WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.580 So razor climbing. He's like, oh, challenge accepted. 00:00:07.639 --> 00:00:10.259 This isn't going to be fun for me. I could tell 00:00:10.259 --> 00:00:14.839 already. Welcome to County Connection. the official 00:00:14.839 --> 00:00:17.120 podcast of the Washington State Association of 00:00:17.120 --> 00:00:19.100 Counties, where we dive into the legislative 00:00:19.100 --> 00:00:21.140 issues shaping the future of our communities. 00:00:21.379 --> 00:00:23.579 From budgets to public safety, infrastructure 00:00:23.579 --> 00:00:26.519 to elections, we'll break down what's happening 00:00:26.519 --> 00:00:29.280 in Olympia and how it impacts counties from across 00:00:29.280 --> 00:00:32.399 the Evergreen State. Stay informed, stay engaged, 00:00:32.520 --> 00:00:35.399 and join us as we amplify the voice of Washington's 00:00:35.399 --> 00:00:39.700 39 counties. Welcome to the County Connections 00:00:39.700 --> 00:00:42.119 Podcast. My name is Jamie Bodden, Managing Director 00:00:42.119 --> 00:00:44.380 for the State Association of Local Public Health 00:00:44.380 --> 00:00:46.979 Officials, and I'm here today with my co -host. 00:00:47.380 --> 00:00:49.859 Kelsey Hulse, Contract Lobbyist with State Association 00:00:49.859 --> 00:00:52.899 of Counties. That's right. We've taken control 00:00:52.899 --> 00:00:55.719 of the podcast room at the WASAC office, and 00:00:55.719 --> 00:00:57.659 we're here today with a very special guest to 00:00:57.659 --> 00:01:00.340 talk about the legislative session, special issues, 00:01:00.560 --> 00:01:04.420 and what's going on for the interim. Hello, special 00:01:04.420 --> 00:01:05.879 guest. Would you like to introduce yourself? 00:01:08.000 --> 00:01:10.540 Hello, I'm Paul, the Government Relations Director 00:01:10.540 --> 00:01:13.599 for WASAC, and typically the host of this podcast, 00:01:13.879 --> 00:01:16.659 but evidently something has happened and it's 00:01:16.659 --> 00:01:19.840 been taken over by you two, and I'm not sure 00:01:19.840 --> 00:01:22.349 how to feel about it. Paul is in the hot seat 00:01:22.349 --> 00:01:25.629 and he is ready. It feels a little bit less comfortable 00:01:25.629 --> 00:01:28.349 on this side of the table, I have to say. Now 00:01:28.349 --> 00:01:32.450 you know how we all felt all session long, Paul. 00:01:33.269 --> 00:01:37.689 Well, you were good at masking this feeling because 00:01:37.689 --> 00:01:39.349 it's a little uncertain for me. I'm not sure 00:01:39.349 --> 00:01:41.329 what to do, actually. Yeah, well, how about we 00:01:41.329 --> 00:01:43.430 get going and start right off the bat? Sure, 00:01:43.450 --> 00:01:45.609 why not? What were some of the legislative issues 00:01:45.609 --> 00:01:48.269 that you worked on during legislative session? 00:01:49.069 --> 00:01:50.609 Because you didn't really get to talk about them 00:01:50.609 --> 00:01:53.209 during our podcast. You asked us a lot of questions, 00:01:53.269 --> 00:01:56.469 but didn't get to hear about some of the things 00:01:56.469 --> 00:01:59.370 that you were working on. Yeah, you know, I'm 00:01:59.370 --> 00:02:02.310 not sure why it was that way. I guess just because, 00:02:02.430 --> 00:02:05.450 you know, the podcast was new this year. And 00:02:05.450 --> 00:02:08.990 as I was hosting it, it just really felt a lot 00:02:08.990 --> 00:02:10.729 more natural to kind of ask you guys questions 00:02:10.729 --> 00:02:13.330 than maybe talk about the issues that I was handling 00:02:13.330 --> 00:02:15.669 for the association. You know, we had a lot of 00:02:15.669 --> 00:02:18.969 changes this year in our staff, and we had to 00:02:18.969 --> 00:02:22.330 reshuffle a lot of the issues that we typically 00:02:22.330 --> 00:02:25.490 deal with. And by we, I mean mostly me. It was 00:02:25.490 --> 00:02:28.169 a lot of the issues that I typically dealt with, 00:02:28.289 --> 00:02:30.770 like land use, natural resources, environmental 00:02:30.770 --> 00:02:33.629 issues, and things like that, and energy, water 00:02:33.629 --> 00:02:36.789 policy, timber policy. A few of those I kept, 00:02:36.889 --> 00:02:41.620 but most of them I had to, you know. assigned 00:02:41.620 --> 00:02:43.580 to other staff members, including Kelsey, one 00:02:43.580 --> 00:02:46.060 of our new staff members this year, who did a 00:02:46.060 --> 00:02:49.460 great job. Thanks, Kelsey. Remember that as the 00:02:49.460 --> 00:02:54.979 host today. How appreciative I am of all your 00:02:54.979 --> 00:02:56.900 hard work this year. Sure, sure, Paul. Moving 00:02:56.900 --> 00:03:02.639 right along. But so I ended up covering... I 00:03:02.639 --> 00:03:04.819 still covered water and timber, but there wasn't 00:03:04.819 --> 00:03:07.680 a lot this year. In fact, this was one of the 00:03:07.680 --> 00:03:10.400 lightest water years I've ever seen. There were 00:03:10.400 --> 00:03:13.080 a few timber issues, but most of it dealt with 00:03:13.080 --> 00:03:14.879 like wildland fire and things like that. And 00:03:14.879 --> 00:03:18.400 so that was really Travis. And most of the timber 00:03:18.400 --> 00:03:20.819 bills didn't move forward. The big issues that 00:03:20.819 --> 00:03:22.699 I ended up working in were really tax policy, 00:03:23.080 --> 00:03:26.740 labor policy, general government policy, elections, 00:03:26.919 --> 00:03:29.699 things like that. Frankly, issues that I'd never 00:03:29.699 --> 00:03:32.389 really. Policy areas I hadn't worked before. 00:03:32.770 --> 00:03:35.210 So it was a little challenging, I think, this 00:03:35.210 --> 00:03:38.210 year for me. Was there an outcome out of this 00:03:38.210 --> 00:03:40.770 session that you're most excited about or something 00:03:40.770 --> 00:03:42.590 that you thought was really positive from that 00:03:42.590 --> 00:03:45.909 issue area you just outlined? Well, if I'm being 00:03:45.909 --> 00:03:51.259 totally honest. Not really. Those are really 00:03:51.259 --> 00:03:55.319 tough issue areas for us. You know, labor issues 00:03:55.319 --> 00:03:59.560 are tough, right? You know, it's usually the 00:03:59.560 --> 00:04:02.060 counties and the cities against the unions on 00:04:02.060 --> 00:04:05.759 some of those issues. And in today's political... 