional Port Authority commissioners. We discussed a variety of issues related to the legislative session and their ongoing priorities. The Regional Port has been very busy with various projects in Chelan and Douglas counties.

• Regional Sports Complex Open House. Local governments have partnered together to hire Berry Dunn & Associates to conduct a multi-month outreach and public comment effort related to a possible future Regional Sports Complex. Over 200 community members attended the two open house events to learn more.

• Historic Downtown Chelan Association. Various local officials attended a presentation at the Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce by the Historic Downtown Chelan Association. It was great to connect with the officials, local community members, and others to learn more about activities in Chelan and Manson.

• KPQ’s “The Agenda” Interview. I enjoyed visiting the KPQ Radio studios in person to participate on Dave Bernstein’s “The Agenda” show. We discussed the implementation of the state’s new long-term care tax and other legislative topics. To listen, click here.

• Visit with Carnation City Council. Mayor Jim Ribail, City Councilmembers, and city staff met with me in Carnation to discuss a variety of things, including the recent legislative session, SR 203 and Tolt Hill Road, working with King County, and funding for the city’s Emergency Operations Center.

• SnoValley Chamber of Commerce. It was great to connect with Kelly Coughlin and Michael Hughes of the SnoValley Chamber of Commerce recently. We enjoyed time together to discuss issues important to the chamber and the Snoqualmie Valley.