Olympia got Jesse: Gov. Ferguson appoints consumer journalist to lead Results Washington

Invoking the catchphrase that defined Jesse Jones' career, Gov. Bob Ferguson announced that he has hired the former consumer journalist to lead Results Washington.

“Washingtonians know that when there is a problem to be solved, you get Jesse,” Ferguson said in a statement Wednesday. “Government must work better. Jesse’s track record makes him an ideal candidate for this role.”

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Results Washington was formed in 2013 through an executive order by then Gov. Jay Inslee. Its mission is to improve state government, with a focus on "measurable goals, collecting performance data and conducting regular public performance reviews," according to the announcement.

“Few things frustrate me more than bureaucracy that creates delays, confusion, or extra hurdles when people and businesses need questions answered and results delivered," Jones said in a statement. "Our mission must be to speed up government, improve customer service and center the people in every decision we make.”

The way Ferguson describes Jones' appointment, the goal is to make government more efficient. Jones will not only lead Results Washington, he will also "refocus" the agency with a customer service lens.

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The sentiment behind Ferguson's appointment echoes his first speech as governor, when he told lawmakers, “Our state government is bogged down by too much bureaucracy." Ferguson also signed three executive orders on his first day, two of which were targeted at government efficiencies around the construction of affordable housing and also the process of doing business in the state. The orders involve cutting down on time for permits, licenses, and other paperwork.

“I’m not here to defend government,” Ferguson said in his speech. “I’m here to reform it.”

This is not the first time Gov. Ferguson and Jones have crossed paths. After Jones reported on an undisclosed 3% transaction fee at Climate Pledge Arena in 2023, Ferguson was spurred to start a class action case as the state's attorney general. The lawsuit was based on the original news story and led to a $477,900 settlement.

Jones was raised in Tacoma (he was an intern at KSTW in the early '90s). After reporting in Cincinnati and Baltimore, he returned to Western Washington in 2005 as a consumer reporter for KING5. He quickly became a media personality, known for his "Get Jesse" segment, which investigated consumer complaints, fraud, and general bad business behavior. He jumped over to KIRO-TV in 2014, where he spent 10 more years reporting on consumer concerns. Jones was let go from KIRO in October 2024, when the station nixed its consumer reporting program.

Jones sat down with Seattle Now's Patricia Murphy in December, following his exit from TV news and said, at the time, that he didn't know what his next role would be.

"I have this stone in my shoe," he said. "I have an itch I have to scratch, and I have a love I have to cuddle. And I have to find something that handles all of those issues, all of the dilemmas that I have. I don't know what I will choose ... but gosh, it's so hard. I'm 60 years old and I'm in that gap. I know this. I've got to get out of the house."