00:04:06.009 --> 00:04:08.870 environment. We're usually not coming out the 00:04:08.870 --> 00:04:12.250 winner. There were some outcomes. There were 00:04:12.250 --> 00:04:14.930 some bills that didn't pass. For instance, there 00:04:14.930 --> 00:04:17.850 was a bill that would have required local governments, 00:04:18.050 --> 00:04:20.649 all employers essentially, but including local 00:04:20.649 --> 00:04:24.389 governments to bargain with their bargaining 00:04:24.389 --> 00:04:27.170 units, their representative employees, if they 00:04:27.170 --> 00:04:32.040 were going to adopt technology with AI. Right. 00:04:32.480 --> 00:04:35.420 Artificial intelligence. Well, frankly, all technology 00:04:35.420 --> 00:04:38.220 today that you adopt is going to have artificial 00:04:38.220 --> 00:04:40.639 intelligence built in as part of that component. 00:04:40.819 --> 00:04:43.540 And so it was really unclear to us as to how 00:04:43.540 --> 00:04:46.319 and under what circumstances we were supposed 00:04:46.319 --> 00:04:49.560 to negotiate. And the union representatives were 00:04:49.560 --> 00:04:53.639 presented it as really just changing the timing 00:04:53.639 --> 00:04:56.439 when you had to negotiate, because if you're 00:04:56.439 --> 00:04:59.410 going to adopt new software programs that. contain 00:04:59.410 --> 00:05:02.709 ai or not but they affect uh certain working 00:05:02.709 --> 00:05:04.910 conditions wages things like that you have to 00:05:04.910 --> 00:05:07.350 negotiate over those working conditions those 00:05:07.350 --> 00:05:09.910 impacts etc but this was a different bill and 00:05:09.910 --> 00:05:13.509 in that it made you negotiate over the adoption 00:05:13.509 --> 00:05:15.629 of the technology itself which was a real problem 00:05:15.629 --> 00:05:19.569 for us It went largely unnoticed by a lot of 00:05:19.569 --> 00:05:22.750 employer groups until the bill got halfway through 00:05:22.750 --> 00:05:24.629 the session. And then some of the bigger groups 00:05:24.629 --> 00:05:26.589 kind of woke up and said, oh, this is a problem, 00:05:26.649 --> 00:05:29.230 like Amazon or Microsoft and some of those. And 00:05:29.230 --> 00:05:31.990 so we ended up with some support getting that 00:05:31.990 --> 00:05:34.410 bill kind of put down this year. So that was 00:05:34.410 --> 00:05:37.850 a good outcome. But we lost the battle on some 00:05:37.850 --> 00:05:39.990 other really important labor bills that I think 00:05:39.990 --> 00:05:44.230 were. pretty impactful, unfortunately. And that 00:05:44.230 --> 00:05:47.610 is not unusual for us in this particular space. 00:05:47.750 --> 00:05:50.449 It's just a really difficult area for us to operate. 00:05:50.670 --> 00:05:53.759 And then... When you think about some of the 00:05:53.759 --> 00:05:55.779 other areas around, you know, say tax policy 00:05:55.779 --> 00:05:57.519 and things like that, we weren't very successful 00:05:57.519 --> 00:06:00.259 this year either. Although we did get further 00:06:00.259 --> 00:06:02.879 than we had in years past. So I suppose we can 00:06:02.879 --> 00:06:05.540 be proud of that. But, you know, in politics, 00:06:05.620 --> 00:06:08.439 there's really no points for second place. So, 00:06:08.500 --> 00:06:11.100 you know, moral victories are fine. But until, 00:06:11.240 --> 00:06:13.980 you know, the ink is on the paper and it's signed 00:06:13.980 --> 00:06:16.279 by the governor and becomes law, you're not really 00:06:16.279 --> 00:06:24.740 where you need to be. The perennial tax issues, 00:06:25.079 --> 00:06:27.779 WSAC's kind of addressed over and over again, 00:06:27.819 --> 00:06:31.759 the 1 % property tax, did have a different conversation 00:06:31.759 --> 00:06:35.379 or tone or vibe to it, you know, up until I think 00:06:35.379 --> 00:06:38.860 kind of the 11th hour with budget negotiations. 00:06:38.860 --> 00:06:42.259 But it was encouraging to see, you know, some 00:06:42.259 --> 00:06:46.939 recognition maybe or acknowledgement that years 00:06:46.939 --> 00:06:50.009 passed. Felt more dismissive. Yeah, you know, 00:06:50.009 --> 00:06:51.810 I think that's right. And we've talked about 00:06:51.810 --> 00:06:53.870 that a little bit in some of the other podcasts. 00:06:54.050 --> 00:06:57.069 I just did a podcast that people have a chance 00:06:57.069 --> 00:07:00.709 to listen to with Brian Enslow. And we did a 00:07:00.709 --> 00:07:03.370 deep dive on the budget. And Brad and I were 00:07:03.370 --> 00:07:06.639 just kind of talking about some things. Jamie, 00:07:06.660 --> 00:07:08.540 you and I were talking about some stuff around 00:07:08.540 --> 00:07:11.759 public health and the overall tone around kind 00:07:11.759 --> 00:07:14.259 of local government financing really has changed 00:07:14.259 --> 00:07:17.259 over the last couple of years, I think. Whereas 00:07:17.259 --> 00:07:19.680 in the past, it's been pretty dismissive. And 00:07:19.680 --> 00:07:22.160 lately, I think that tone has changed to be a 00:07:22.160 --> 00:07:25.079 lot more mutually respectful. There's been a 00:07:25.079 --> 00:07:29.509 much more willingness. on the part of the legislature, 00:07:29.670 --> 00:07:34.370 I think for them to acknowledge that the resources 00:07:34.370 --> 00:07:37.350 that they provide local governments are really 00:07:37.350 --> 00:07:40.689 how we implement many of the policies that they 00:07:40.689 --> 00:07:42.709 want to see implemented on a statewide level. 00:07:42.850 --> 00:07:46.680 And so providing you know, us with adequate funding 00:07:46.680 --> 00:07:49.980 to accomplish and implement what they pass is 00:07:49.980 --> 00:07:52.939 really key to success there. And, you know, we've 00:07:52.939 --> 00:07:54.839 had some fundamental bills that changed some 00:07:54.839 --> 00:07:56.800 things pretty significantly in the last couple 00:07:56.800 --> 00:07:58.620 of years around like GMA planning and things 00:07:58.620 --> 00:08:00.259 like that, where they provided some significant 00:08:00.259 --> 00:08:01.720 funding, which is something they hadn't done 00:08:01.720 --> 00:08:04.779 in the past. And then this year we had, you know, 00:08:04.800 --> 00:08:07.560 we got all the way to the end, all the way to 00:08:07.560 --> 00:08:10.899 the end, just about on the 1 % property tax growth 00:08:10.899 --> 00:08:14.480 limit change. kind of got left at the altar, 00:08:14.620 --> 00:08:17.279 so to speak, if you were to use a wedding analogy, 00:08:17.480 --> 00:08:21.459 when it became clear that the governor wasn't 00:08:21.459 --> 00:08:26.480 