David Ammons

Washington State is a place of political mavericks. Split tickets are a source of pride and independent voters outnumber Democrats and Republicans. Washington was first to have a voter-approved state Equal Rights Amendment, first to elect a woman as governor, and first to elect a Chinese-American to the position. Today, Washington's open primary election system and voter registration process demonstrate it has not drifted far from its populist roots.Governing the Evergreen State provides an absorbing look at an ever-evolving state political and judicial system and presents intriguing case studies. With chapters on interest groups, the constitution, the environment, media coverage, the court system, the legislature, political parties, changing demographics, and more, this volume updates the popular Governing Washington. Fresh discussions and analysis written by academics from universities across the state, a senator, a pollster, a newspaper reporter/blogger, a former chief justice of the state Supreme Court, and a court administrator offer a springboard for further examination and discussion.

Completely updated with new listings and statistics throughout, this comprehensive resource goes beyond the current literature on local government performance measurement and provides benchmarks on more than 40 key topics against which performance can be assessed in all areas of operation."Ammons has assembled a remarkable volume of benchmark data for a comprehensive range of municipal government services. Municipal Benchmarks will be of considerable help for municipalities in laying the groundwork for an accountable government." - Harry Hatry, The Urban Institute"I am delighted to see that ideas for advancing our industry are alive and thriving. Ammons's collection does an incredible service to every municipal manager in the country, and perhaps the world. These benchmarks clearly set standardized ways of looking at measuring the performance of municipal service delivery." - Ted Gaebler, City Manager, Rancho Cordoba, CA (co-author of Reinventing Government)

Washington was the first to have a voter-approved state Equal Rights Amendment. It was the first state to elect a woman as governor, and the first to elect a Chinese-American to the position. Still today, the state's political affairs take unexpected twists and turns as voters continue to speak out and introduce change. Governing Washington provides an absorbing look at an evolving state political system and presents intriguing case studies.Readers will learn how the state charter of rights differs significantly from the federal Bill of Rights. They will examine the impact of special interest groups and the increasing use of the initiative process. They will be introduced to the complex budget realities facing states in the twenty-first century. With chapters on public opinion, the court system, the legislature, the political parties, budgeting, changing demographics, and more, this volume updates the popular Washington State Government and Politics, offering fresh discussions and analysis from top political authorities throughout the state.