Gov. Jay Inslee gives a toast at the 2017 inaugural ball in Olympia. (Courtesy of Washington State Archives)
In Washington, there have been inaugural balls at the state’s Capitol pretty much every four years since statehood.
But the pandemic derailed the event in 2021 and the organizing committee has pulled out of the one scheduled for 2025, leaving the quadrennial tradition’s future uncertain.
It was back in January 1957, 11 men and women formed a nonprofit with the singular intention of throwing the party — a big privately funded one — to celebrate those public servants entrusted with control of the state’s levers of power.
Dubbed the Inaugural Ball Committee, the founders agreed the sole purpose would be “to plan, manage, operate and conduct” the ball honoring the governor, other statewide elected officials, state lawmakers and members of the state Supreme Court.
An ice sculpture at the 2017 Washington state inaugural ball. (Courtesy Washington State Archives)
In the ensuing years, volunteers operating independently of public funds, government officials and campaigns put on the event, which drew thousands of attendees to the buildings and grounds of the state Capitol campus in Olympia.
The run may be over.
Members of the current Inaugural Ball Committee quietly decided this summer they couldn’t pull it off and have since disbanded and distributed $110,000 in unspent funds to other nonprofit organizations.
“Pretty disappointing,” said Jennelle Riffe, treasurer and designated spokesperson for the committee’s five-person board. “It’s a cool thing, a chance to celebrate Washington as a state.”
A mix of factors underlay the decision, she explained.
This was to be the first ball in eight years as they had to cancel in 2021 due to COVID. The only other time a ball wasn’t held was in 1917 due to the flu epidemic. With the passage of time, longtime members with valuable knowledge and skill sets departed from the committee, Riffe said.
An inaugural ball is an expensive undertaking.
In 2017, the tab was roughly $350,000. Costs included rent of equipment as well as the rotunda, mezzanines and state reception room inside the domed Legislative Building, and the Temple of Justice. Then there was the cost of food, beverages and performers.
There were 1,500 tickets sold in advance, half of what was expected based on sales and attendance from previous inaugural balls, Riffe said.
“When you have an event that is funded by ticket sales, and then you don’t sell nearly the tickets you need, it can be pretty devastating,” she said. They had a deficit and needed to tap carryover funds from prior inaugural balls to erase it, she said.
Ticket prices rose to $100 from $75 that year, which may have contributed to some of the drop-off. Board members anticipated ticket prices going up again in 2025 to deal with the increases in costs across the board since 2017.
With prospects of higher expenses and uncertain public interest, board members became wary. This summer, Riffe said, “the board had to get together and make the tough call.” After a 67-year run, the committee was finished.
But they apparently didn’t spread the word very widely. Officials in the governor’s office said they learned of the cancellation last month after contacting the board president, Carol Robinson.
When a staff member inquired about the status of the remaining funds, they received a text from Robinson’s phone number that appeared intended for someone else.
“These people are dumber than dumb,” the text reads. “I stated we were an independent LLC that has put this on with ticket sales. Nothing to do with taxpayers money.”
Robinson declined to be interviewed.
Joby Shimomura, Gov. Jay Inslee’s chief of staff, delivered the cancellation news to legislative leaders and elected statewide executives, in a Sept. 12 email.
“As you know, many folks look forward to the Governor’s Inaugural Ball held every four years to celebrate the election of Washington’s incoming statewide public officials and legislators,” Shimomura wrote.
“We recently learned that the [Inaugural Ball Committee] has dissolved and there is no current plan for a ball in January 2025. Our office is not aware of any other organization planning a formal celebration event,” she noted.
The Department of Enterprise Services has reserved use of the Capitol and the campus grounds on Jan. 15 in case another entity emerges.
If someone reaches out for insights on throwing a party, Riffe said, “I can’t see any reason why we wouldn’t share what we know.”