going to support the budget bill if it included 00:08:26.480 --> 00:08:29.519 the property tax increase. So that was a very 00:08:29.519 --> 00:08:35.100 frustrating outcome. But just part of the political 00:08:35.100 --> 00:08:36.840 reality, I think, that we're dealing with with 00:08:36.840 --> 00:08:39.179 a new administration. But you're right, we did 00:08:39.179 --> 00:08:41.279 make a lot more progress and the conversations 00:08:41.279 --> 00:08:43.889 were a lot more productive, I think, than they 00:08:43.889 --> 00:08:45.769 have been in the past. We also got a lot farther 00:08:45.769 --> 00:08:48.470 this year on some of our other revenue proposals, 00:08:48.529 --> 00:08:53.049 like a county utility tax. We finally got a bill 00:08:53.049 --> 00:08:56.289 introduced, got out of committee, just never 00:08:56.289 --> 00:08:59.289 made it through the fiscal committee, but never 00:08:59.289 --> 00:09:01.990 made it onto the House floor for a vote. And 00:09:01.990 --> 00:09:04.389 I've heard good things from the chair of the 00:09:04.389 --> 00:09:05.809 Finance Committee that she's willing to bring 00:09:05.809 --> 00:09:07.850 that bill back again next year. So that would 00:09:07.850 --> 00:09:09.870 be a good outcome for us too. we can continue 00:09:09.870 --> 00:09:11.990 that conversation. You've touched on a couple 00:09:11.990 --> 00:09:13.809 of ways in which this session may have been a 00:09:13.809 --> 00:09:15.529 little different from ones that we've seen in 00:09:15.529 --> 00:09:17.549 the past. But I wonder if, you know, based on 00:09:17.549 --> 00:09:20.330 your experience, we hear terms like unprecedented 00:09:20.330 --> 00:09:23.289 thrown around a lot. But I wonder if you could 00:09:23.289 --> 00:09:26.429 touch on some ways in which this most recent 00:09:26.429 --> 00:09:28.330 session might have been different from what you've 00:09:28.330 --> 00:09:30.769 seen in the past. Well, I think this was one 00:09:30.769 --> 00:09:34.360 of the toughest. sessions that we've had. And 00:09:34.360 --> 00:09:38.039 I know a lot of people have said that. And I 00:09:38.039 --> 00:09:41.200 agree with it. I think there were a lot of contributing 00:09:41.200 --> 00:09:44.399 factors. You know, the most obvious being that, 00:09:44.440 --> 00:09:46.100 you know, we've had the same governor for the 00:09:46.100 --> 00:09:47.759 last 12 years and we had a new administration 00:09:47.759 --> 00:09:51.019 come in this year and they were going to operate 00:09:51.019 --> 00:09:53.500 differently. And, you know, I think that was 00:09:53.500 --> 00:09:55.259 predictable, but I think some people were a little 00:09:55.259 --> 00:09:58.480 surprised, strangely, that things were different 00:09:58.480 --> 00:10:01.919 right on that end. And also it was the governor's 00:10:01.919 --> 00:10:04.379 first year of being governor, right? And so there's 00:10:04.379 --> 00:10:06.320 always going to be some hiccups and some challenges 00:10:06.320 --> 00:10:08.799 and some setbacks and things like that, some 00:10:08.799 --> 00:10:11.940 miscommunications, et cetera, that create change. 00:10:11.950 --> 00:10:15.970 challenges also. Anytime you go into a budget, 00:10:16.110 --> 00:10:19.909 you know, building year when you're facing a 00:10:19.909 --> 00:10:23.470 deficit in the billions, if not 10s of billions 00:10:23.470 --> 00:10:26.269 of dollars, you know, is going to create a pretty 00:10:26.269 --> 00:10:29.549 steep climb right out of the gate, which also 00:10:29.549 --> 00:10:31.750 created some interesting challenges. And, you 00:10:31.750 --> 00:10:34.899 know, it was also It was also a pretty emotional 00:10:34.899 --> 00:10:39.299 year with some significant deaths of both former 00:10:39.299 --> 00:10:44.460 and current legislators that I think really created 00:10:44.460 --> 00:10:50.139 – well, I think it colored in many ways the mood 00:10:50.139 --> 00:10:54.440 at times for good reason of the legislature. 00:10:55.000 --> 00:10:57.519 So there was just a whole host of things kind 00:10:57.519 --> 00:11:01.490 of coming together. It felt really long. I mean, 00:11:01.509 --> 00:11:04.370 it was only 105 days like every other long session. 00:11:04.490 --> 00:11:09.429 But to me, no, it just it felt longer. And I 00:11:09.429 --> 00:11:12.029 don't know if it's because of all of those challenges 00:11:12.029 --> 00:11:15.070 coming together. And, you know, in here at WASAC, 00:11:15.149 --> 00:11:17.389 we had our own challenges, right? We had, you 00:11:17.389 --> 00:11:19.289 know, some staff that were really important. 00:11:19.490 --> 00:11:23.169 Key staff members leave during the interim. You 00:11:23.169 --> 00:11:25.009 know, one of them right before session began 00:11:25.009 --> 00:11:27.009 to join the new administration over at the Department 00:11:27.009 --> 00:11:29.470 of Natural Resources. So that created some new 00:11:29.470 --> 00:11:31.600 challenges. And, you know, we were able to bring 00:11:31.600 --> 00:11:35.840 you on, Kelsey and Brad Banks. And thankfully, 00:11:35.879 --> 00:11:38.389 you guys. fit in really well with the team. And 00:11:38.389 --> 00:11:41.110 we had to have other team members step up who 00:11:41.110 --> 00:11:43.250 hadn't worked in certain policy areas or hadn't 00:11:43.250 --> 00:11:45.370 taken on that much responsibility before. And 00:11:45.370 --> 00:11:48.230 that created, you know, more work and more challenges 00:11:48.230 --> 00:11:50.629 and a learning curve for everybody. But, you 00:11:50.629 --> 00:11:52.669 know, I think all of those things coming together 00:11:52.669 --> 00:11:54.789 just made it tougher, but I'm really proud of 00:11:54.789 --> 00:11:56.710 the work that we did. And I think that we can 00:11:56.710 --> 00:11:58.809 feel like this was a pretty successful session 00:11:58.809 --> 00:12:01.970 for counties and for WASAC. I hope you guys feel 00:12:01.970 --> 00:12:04.490 that way too. So despite the vibes? You know, 00:12:04.509 --> 00:12:06.750 I don't even know if I'd say despite, the vibes. 