Political promises have a notorious track record — mostly for being broken. They cause a lot of turmoil even when they’re kept.

We’re in a great debate right this moment, on the national level, over campaign promises kept, and what that means for the future of our nation.

Locally, newly elected Governor Ferguson made a big promise a few weeks ago, stating that Washington State Ferries (WSF) will fully restore service on domestic routes this summer. But WSF went on the record that same day with a shot of ice water in an interview with The Beachcomber: lack of vessels, they said, would make Triangle route restoration touch-and-go.

A press release from the Governor is one thing — but the hard realities of the system and which routes WSF will choose to prioritize led them to state they will try to provide three boat service. But that still won’t be as reliable as we need it to be: as WSF stated more recently in a schedule revision meeting, there will still be days, weeks, and possibly even months when we’ll be back on a two-boat schedule. Our reliable access to jobs, medical care, travel, and so much more, is still subject to this transportation crisis.

Are we surprised? Of course not. But we’re still going to take the Governor at his word. Because a promise from an elected official is often just a piton. You pound it hard into the side of that mountain, and you work that foothold to keep climbing.

It’s our moment to keep climbing, Vashon. Grassroots action has helped put the ferry crisis on the radar in Olympia and keep it there. Three boats much of the time is better than two boats any time. And from passenger ferry expansion, to funding for crew recruitment and retention, extension of expiration times on multi-ride passes, revision of the two-boat schedule, the ghost boat, and more, your voices and your commitment to action are slowly and steadily moving us forward.

Our elected officials in the 34th district are right there in the fight with us. Islanders for Ferry Action and the regional Fix Our Ferries coalition have been in Olympia this year, speaking directly with people who hold the purse strings — and those strings are tight. The transportation budget alone faces a deficit exceeding a billion dollars.

We need to speak up to keep Vashon’s priorities in the mix. So, where will your voice help move us forward?

• There’s funding in the House budget to retain the midday water taxi for Vashon for another year. Representatives Joe Fitzgibbon and Brianna Thomas need our support to keep that line item. Senator Emily Alvarado is working hard to make sure funding makes it into the Senate budget, and she needs our support too.

• Representative Greg Nance from the 23rd district is working to advance the Mosquito Fleet Act, HB 1923, which will open the door for passenger ferry expansion for Vashon and around the Sound. He needs our support.

• Fifteen legislators came together to introduce HB 1264, which is essential to updating the methodology the state uses to conduct compensation surveys for ferry workers. Without fair and competitive wages for crew, we cannot have a resilient and reliable fleet. They need our support.

• Bids to build new ferries don’t arrive until May, after regular and special legislative sessions end. Funding is set aside, but it’s hard to budget when you don’t know costs (many predict the price tag on new hybrid vessels will come in north of $400 million per boat). We must help ensure that building new boats remains a funded priority.

Creating real change is a long, and often frustrating, climb. Vashon, it’s your commitment to action that’s keeping us on the move up that mountain. The regular legislative session ends April 27th. Time is running short for funding and legislative action. Visit FixOurFerries.org/VashonAction today and lend your critical voice to the fight to fix our ferries.

Amy Drayer, Beth Lindsay, Rick Wallace and Wendy Aman comprise the steering committee for Islanders for Ferry Action.