Acting Commerce director tells Senate committee the agency has ballooned; pledges customer-focused overhaul

Joe Wynne, acting director of the Washington State Department of Commerce, told the Senate Business, Financial Services and Trade Committee on Feb. 5 that the department has experienced rapid growth in recent years and outlined immediate priorities to strengthen internal systems and improve service to communities.

Wynne said Commerce’s operating budget in the 2015–17 biennium was about $500 million and that the department’s operating budget in the current biennium is about $3.2 billion; he also said Commerce’s broader budget is now about $7.9 billion. He told the committee that roughly 60% of current Commerce staff were hired within the last two to three years and that the agency now has more than 800 employees distributed across Washington state.

“Most of those folks are all over Washington state,” Wynne said, adding that rapid growth creates organizational and cultural challenges. He emphasized the need for a stronger administrative…