00:12:07.009 --> 00:12:09.570 You know, the vibes, I think you could, I think 00:12:09.570 --> 00:12:11.309 you could interpret the vibes one way or another, 00:12:11.429 --> 00:12:12.830 depending on how you want to interpret them. 00:12:12.909 --> 00:12:14.909 And I think there were definitely challenges 00:12:14.909 --> 00:12:18.129 and maybe despite the challenges, because I was 00:12:18.129 --> 00:12:20.909 never negative about the session. And I don't 00:12:20.909 --> 00:12:22.549 think any of our team members were really negative 00:12:22.549 --> 00:12:26.059 about the session either. I think we had negative 00:12:26.059 --> 00:12:29.519 moments, you know, without a doubt. And I think 00:12:29.519 --> 00:12:32.200 there were disappointments. You know, the 1 % 00:12:32.200 --> 00:12:35.000 bill being, you know, definitely maybe one of 00:12:35.000 --> 00:12:38.779 the biggest because we got so far. It was really 00:12:38.779 --> 00:12:40.759 exciting. It was like, oh, we're going to get 00:12:40.759 --> 00:12:43.379 that one across the finish line this year. Yeah. 00:12:45.019 --> 00:12:47.639 And then right at the end. Really tough hearing 00:12:47.639 --> 00:12:50.360 and testimony, although our members did a fantastic 00:12:50.360 --> 00:12:52.759 job on that testimony. Yeah, we had members step 00:12:52.759 --> 00:12:54.500 up in ways that they hadn't stepped up before 00:12:54.500 --> 00:12:56.919 on that issue. I mean, we really pulled out all 00:12:56.919 --> 00:12:58.539 the stops. I don't feel like we left anything, 00:12:58.659 --> 00:13:02.820 you know, left undone or on the table. I think 00:13:02.820 --> 00:13:05.500 we were just, you know, it just was what it was. 00:13:05.559 --> 00:13:07.700 It was just politics at the end of the day. And 00:13:07.700 --> 00:13:10.700 that's kind of how things. play out in a political 00:13:10.700 --> 00:13:13.139 arena sometimes, right? It doesn't necessarily 00:13:13.139 --> 00:13:15.600 make sense, so. Kind of pivoting. Are you ready 00:13:15.600 --> 00:13:19.090 for some rapid fire? Question? Oh, no. For session? 00:13:19.610 --> 00:13:22.549 I knew you guys were. I knew this was going too 00:13:22.549 --> 00:13:24.590 smoothly. This is where we're going to get your 00:13:24.590 --> 00:13:28.549 unfiltered thoughts and opinions this session. 00:13:28.649 --> 00:13:30.090 You know, it doesn't have to be unfiltered. And 00:13:30.090 --> 00:13:31.649 you have to say the first thing that comes out 00:13:31.649 --> 00:13:33.649 of your mouth. We can always cut this. We can 00:13:33.649 --> 00:13:39.149 always cut things. This is the real unfiltered 00:13:39.149 --> 00:13:41.289 Paul, everyone. Oh, no. Oh, boy. All right. Ready? 00:13:41.809 --> 00:13:47.789 No, I'm not ready. Go anyways. Favorite. Let's 00:13:47.789 --> 00:13:51.210 say favorite kind of oddball bill. Had a number 00:13:51.210 --> 00:13:54.470 of them. License plates, cactuses. Oh, easy, 00:13:54.809 --> 00:13:58.070 easy, easy. Razor clams versus geoducks. Come 00:13:58.070 --> 00:14:02.029 on. That was easy. That hearing was so fun. That 00:14:02.029 --> 00:14:04.210 was the most entertaining hearing I've seen in 00:14:04.210 --> 00:14:07.799 a long time. See, I would have said the cow farts 00:14:07.799 --> 00:14:11.440 bill, but fair enough. I forgot about that one 00:14:11.440 --> 00:14:14.240 completely. Oh, did you see the one that was 00:14:14.240 --> 00:14:16.759 introduced right at the end that would have created 00:14:16.759 --> 00:14:20.139 two sovereign governments in Washington state, 00:14:20.279 --> 00:14:22.379 one Eastern and one Western? So yeah, it's a 00:14:22.379 --> 00:14:26.080 new spin. It's a new spin from the old bill, 00:14:26.139 --> 00:14:28.740 which created two separate states, right? One 00:14:28.740 --> 00:14:32.879 state, two sovereign territories. Yeah, pretty 00:14:32.879 --> 00:14:39.110 interesting. But no, I appreciate the methane 00:14:39.110 --> 00:14:41.470 bill from the cows. Yeah, that was a good one. 00:14:41.509 --> 00:14:46.220 But the hearing for... I mean, literally, they 00:14:46.220 --> 00:14:48.879 were debating back and forth, you know, in their 00:14:48.879 --> 00:14:50.840 testimony on which one should be the state clam 00:14:50.840 --> 00:14:53.940 versus which one should accept state bivalve. 00:14:54.320 --> 00:14:56.799 And the puns that we were able to come up with 00:14:56.799 --> 00:15:01.340 on that one, I mean, it was gold. It was gold. 00:15:01.500 --> 00:15:04.279 Did you testify on that bill? No, I did not. 00:15:04.399 --> 00:15:06.720 Although I should have just for fun, but not 00:15:06.720 --> 00:15:08.360 really a county issue, believe it or not. What 00:15:08.360 --> 00:15:11.220 was your favorite session meal? Like for here? 00:15:11.480 --> 00:15:13.159 Oh, that's a good one. I think the meatloaf. 00:15:13.389 --> 00:15:15.850 I think the meatloaf that we got, I don't know 00:15:15.850 --> 00:15:19.029 where we got it from, but it was good. In fact, 00:15:19.110 --> 00:15:21.549 I tried to get some. There was a lot of extra 00:15:21.549 --> 00:15:23.269 meatloaf that day. I tried to get some to take 00:15:23.269 --> 00:15:25.490 home for dinner, and it was gone. And there was 00:15:25.490 --> 00:15:27.490 a lot of meatloaf, so I don't know where you 00:15:27.490 --> 00:15:31.580 guys put it. or who took it, but there was a 00:15:31.580 --> 00:15:34.220 lot of meatloaf left, and there was not a single 00:15:34.220 --> 00:15:36.620 piece. We got a loaf burglar. Oh, my goodness. 00:15:36.679 --> 00:15:40.860 Somebody took the meatloaf. Loaf burglar up in 00:15:40.860 --> 00:15:45.659 this office. Oh, no. All right. Best dressed 00:15:45.659 --> 00:15:48.879 policy staff. Best dressed policy staff. Oh, 00:15:48.960 --> 00:15:54.549 no. I can't comment on that one. Yeah. I love 00:15:54.549 --> 00:15:57.529 all the policy staff equally. That was not the 00:15:57.529 --> 00:16:03.549 question. No. No, it wasn't. I'm not answering 00:16:03.549 --> 00:16:07.250 that question. Who's your style inspiration for 00:16:07.250 --> 00:16:09.690 legislative session? Who's my style inspiration? 00:16:09.690 --> 00:16:19.480 Who's your style icon? Alex P. Keaton. Okie dokie. 00:16:21.419 --> 00:16:24.460 What was your favorite special event at the legislature? 