Gov. Gary Locke on Monday abandoned efforts to persuade state lawmakers to approve a $1 billion tax increase for education.
He said he”ll turn his efforts toward passing a citizen initiative — including the 1-cent sales tax increase contained in the package — this fall.
“It’s up to the voters now,” Locke told The Associated Press.
Locke’s withdrawal was no surprise to a veteran North Olympic Peninsula lawmaker who predicted the proposal’s demise when Locke broached it two weeks ago.
Rep. Jim Buck, R-Joyce, said Monday from his Capitol office that he never saw any legislative support for Locke’s proposal — or any effort on the governor’s part to promote it.
“He had his news conference and said basically what he said,” Buck said.
“All I could see down here is people getting out of the way. Nobody down here was willing to support this thing.”
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The rest of the story appears in Tuesday’s Peninsula Daily News.