Olympia hires Capital Path Consulting, outlines draft 2026 legislative priorities

The Olympia City Council and staff introduced Capital Path Consulting Tuesday as the city’s new state lobby team and reviewed a draft legislative agenda for the 2026 session.

Legislative liaison Susan Grisham said the firm was selected after an RFP process; Capital Path principals Kyla Shekrick Blair and Daniel Pilthorpe outlined an approach focused on targeted advocacy during a short 60-day session that the consultants warned will be constrained by a projected state budget shortfall.

Draft priorities presented to the council included funding and permitting support for the Deschutes Estuary project, protecting operating funding for housing and encampment-resolution programs, access to CHIPS and other infrastructure grants, defending transportation funding and local public-works accounts, and exploring options for local revenue authority such as levy-lid adjustments or other progressive revenue tools. Staff and consultants emphasized that some items were technical extensions to be tracked and that the list remains a living document.

Council members broadly urged narrowing the list to a short set of clear, actionable priorities for a short session, while keeping a secondary list that the consultants can monitor and act upon when opportunities arise. Capital Path said it would provide weekly tailored bill tracking and grant-opportunity matrices and work with staff on a pre-session meeting with Olympia’s legislative delegation.