00:16:24.820 --> 00:16:27.480 Are you a Beef Day man? You know, I am, but I 00:16:27.480 --> 00:16:30.279 missed Beef Day this year. I know you like the 00:16:30.279 --> 00:16:32.620 potatoes. Potato Day. Yeah, I know you like that. 00:16:32.639 --> 00:16:34.440 That's a good one because you get the fully loaded 00:16:34.440 --> 00:16:37.340 baked potato and it's big. Other people I know 00:16:37.340 --> 00:16:39.139 really like Dairy Day because don't they serve 00:16:39.139 --> 00:16:43.049 ice cream on Dairy Day? Yeah, I like... I would 00:16:43.049 --> 00:16:45.529 say, you know, Beef Day would be my favorite, 00:16:45.610 --> 00:16:48.370 but I didn't miss it this year. I wasn't. Did 00:16:48.370 --> 00:16:49.669 they have it? They had it, didn't they? I heard 00:16:49.669 --> 00:16:54.149 they had meatloaf. Even better. It's tri -tip, 00:16:54.149 --> 00:16:57.600 baby. Yeah, it's always tri -tip. Yeah. It's 00:16:57.600 --> 00:16:59.820 always tri -tip, but it's delicious. Favorite 00:16:59.820 --> 00:17:03.179 cutoff. Favorite cutoff? What's your favorite 00:17:03.179 --> 00:17:06.920 cutoff? Besides cyanide. You can't say cyanide. 00:17:07.160 --> 00:17:09.680 You can't say cyanide. All right. Favorite cutoff. 00:17:09.779 --> 00:17:13.000 Opposite house floor cutoff. Really? Opposite 00:17:13.000 --> 00:17:15.339 floor? Yes, absolutely. I'm a house of origin 00:17:15.339 --> 00:17:18.559 cutoff. Really? Just because it narrows it so 00:17:18.559 --> 00:17:20.599 much? It's the mass culling. I love to just be 00:17:20.599 --> 00:17:23.339 like, it's dead, it's dead, it's dead, it's dead, 00:17:23.339 --> 00:17:24.720 it's dead. That is a nice one. It feels real 00:17:24.720 --> 00:17:27.440 good. That is a nice one. There's still a lot 00:17:27.440 --> 00:17:30.640 of work to do. So I would say if it can't be 00:17:30.640 --> 00:17:33.460 sine die, then it's got to be opposite house 00:17:33.460 --> 00:17:35.980 floor cut off for me. How about your favorite 00:17:35.980 --> 00:17:39.480 bloom at the Capitol? Capitol campus is gorgeous. 00:17:39.599 --> 00:17:42.660 All right. Yeah. Now there's a lot to talk about 00:17:42.660 --> 00:17:44.579 there. There really is. Gotta pick a favorite. 00:17:44.680 --> 00:17:47.200 He just sat up straighter in the chair. Yeah. 00:17:47.220 --> 00:17:49.380 There's a lot to talk about there. Well, I mean. 00:17:50.039 --> 00:17:52.059 You're there every day, right? So you get to 00:17:52.059 --> 00:17:54.640 see it every single day. And I'll tell you, I 00:17:54.640 --> 00:17:58.940 noticed a new one this year that I thought was 00:17:58.940 --> 00:18:02.000 the what? No one can hear you unless you talk 00:18:02.000 --> 00:18:04.660 into the microphone. Sorry, I was thinking of 00:18:04.660 --> 00:18:07.359 the ground covering. That's the only thing blooming 00:18:07.359 --> 00:18:10.559 when it's raining and there's no soul and the 00:18:10.559 --> 00:18:14.619 skies are dark. Did you say no soul? There's 00:18:14.619 --> 00:18:17.519 some dark days on session. Wow, but soulless 00:18:17.519 --> 00:18:19.940 days? I don't know if I could go there. You know 00:18:19.940 --> 00:18:24.240 those hedges that grow right alongside the Capitol 00:18:24.240 --> 00:18:26.460 building, the ledge building, as you're walking 00:18:26.460 --> 00:18:30.460 into the north entrance, kind of where the driveway 00:18:30.460 --> 00:18:33.900 is, that area? Those flower. And they have these 00:18:33.900 --> 00:18:36.799 little red flowers, and it's completely covered 00:18:36.799 --> 00:18:40.339 like a blanket, like on all sides. I had never 00:18:40.339 --> 00:18:43.680 seen that before. The azaleas? The azaleas? Is 00:18:43.680 --> 00:18:45.440 that what they are? Well, they're beautiful. 00:18:45.660 --> 00:18:48.559 They are impressive azalea hedges. Yeah, those 00:18:48.559 --> 00:18:50.740 are really impressive azalea. I don't even know 00:18:50.740 --> 00:18:53.359 what they were called. See, there you go. But 00:18:53.359 --> 00:18:55.759 there's so much, right? There's the cherry trees. 00:18:56.619 --> 00:19:00.329 There's the first... what are the first ones 00:19:00.329 --> 00:19:03.369 that come up? No, well, there's the crocuses 00:19:03.369 --> 00:19:06.369 first, then there's the daffodils. What they've 00:19:06.369 --> 00:19:08.650 done around the fountain is really nice this 00:19:08.650 --> 00:19:11.670 year. Yeah, and then what are the big pink, the 00:19:11.670 --> 00:19:17.069 huge blossoms? Not the magnolia trees. Not the 00:19:17.069 --> 00:19:19.049 rhododendrons, but those other trees that have 00:19:19.049 --> 00:19:21.930 those masses of the big pink blossoms. Are they 00:19:21.930 --> 00:19:23.890 another cherry variety? Oh, is that what they 00:19:23.890 --> 00:19:26.230 are? The crab apples? Those are gorgeous, right? 00:19:26.630 --> 00:19:29.309 And to see all the people flock to the grounds 00:19:29.309 --> 00:19:33.210 to take pictures for weeks while those blooms 00:19:33.210 --> 00:19:37.210 are going on is pretty fun too. But yeah, I think 00:19:37.210 --> 00:19:40.309 the, what'd you call, the azalea bushes? Azaleas. 00:19:40.309 --> 00:19:42.250 Yeah, they're beautiful. That bloom every year. 00:19:42.430 --> 00:19:44.769 I've never noticed them before. Bright red? I 00:19:44.769 --> 00:19:47.490 do feel like this year they were like uniform. 00:19:48.089 --> 00:19:50.490 Yeah, it was like a blanket. It was just like, 00:19:50.549 --> 00:19:52.910 yeah, it looked almost like a painting. Exactly. 00:19:52.950 --> 00:19:57.049 Yeah, they were really stunning. So I would say 00:19:57.049 --> 00:20:00.950 that was my favorite this year. Nice. Botanical 00:20:00.950 --> 00:20:03.930 questions. Paul's secret hobby interest. Not 00:20:03.930 --> 00:20:06.650 really. I just was struck by them. Nice. And 00:20:06.650 --> 00:20:08.990 it's hard not to appreciate all the blossoms 00:20:08.990 --> 00:20:11.849 on the Capitol campus. I mean, really, in the 00:20:11.849 --> 00:20:13.170 springtime, it's really something. It's a nice 00:20:13.170 --> 00:20:15.769 kind of turn of the year, right? I talk about 00:20:15.769 --> 00:20:18.230 blossom fever all the time because it just comes 00:20:18.230 --> 00:20:22.569 at a really great time every year. This is a 00:20:22.569 --> 00:20:25.920 controversial staff opinion. Oh, no. staff has 00:20:25.920 --> 00:20:29.000 their their way of doing something oh no how 00:20:29.000 --> 00:20:31.279 do you get to the capital campus from the office 00:20:31.279 --> 00:20:34.099 what is your preferred route to the capital campus 00:20:34.099 --> 00:20:38.549 okay so So it depends. It depends. Am I in a 00:20:38.549 --> 00:20:41.390 hurry? Am I not in a hurry? You have a very important 00:20:41.390 --> 00:20:43.910 meeting and you are very excited to go to that 00:20:43.910 --> 00:20:45.650 very important meeting. Okay. If it's a very 00:20:45.650 --> 00:20:47.990 important meeting, I'm taking the shortest route 00:20:47.990 --> 00:20:50.970 possible, which I believe is straight down 10th 00:20:50.970 --> 00:20:53.890 all the way to where it ends on whatever road 00:20:53.890 --> 00:20:57.190 that is. I don't even know. Make a left and head 00:20:57.190 --> 00:20:59.109 straight into the campus that way. That's the 00:20:59.109 --> 00:21:01.369 shortest route from. from a timing standpoint, 00:21:01.650 --> 00:21:03.849 you can get to the ledge building very quickly. 