https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/its-time-for-a-hardheaded-approach-to-some-of-was-issues/

Jan. 15, 2025 at 12:30 pm Updated Jan. 15, 2025 at 12:30 pm

Washington ranks dead last for the per capita supply of affordable housing, writes the author. Pictured are condos and apartments around Rainier Avenue South in Seattle. (Ellen M. Banner / The Seattle Times, 2024)

Washington ranks dead last for the per capita supply of affordable housing, writes the author. Pictured are condos and apartments around Rainier Avenue South in Seattle. (Ellen M. Banner / The Seattle Times, 2024)

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By Brad Smith

Special to The Seattle Times

As Bob Ferguson takes office as Washington’s 24th governor, this is a moment for both reflection and action. While the Pacific Northwest has enjoyed strong economic growth, the region also confronts hard problems that impact the quality of everyday life — issues like affordable housing, public safety and the creation of jobs and opportunities for the next generation.

Gov. Ferguson and lawmakers must look with clear eyes at some hard truths. Our state government has succeeded in spending more money but failed in producing better outcomes for state residents. Since 2015, state spending has significantly outpaced population growth and inflation. But during the past five years, the state has lacked the basic budget discipline that is commonplace for families and businesses.

As Ferguson said last week, we need to start “living in reality.”

This will require new and better approaches to deliver measurable results.

As a company, Microsoft has firsthand experience with many of the state’s challenges. Five years ago, we took the unprecedented step of using Microsoft’s own funds to help address homelessness and add more affordable housing in Puget Sound. We’ve invested $750 million in this cause, with Amazon and the state also contributing. Together we have preserved or added roughly 25,000 housing units.

But facts are facts.

And the fact is, despite vastly increasing spending on homelessness, our state ranks among the worst in the nation for people sleeping on the streets. More broadly, Washington ranks dead last for the per capita supply of affordable housing.

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When you’re last, there’s a tremendous opportunity to learn. The first lesson is that the thing we need most is not more money but more land. People understandably don’t want to turn a cul-de-sac with single-family homes into multiunit complexes. And that’s not needed. The next time you drive across town, consider how online shopping has led to more vacant big box stores and empty strip malls. Washington can learn from Minnesota and California’s recent steps in rezoning so these commercial areas can include new residential units.

We’ve also learned that technology can accelerate permitting processes across the state. Microsoft is already working with other states and countries on such projects, for example, the use of artificial intelligence to speed up the processing of building permits so human employees can work more efficiently.

Washington can apply similar hardheaded approaches to other key issues.

For example, when it comes to public safety, the reality is that we’ve been way too slow in building the effective community policing we need. Microsoft provides technology and work to support police departments in every state and more than a hundred countries, giving us a broad perspective on how much more can be done in Washington. Across the state, we need more police officers and better use of data, both to prevent, stop and solve crimes, while enhancing transparency and public confidence.

As Gov. Ferguson has said, let’s also prioritize ensuring that kids who grow up here have the bright futures they deserve. Washington companies are leading the world in building technologies like artificial intelligence that are defining the future. But for our kids to reap the benefits of this progress, we need to provide them — and workers of all ages — access to the skills they need to use technology to land good-paying jobs. As a company, we will roll up our sleeves to help, including by donating financial and technology resources, as we long have, to support local education and training programs.

Gov. Ferguson can also transform the state government itself from a technology laggard into a technology leader. Every day, we see other parts of the nation and world moving faster than our state’s public sector in adopting new technology.

As the governor takes office, there is an opportunity to talk less about how much we want to spend and focus more on what we need to accomplish. Hard decisions can produce big dividends.

Brad Smith: is the vice chair and president of Microsoft.