Former senator's first visit to area as governor-elect Monday evening

MOSES LAKE — Washington's Governor-elect Dino Rossi will visit Moses Lake Monday evening to participate in a town hall meeting at Big Bend Community College, a press release from Rossi's transition team has announced.

The BBCC's Grant County Advanced Technologies Center conference center will be the site of the town hall meeting, which will be emceed by state Sen. Joyce Mulliken, (R-Ephrata).

During the meeting, the release states, Rossi, a former Republican state senator, is expected to present an overview of the state budget for the years 2005-2007, which has an expected shortfall of $1.8 billion.

Outgoing Gov. Gary Locke has proposed tax hikes to beer and soft drinks to help placate the budget gap. Rossi has opposed the tax increases, saying they will take the state backwards.

"We are going to make Washington a good place for families and businesses by living within our means," he said in the release, adding that he was confident that he can achieve a balanced budget without any new taxes.

Rossi visited the area several times during his campaign, and Monday's visit is his first as the certified top vote-getter of the election. Moses Lake is the fifth stop in a statewide tour that will continue until Jan. 2005. The inaugural ceremony for the state's next governor has been scheduled for Jan. 12.

Rossi, who came up ahead in the Nov. 2 election and in the first automatic recount, is still ahead of Democrat State Attorney General Christine Gregoire in the hand recount, but disputed votes in King County may still change the outcome of the elections. A flurry of lawsuits have accompanied this latest recount.

The Grant County ATEC is located at 7611 Bolling Street in Moses Lake.