00:21:03.930 --> 00:21:06.289 You can get to the Senate office buildings. You 00:21:06.289 --> 00:21:10.269 can get to the J -Lob office buildings all about 00:21:10.269 --> 00:21:12.589 the same amount of time. Now, if I'm just going 00:21:12.589 --> 00:21:14.930 to, they say the Senate or J -Lob in the morning 00:21:14.930 --> 00:21:18.410 for a hearing, a lot of times I go past the natural 00:21:18.410 --> 00:21:21.150 resources building up the staircase and across 00:21:21.150 --> 00:21:24.910 the lighted. the lit crosswalk. If I'm not in 00:21:24.910 --> 00:21:28.089 a hurry and I'm coming back, I will oftentimes 00:21:28.089 --> 00:21:30.750 go over the pedestrian bridge over by the old 00:21:30.750 --> 00:21:35.049 memorials on top of the garages, then down past 00:21:35.049 --> 00:21:38.250 the natural resources building staircase and 00:21:38.250 --> 00:21:41.049 up to the office that way. But if I'm really 00:21:41.049 --> 00:21:43.089 bored, I just kind of take the old way up past 00:21:43.089 --> 00:21:46.109 Wagner's and across the. you know, intersection, 00:21:46.390 --> 00:21:48.069 et cetera. So there's a lot of different ways 00:21:48.069 --> 00:21:50.390 to do it. Many, many different routes to campus. 00:21:50.690 --> 00:21:53.549 The one you highlighted kind of going behind 00:21:53.549 --> 00:21:56.569 natural resources, behind churches, between the 00:21:56.569 --> 00:21:58.750 park and United Churches, the stairs, that's 00:21:58.750 --> 00:22:01.650 my favorite one. I like to go that way because 00:22:01.650 --> 00:22:03.170 it's a little bit more scenic and a little bit 00:22:03.170 --> 00:22:05.470 more interesting. And, you know, the stairs give 00:22:05.470 --> 00:22:09.259 you a little cardio workout on the way up. If 00:22:09.259 --> 00:22:10.579 that's what you're into. And you get to go right 00:22:10.579 --> 00:22:13.099 past the fountain, right? Which is kind of nice. 00:22:13.779 --> 00:22:17.339 But if I'm in a hurry, I go a little faster route. 00:22:17.500 --> 00:22:20.500 What's your... Coffee drink preference and where 00:22:20.500 --> 00:22:24.799 do you prefer to get it? My coffee drink preference 00:22:24.799 --> 00:22:28.240 is tea and I get it here because it's too expensive 00:22:28.240 --> 00:22:31.559 anywhere else. So I go to Safeway and I buy a 00:22:31.559 --> 00:22:33.859 box of tea bags. Let's say that you weren't going 00:22:33.859 --> 00:22:37.099 to do that. Yeah. So I used to drink coffee, 00:22:37.200 --> 00:22:40.720 but I can't really handle the stimulants anymore. 00:22:40.819 --> 00:22:45.319 Even decaf has started to affect me. We've noticed. 00:22:45.660 --> 00:22:50.200 Yeah. So second half of session, I got off of 00:22:50.200 --> 00:22:54.480 all coffee and drank only tea. I don't know if 00:22:54.480 --> 00:23:01.019 it was noticeable. Yeah, we all saw it happen 00:23:01.019 --> 00:23:03.119 and we're just like, give him a little bit of 00:23:03.119 --> 00:23:06.720 space. He might need an extra little snack today. 00:23:08.059 --> 00:23:11.589 Keep the blood sugar up. Well, Paul, you answered 00:23:11.589 --> 00:23:14.769 all but one of our final hard -hitting questions. 00:23:14.849 --> 00:23:17.769 Oh, no. And that is, who's your favorite? Who's 00:23:17.769 --> 00:23:20.049 my favorite what? Who's your favorite? As Kelsey 00:23:20.049 --> 00:23:23.259 and I look at you. Yes, Paul. Tell us. Who's 00:23:23.259 --> 00:23:26.220 your favorite? My favorite is my wife. Her name 00:23:26.220 --> 00:23:29.920 is Amanda. My second favorite is my daughter 00:23:29.920 --> 00:23:33.519 and son equally. I was going to say. Their names 00:23:33.519 --> 00:23:38.019 are Maddie and Nick. And then my third favorite 00:23:38.019 --> 00:23:42.059 is my dog, Blaze. Okay, perhaps we need to put 00:23:42.059 --> 00:23:44.680 a finer point on this because it seems clear 00:23:44.680 --> 00:23:46.839 to me that all those individuals come from a 00:23:46.839 --> 00:23:49.359 very different space in your life. Yes, they 00:23:49.359 --> 00:23:51.859 do. From the policy team. Who's your favorite? 00:23:51.880 --> 00:23:55.319 Who is my favorite policy team member? You can 00:23:55.319 --> 00:23:57.359 just blink. It's fine. You can just blink twice 00:23:57.359 --> 00:23:58.779 and we'll know who you're talking about. You 00:23:58.779 --> 00:24:02.059 know, it's asking me who my favorite policy team 00:24:02.059 --> 00:24:05.559 member would be is like asking me who my favorite 00:24:05.559 --> 00:24:09.180 WASAC member is. Yeah, that one too. Yeah. I 00:24:09.180 --> 00:24:15.480 love them all equally. All the policy team members, 00:24:15.720 --> 00:24:18.720 I have the greatest level of respect for and 00:24:18.720 --> 00:24:21.019 appreciation for. Thank you for your hard work 00:24:21.019 --> 00:24:23.460 during this legislative session, both of you. 00:24:23.660 --> 00:24:26.579 I do mean that when I'm saying these other joking 00:24:26.579 --> 00:24:28.640 things, but I do really mean that. It's been 00:24:28.640 --> 00:24:31.059 a pleasure working with you both, and I hope 00:24:31.059 --> 00:24:35.259 you felt like your part of the session was as 00:24:35.259 --> 00:24:37.240 successful as I think the overall outcome was 00:24:37.240 --> 00:24:39.980 because I think each of you contributed a lot 00:24:39.980 --> 00:24:42.769 to the team, as did other members. members of 00:24:42.769 --> 00:24:45.990 our policy team. And I was really grateful for 00:24:45.990 --> 00:24:49.009 how the team came together and worked collaboratively 00:24:49.009 --> 00:24:50.569 this year. And you guys were a big part of that. 00:24:50.650 --> 00:24:54.359 So thank you. But as far as the policy team members 00:24:54.359 --> 00:24:57.299 who my favorite is, I don't have favorites. I 00:24:57.299 --> 00:24:59.940 love you all individually and equally. And the 00:24:59.940 --> 00:25:02.279 same is true with all of the members of WASAC. 