In Brenda Cooper’s new short story, a governor successfully relocates Washington state’s capitol—but no one wants to move in.
He leaned away, one step already taken, poised to flee. “I didn’t vote for you.”
Real estate. Seattle’s golden goose and Achilles’ heel. “What if you could rent your place for the cost of your mortgage?”He blushed. “And I like the opera. There’s no opera way out there.”Frank Smithson. Inherited a concrete company. Built part of the sea wall. Votes for your opponents. Two kids.It irritated me to know people’s names before they offered them to me. I made a mental note to remind staff not to give me personal information unless someone was a threat or I asked for the data.
“Thank you.” I told her, genuinely pleased. “That’s fabulous. I’ll write a personal note to the families and send it when staff contact them tomorrow.” Regular people like Guadalupe—well, regular activists like Guadalupe—could do so much more than I could. Why the hell did I forget that over and over?She smiled. “I found a piano teacher willing to move if we help her move her piano. I said we would do it.
Susannah found me a donor to cover the costs. God bless the chiefs of staff of every elected official everywhere. “And become a dictator?” Spokane might be falling in love with a dictator in Idaho, but Washington wouldn’t go there on my watch. “People need the freedom to move where they want. We’ll encourage immigrants to choose New Olympia, but I won’t force anyone.”Guadalupe’s slight grin signaled relief. So she had become comfortable enough to test me. Good.
Chandra spoke up. “Atmospheric rivers. The Skykomish flooded Sultan and Gold Bar badly in 2036 and again two years ago. They hadn’t really finished rebuilding yet.” She looked proud of herself and called up a few more facts. “One hundred seventy-two homes were destroyed, and 86. A chunk of Highway 2 as well.”
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