“We’re here for Dino Rossi,” a woman said outside of Gov. Christine Gregoire’s Port Townsend speech.

The women described themselves as “three old broads” from the area’s Republican Party.

Gregoire waved and smiled at them as she entered The Public House, a day-time coffee, night-time bar restaurant (later she stopped to say hello).

“She looked great in her pink suit,” one of them commented.

“She’d be great to have a coffee with, but not as governor.”

They complained that Gregoire was causing the state’s surplus to disappear.

In her speech, Gregoire turned to a hot subject in Port Townsend: transportation. Gregoire said, “And now for transportation. You thought I’d chicken out didn’t you?” Nervous laughter. Gregoire thanked the crowd for being patient about the snafu-fest that is the Washington Ferry system. She said six new vessels are in commission; the largest state project in years.

One man said, “We have some serious housing problems here!” It was the first time anyone has “talked back” at one of her speeches.

Gregoire said in the last session, she created a task force to ensure that we wouldn’t face problems with housing and added that a second stimulus package could be implemented by Congress.