00:25:02.480 --> 00:25:04.660 Mitch, just cut that last part. We're going to 00:25:04.660 --> 00:25:07.740 need Paul to maintain credibility here. Can you 00:25:07.740 --> 00:25:10.900 just say my name and then let's pause for three 00:25:10.900 --> 00:25:12.900 seconds. And then if you could just say my name 00:25:12.900 --> 00:25:14.880 and then we'll pause for another three seconds. 00:25:16.460 --> 00:25:18.759 And then Mitch will do some wonderful editing 00:25:18.759 --> 00:25:22.700 and it'll be great. I know. He's a little dangerous 00:25:22.700 --> 00:25:25.740 with the editing. My favorite is Mitch. I've 00:25:25.740 --> 00:25:30.279 been the recipient of some of that already. But 00:25:30.279 --> 00:25:34.160 jokes aside, Paul, we appreciated you letting 00:25:34.160 --> 00:25:38.230 us take the lead. Turn the questions over to 00:25:38.230 --> 00:25:41.009 you. Talk a little bit more about what you got 00:25:41.009 --> 00:25:43.109 to work on this session. Talk a little bit about 00:25:43.109 --> 00:25:45.329 some of the fun things during session two. Yeah. 00:25:45.349 --> 00:25:47.329 How did it feel taking control of the mic? You 00:25:47.329 --> 00:25:49.950 guys seem a little too comfortable. Very powerful. 00:25:50.430 --> 00:25:52.450 You seem like you like it a little too much. 00:25:52.750 --> 00:25:56.809 I mean, always. I'm a little worried. Maybe, 00:25:56.890 --> 00:25:59.190 well, maybe I shouldn't be. Maybe I don't have 00:25:59.190 --> 00:26:02.750 to be the host anymore. I mean. Let's take it 00:26:02.750 --> 00:26:08.170 one day at a time. Yeah, you know, what's funny 00:26:08.170 --> 00:26:11.069 about the podcast was the reason we did it was, 00:26:11.230 --> 00:26:14.089 well, two reasons. First of all, you know, we 00:26:14.089 --> 00:26:16.630 kind of felt before we were producing the written 00:26:16.630 --> 00:26:22.569 reports, right, on a biweekly basis. You know, 00:26:22.609 --> 00:26:25.630 we just didn't really feel like people were reading 00:26:25.630 --> 00:26:28.369 them. And a lot of people aren't reading the 00:26:28.369 --> 00:26:30.190 news anymore. They're listening to the news. 00:26:30.269 --> 00:26:33.579 And so the idea was to kind of get. information 00:26:33.579 --> 00:26:35.980 out to our members in a medium that was a little 00:26:35.980 --> 00:26:38.779 bit more modern, right? Something that they were 00:26:38.779 --> 00:26:40.400 already used to or something they could become 00:26:40.400 --> 00:26:43.000 used to. But also it was really to help you guys 00:26:43.000 --> 00:26:46.819 out with your workload to try to make it easier 00:26:46.819 --> 00:26:48.660 and faster. So instead of, you know, spending 00:26:48.660 --> 00:26:50.779 a couple of hours trying to cleverly write something 00:26:50.779 --> 00:26:53.920 interesting and to check your facts and make 00:26:53.920 --> 00:26:55.880 it work and all that sort of stuff, you know, 00:26:55.880 --> 00:26:57.819 to just be able to sit down and have a conversation 00:26:57.819 --> 00:27:00.279 for 20 or 30 minutes or maybe even an hour, depending 00:27:00.279 --> 00:27:03.460 on how in -depth you wanted to go. And so the 00:27:03.460 --> 00:27:05.359 whole point was to make it better for the members 00:27:05.359 --> 00:27:08.359 and easier for the members and easier for you. 00:27:08.420 --> 00:27:10.500 What I didn't calculate was the fact that I had 00:27:10.500 --> 00:27:14.680 to host them all. And instead of spending an 00:27:14.680 --> 00:27:17.339 hour or two on an article myself every couple 00:27:17.339 --> 00:27:19.839 of weeks, I ended up spending three or four hours 00:27:19.839 --> 00:27:24.359 a week just recording podcasts. And so it ended 00:27:24.359 --> 00:27:27.859 up taking actually a lot more time for me than 00:27:27.859 --> 00:27:31.059 I think I really realized. But I think overall. 00:27:32.159 --> 00:27:34.960 It actually worked out better. I don't know. 00:27:35.000 --> 00:27:36.960 What do you what do you guys think? The members 00:27:36.960 --> 00:27:38.759 seem to like them. I thought it was the most 00:27:38.759 --> 00:27:42.079 brilliant and innovative idea. I thought it was 00:27:42.079 --> 00:27:45.480 fantastic. All right. Now. Yeah. I know. I thought 00:27:45.480 --> 00:27:48.039 it was fun. I thought it was a it's a. Easier 00:27:48.039 --> 00:27:50.180 way to communicate. It's, I think, a quicker 00:27:50.180 --> 00:27:52.039 turnaround to be able to communicate on policy 00:27:52.039 --> 00:27:55.299 issues. You can go back to episodes and listen 00:27:55.299 --> 00:27:58.660 and read. And a lot of our members have windshield 00:27:58.660 --> 00:28:00.859 time as they're coming over for LSC meetings 00:28:00.859 --> 00:28:02.279 and other things. Yes, it's perfect, right? And 00:28:02.279 --> 00:28:05.119 so they get to be all... Lord knows they should 00:28:05.119 --> 00:28:07.240 not be reading while they're driving. Absolutely 00:28:07.240 --> 00:28:11.460 not. Yeah. That would be poor choices. Those 00:28:11.460 --> 00:28:13.500 would be poor choices. But they can read with 00:28:13.500 --> 00:28:16.000 their ears. Yeah, they can listen, right? Which 00:28:16.000 --> 00:28:20.329 is called listening. Foundation of Public Health. 00:28:20.589 --> 00:28:23.349 I feel like you, Jamie, explained that a little 00:28:23.349 --> 00:28:27.769 bit. It seems like the members were really responsive 00:28:27.769 --> 00:28:30.430 to the podcast and I think really enjoyed them, 00:28:30.490 --> 00:28:32.730 which I think is your chief mark of success right 00:28:32.730 --> 00:28:36.130 there. Yeah. I mean, they seem to enjoy them. 00:28:36.170 --> 00:28:37.789 Hopefully, you know, hopefully it worked well 00:28:37.789 --> 00:28:41.380 and hopefully it was effective. From a communication 00:28:41.380 --> 00:28:44.880 standpoint, I think it was. So, you know, I think 00:28:44.880 --> 00:28:46.960 we're going to do some more during the interim 00:28:46.960 --> 00:28:49.240 now that the session's over. You know, we don't 00:28:49.240 --> 00:28:53.140 have the same kind of topic to come back to every 00:28:53.140 --> 00:28:56.480 single week. So it'll be a little bit more work 00:28:56.480 --> 00:28:58.359 to try to put together some interesting podcasts. 00:28:59.759 --> 00:29:03.299 But I think it's a worthwhile effort, you know. 00:29:04.759 --> 00:29:06.460 You guys got any ideas on what we should do? 00:29:06.539 --> 00:29:09.680 Crazy ideas? I mean, you know I do. Well, go 00:29:09.680 --> 00:29:11.900 ahead. Share it with everybody. Okay. I feel 00:29:11.900 --> 00:29:15.279 like I'm taking back control of the podcast. 