Greg Nance has a lifelong connection with the ferry system. He was three months old on his first ferry ride when the family moved to a new home on Bainbridge Island, and it was on a ferry where he saw his first orca whale and first bald eagle.
Nance, a Bainbridge Island resident, is serving as the 23rd District Representative after his appointment by the Kitsap County commissioners in September, and he’s riding the wave to one of his first major causes in Olympia. The integrity of the Washington State ferry system has been a top priority for Nance from the start, and one month into his freshman legislative session he’s championing a bill to create a commission to study impacts of the ferry system’s shortcomings, secure federal funding, champion transparency and build vessels and workforce.
“For me, the ferries have always represented connection and togetherness and it also represents opportunity,” Nance said.
Kitsap commuters have witnessed route delays or a one-off vessel that’s run aground, crashed into a terminal, or suffered a log strike, but the more frequent inconvenience is cancellations. Washington State Ferries reported 99% reliability this January, and 96.8% in January 2023, but that’s still 121 sailing cancellations this month and 396 in January 2023, reported WSF spokesman Ian Sterling. The Bremerton-Seattle route hasn’t been in full service since 2021 either, operating without a second vessel.