BIG IDEA: State Rep. Greg Nance describes his ‘Mosquito Fleet Act’ – a bill to be introduced soon
Tuesday, February 4, 2025
by Jeff Noedel
A SanJuans.Today VIDEO IS BELOW
State Rep. Greg Nance, 36, is a ball of energy. An out-of-the-box thinker. And a State Representative whose 23rd District serves three major WSF ferry terminals (Bainbridge Island, Bremerton, and Kingston).
Nance, who is serving his first full elected term in the House, speaks frankly about the shortcomings of the state’s ferry system.
His thinking on how to solve the state’s ferry problems can be summed up in one word: fresh.
In a packed town hall meeting Saturday in the Bainbridge Island City Hall, Nance spoke far more objectively about the state legislature’s role in the decline of the ferry system over the past decade or two. While one of the Democratic Party lines has been to blame WSF’s woes on the work of anti-taxer Tim Eyman (25 years ago), Nance is more blunt. Some think more accountable.
“This is actually a moment where we’ve to own the challenges,” he said Saturday. “We got own it. This is a hard time. And part of this is we’ve under-funded a lot of these core operations for years, and it’s coming home to roost. Once we own that, let’s actually make the right decisions going forward.”
But while Nance and his colleagues are working hard with the Governor Bob Ferguson and WSF leadership to effect improvements in WSF, he also wants to develop a second tier of service that operates in addition to WSF.
Nance is one of a number of legislators who have taken notice of the successes of King County Water Taxi and Kitsap Fast Ferries. He sees passenger-only ferries as a more affordable way to connect some riders to mass transit options on various routes. And he is very focused on standing up supplemental service much faster than 2028-2029, when the first new hybrid electric WSF car ferries come online.
Nance is not narrowly focused on the major routes that connect Kitsap County to Seattle and Edmonds. He has been in close contact with leaders in San Juan County, Island County, and on Vashon Island to explore innovative ways to solve problems with smaller boats that can cost less than $10 million each, instead of the $200 million to $400 million each new hybrid is expected to cost.
Importantly, Nance does not see WSF operating this mosquito fleet. Nance and powerful State Senate Transportation Chair Marko Liias make clear the need to let WSF devote its full attention to rebuilding the biggest ferry system in the U.S. The new Mosquito Fleet might be run by county governments, by port authorities, or even confederations of private operators. And the smaller, more nimble boats might offer novel routes, such as Clinton to Everett, or the San Juans direct to Bellingham or Friday Harbor to Port Townsend.
Nance doesn’t limit his envisioned New Mosquito Fleet only serving Western Washington. This Western Washington Democrat wants his bill to inspire and facilitate local ingenuity in Eastern Washington waterways, too. He reckons the bill will pick up more support across the state if passenger-only ferries are imagined beyond Puget Sound and the Salish Sea.
Nance had planned to file the bill a week or so ago. But the bill is still gathering input from the Governor’s staff. That bodes well for the bill, as it suggests there’s a good chance the Governor would sign it if it passes.