00:29:15.500 --> 00:29:18.160 Please email pjewel at wassack .org with your 00:29:18.160 --> 00:29:22.299 support. You're going to get people to vote? 00:29:23.000 --> 00:29:27.960 With your support for a cryptid. In Washington 00:29:27.960 --> 00:29:31.019 podcast. Cryptid in Washington. We go, we explore 00:29:31.019 --> 00:29:34.000 counties and we are on this hunt for our favorite 00:29:34.000 --> 00:29:35.539 Washington cryptids. All right. Now. I think 00:29:35.539 --> 00:29:37.000 it would be amazing. Now you're going to have 00:29:37.000 --> 00:29:38.440 to tell, you're going to have to make sure everybody 00:29:38.440 --> 00:29:40.740 knows what a cryptid is. Cryptids are our favorite 00:29:40.740 --> 00:29:48.160 real. No. But heart. Mythical. Some may say mythical. 00:29:50.680 --> 00:29:53.960 Some may say real. Species that are, you know, 00:29:53.960 --> 00:30:00.009 a little difficult to find. Maybe a little. mysterious. 00:30:00.009 --> 00:30:03.250 How many cryptids do we have in Washington? We 00:30:03.250 --> 00:30:05.109 don't know because we've never done a podcast 00:30:05.109 --> 00:30:08.130 to go find them all, Paul. How many alleged cryptids? 00:30:08.170 --> 00:30:10.529 These are the hard -hitting issues we need to 00:30:10.529 --> 00:30:13.390 do. I could just see a podcast where we're out 00:30:13.390 --> 00:30:16.029 in the woods, middle of the night, crickets are 00:30:16.029 --> 00:30:19.250 chirping. We hear some wood clapping. Snap! Crack! 00:30:19.309 --> 00:30:21.730 We hear some wood clapping and we know it's Bigfoot. 00:30:22.490 --> 00:30:24.869 Because that's how Sasquatches communicate is 00:30:24.869 --> 00:30:27.230 with wood knocking. Oh, they do? Yeah. And you're 00:30:27.230 --> 00:30:29.710 an authority on this? I would like to say I'm 00:30:29.710 --> 00:30:32.089 an amateur authority on this. Yeah. But we have 00:30:32.089 --> 00:30:35.529 the Kraken. There's something, I want to say 00:30:35.529 --> 00:30:37.730 there's something in like the Chelan Wenatchee 00:30:37.730 --> 00:30:40.210 area, again, to our listeners, if you know this. 00:30:40.509 --> 00:30:43.009 I mean, we can, and you know, we get to explore 00:30:43.009 --> 00:30:46.069 counties as we hunt for these cryptids. Some 00:30:46.069 --> 00:30:49.009 Lake Chelan monster or something? I'm sure there 00:30:49.009 --> 00:30:53.210 is. Yeah. See, I, yeah. I'm not sure that that's 00:30:53.210 --> 00:30:58.309 good and valuable. Time spent? Maybe entertaining? 00:30:58.410 --> 00:31:01.190 I thought we were looking for entertaining here, 00:31:01.269 --> 00:31:04.509 Paul. Well, both. Both entertaining and, you 00:31:04.509 --> 00:31:06.509 know, informative. It's a learning moment. Yeah, 00:31:06.549 --> 00:31:10.160 and whatnot. All right. Well, we'll have to take 00:31:10.160 --> 00:31:13.599 that idea. We'll put that in the idea box and 00:31:13.599 --> 00:31:15.339 we'll see what we come up with. Good thought. 00:31:15.460 --> 00:31:17.640 Never going to hear that idea again, am I? Maybe 00:31:17.640 --> 00:31:22.019 not, but you got your 15 seconds. Appreciate 00:31:22.019 --> 00:31:25.259 it. Yeah. All right. Well, anything else I can 00:31:25.259 --> 00:31:26.980 do for you? I was going to say, you going to 00:31:26.980 --> 00:31:29.180 wrap up for us? Yeah, I probably was going to. 00:31:29.259 --> 00:31:31.460 Sorry. Paul, it's been an absolute pleasure. 00:31:31.619 --> 00:31:33.799 I hope you have a wonderful interim. I hope you 00:31:33.799 --> 00:31:39.700 enjoy today. It is hot and sunny. A very almost 00:31:39.700 --> 00:31:41.759 summery feeling day today. It's a beautiful day. 00:31:42.079 --> 00:31:44.700 But I want you to have a really wonderful interim. 00:31:44.859 --> 00:31:47.400 Thanks for all the work this session. It was 00:31:47.400 --> 00:31:49.740 a joy to work with you. Appreciate the laughter. 00:31:50.180 --> 00:31:52.200 We had some good times. We did. Especially on 00:31:52.200 --> 00:31:54.380 the podcast. I don't know if you listened to 00:31:54.380 --> 00:32:01.559 Travis's discussion on margarita making the other 00:32:01.559 --> 00:32:05.400 day that we recorded. That was particularly entertaining. 00:32:07.019 --> 00:32:09.700 But there were moments, that was for sure. But 00:32:09.700 --> 00:32:12.559 I had a good time, and it was a pleasure working 00:32:12.559 --> 00:32:16.140 with you as well. And I hope you find some time 00:32:16.140 --> 00:32:19.619 to relax and get outside and maybe decompress 00:32:19.619 --> 00:32:21.940 a little bit. Always. We will. Yeah. It's probably 00:32:21.940 --> 00:32:23.660 good from a public health standpoint anyways. 00:32:23.960 --> 00:32:26.539 Self -care is really important. Yeah. I don't 00:32:26.539 --> 00:32:28.319 know what that is exactly, but I'm going to take 00:32:28.319 --> 00:32:29.420 your word for it. You're going to learn this 00:32:29.420 --> 00:32:32.789 intro. Says the man who's about to go golfing. 00:32:32.829 --> 00:32:36.349 Yeah, trust me, that's not self -care. It is 00:32:36.349 --> 00:32:39.170 for some people. It is for probably good golfers, 00:32:39.170 --> 00:32:42.089 but I'm going to go hack my way across the course. 00:32:42.170 --> 00:32:45.470 Do you enjoy it? Yes. Then it's self -care. Yes, 00:32:45.490 --> 00:32:47.950 all right. Well, then I'll tell my wife I'm going 00:32:47.950 --> 00:32:51.529 to go practice self -care, go play some golf. 00:32:51.990 --> 00:32:55.410 She'll be worried, and then you'll explain. All 00:32:55.410 --> 00:32:57.970 right, well. Thanks for having me on. Thanks 00:32:57.970 --> 00:33:00.789 so much. Come back anytime, Paul. All right, 00:33:00.849 --> 00:33:05.509 I will. Thanks for tuning in to County Connection. 00:33:05.569 --> 00:33:07.730 Stay in the loop by subscribing to us through 00:33:07.730 --> 00:33:10.029 your preferred podcasting app and following us 00:33:10.029 --> 00:33:13.029 on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. And don't 00:33:13.029 --> 00:33:14.990 forget to join The Hub, your go -to source for 00:33:14.990 --> 00:33:16.750 the latest news and updates from the Washington 00:33:16.750 --> 00:33:19.410 State Association of Counties. Until next time, 00:33:19.470 --> 00:33:21.170 stay connected and stay informed.