Senator Hawkins Announces Upcoming "Listening Tour" - Lake Chelan News and Information

5th Annual listening tour scheduled for September 14 & 15

information released by Senator Brad Hawkins

Dear Friends and Neighbors: As your state senator, it is very helpful for me to hear directly from you, but I know it can be difficult to come to Olympia during the legislative session. That is why I created an annual 12th District “listening tour” after my first election to the Senate five years ago.

Due to ongoing issues with the COVID pandemic and the new statewide mask mandate, this fall’s listening tour will be “virtual” again this year. Last year’s listening tour was virtual by Zoom and worked well, so we are going to take advantage of the same technology.

Fifth annual listening tour

This year’s 12^th District listening tour will take place on Tuesday, September 14, and Wednesday, September 15. The past listening tours have taken me all throughout the 12^th District and helped connect me with issues important to all four counties in our district – Chelan, Douglas, Grant, and Okanogan, including several communities, such as Leavenworth, Cashmere, Quincy, Wenatchee, East Wenatchee, Pateros, Twisp, Chelan, Grand Coulee, Bridgeport, Waterville, Rock Island, Mansfield, and Mazama. It is always helpful to hear directly from you, the people I serve, on issues important to your community.

September 14-15 virtual “listening tour” meetings

Group meetings will take place by Zoom or as traditional conference calls. My office will schedule the meetings approximately 20 minutes apart to accommodate as many groups as possible. Meeting directly with constituents or stakeholder groups in separate appointments has worked well in past years. During past listening tours, meetings included employers, local governments, and community groups. If you are interested in an appointment, please contact me at brad.hawkins@leg.wa.gov or 360-688-8951.

Each year of my listening tours has included meetings with the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust. This meeting from 2017 involved discussions about key funding needed for Wenatchee’s Saddle Rock trails. Working together during the 2018 session (click here), we secured the necessary funding and the trail work is now in progress.

Listening tours help me serve you better

Hosting a listening tour each year allows me to hear directly from you in preparation for the upcoming session. Ideas shared during past listening tours have even turned into successful legislative action. As examples, a suggestion by Leavenworth officials to dispose of brush and yard clippings resulted in a bill that became law in 2018. A funding request related to the Saddle Rock trail in Wenatchee became reality when it was included in the state capital budget two years ago, and a road paving project to a popular fishing location in Okanogan County was recently funded. A biochar demonstration project in the Methow Valley to reduce wildfire risk was also funded as well as significant future improvements to the City of Wenatchee’s Community Center utilized by Pinnacles Prep School. All were ideas first discussed with constituents during past listening tours. Besides legislative ideas, I also collect helpful comments that prepare me to make better decisions to represent you in Olympia.

The first stop on my 2018 listening tour took me to the City of Leavenworth to meet with the City Council. My Senate Bill 6055 was signed by the governor in 2018 to assist the city in disposing of its brush and yard waste. City officials joined me in Olympia for the bill signing (click here).

Legislative staff and issue specialists will join us

As I have done the previous years, I have invited my legislative staff, communications staff and issue specialists to join me. It’s helpful to have these resources available when visiting with communities. If we do not have answers to the questions you ask, we’ll track them down and follow up with you. The 12^th District listening tours are a great opportunity for staff based in Olympia to hear directly from you about issues of interest in our district, so I hope you’ll connect with us.

Please schedule a Zoom meeting with me

I hope you will consider participating in this year’s listening tour. Please remember that these meetings are all pre-scheduled with specific times. If you are interested in an appointment, please contact my office at brad.hawkins@leg.wa.gov or 360-688-8951.

Whether you are able to participate in the upcoming listening tour or not, please know that my position exists to serve you. Please feel free to reach out to me and my office anytime by email, phone calls, or letters. I appreciate hearing your thoughts and ideas about state government and thank you again for the opportunity to serve as your state senator.

Sincerely,