Bainbridge State Rep. Greg Nance to Once Again Hold a Series of Town Hall Meeting on ‘Fixing’ the WA. State Ferry System

Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the Jan. 20, 2025  issue of The Kitsap Sun https://www.kitsapsun.com/

By Kai Uyehara

The 2025 legislative session is underway and 23rd District Rep. Greg Nance is looking for community input as he advocates for ferries in his sophomore year in Olympia.

As session commences, Nance is launching another set of “Fix Our Ferries” town halls across Kitsap County. Fixing Washington’s ferry system has been a top priority for Nance, a Bainbridge Island resident and lifelong ferry rider. After he was appointed to the 23rd District position by the Kitsap County commissioners in September 2023, Nance pushed for a house bill during the 2024 legislative session that would have created a work group tasked with evaluating the financial needs and opportunities of the Washington State Ferries system.

He also championed hybrid ferries to reduce the state agency’s carbon footprint, called for workforce recruitment and retention incentives and worked to elevate the director of WSF to a cabinet-level secretary post to be appointed by the governor.

Nance has another game plan as he returns to Olympia, having been elected to the position for his second go around in November, “I’m here to work for you – which is why I need to hear from you,” he wrote in a public letter announcing this year’s round of town halls. “What do you need from the state? What can we do better?”

WSF increased its ridership 2.6% from 2023 and logged its lowest number of cancelled sailings in 2024 since before the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency reported in a year-end post. But, the agency still fell short of its yearly goal of completing 99% of its scheduled sailings. Last year, WSF recorded a 97.6% reliability rate for its scheduled sailings, chalking up 34% of those cancellations primarily to vessel mechanical failures and a lack of available crew members. Of those sailings, 82.3% were on time last year, missing the agency’s goal of 95% on-time performance, all according to its 2024 performance report published in December.

WSF is ailed by a fleet of aging vessels that break down more and more often all while efforts to electrify current vessels and build new ones grow increasingly expensive and endure delays. The agency is only operating about 15 ferries at any given point around the Puget Sound, reported King 5 News. WSF has brought in more workers but a retirement cliff is approaching for many of its most experienced mariners.

Nance will attend four town halls every Saturday for the next four weeks, beginning Jan. 25th. He told residents he is “eager to hear your questions, complaints and suggestions, and to share our game plan for getting boats in the water and restoring reliable service.” Residents might recognize the effort, as Nance hosted a similar series of “Fix Our Ferries” town halls last year.

Upcoming town halls meetings scheduled are at:

● Kingston Village Green, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 25, hosted by Port Commissioner Mary McClure and former commissioner Walt Elliot.

● Bainbridge City Hall, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1, hosted by Mayor Joe Deets and Deputy Mayor Ashley Matthews.

● Poulsbo City Hall, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8, hosted by Poulsbo Mayor Becky Erickson and Deputy Mayor Ed Stern.

Nance, who was a world-class ultra-marathoner before jumping into politics, also encourages those interested to take a short survey to share their ideas, priorities and suggestions.

“There is no easy path forward, but as we tackle tough questions, I will be laser-focused on delivering for Kitsap’s working families, like the one I grew up in,” Nance wrote, telling readers that 2025 will be a “tough budget year.”

Gov. Bob Ferguson, whose term began on Jan. 15, announced his budget priorities that included a plan to save about $4.4 billion as the state faces a projected budget shortfall of more than $12 billion over the next four years. Ferguson’s budget priorities included a proposal to invest nearly $20 million in support of WSF crew recruitment and retention and to increase service for island communities.

Nance is sponsoring two bills aimed at fixing the ferry system. House Bill 1264 would give ferry system collective bargaining units more tools to request competitive salaries, while House Bill 1054 includes language to support the contracted maintenance or repair of county ferry vessels.

Kai Uyehara is a reporter for The Kitsap Sun

Learn more about Greg Nance the politician: https://housedemocrats.wa.gov/nance/. Read a previous story on the former ultra-marathoner that appeared in The Island Wanderer: https://theislandwanderer.com/bainbridge-high-grad-greg-nance-runs-to-help-troubled-youth/

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