‘A brand new shop:’ Jesse Jones shares vision for Results Washington as newly-appointed director

Washington Governor Bob Ferguson has appointed award-winning local consumer investigative reporter Jesse Jones as the director of Results Washington, established more than a decade ago to provide government transparency.

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

Many people might know Jesse from his KING 5 segment “Get Jesse,” which was launched in 2007 to take on bad businesses — leading to several local, state and federal investigations.

Jesse then moved to KIRO 7 in 2014 and started his “Jesse Jones” segment which included national investigations that led to change across the country and exposed Fortune 500 companies. More recently, Jesse investigated hidden fees at Climate Pledge Arena. He found the arena was hiding a 3% charge, leading to action by the Washington State Attorney General’s Office.

Jesse Jones joins KIRO Newsradio to talk about future of Results Washington

Jesse joined “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio Thursday to discuss his vision for his new role with Results Washington.

“There is a lot we can do, ” he said. “There’s a lot that’s being done that is already good, amongst a lot of these agencies in Washington State talking about consumers, but like a really good HGTV show, we’ve got to do the tear down first, right? And basically, knock down all these silos and have everybody share what they’re doing good. We’re going to take a look at that. We’re going to take a hard look at that. And then I’ve got some ideas and my team has some ideas to really improve on efficiency in the state, when it comes to dealing with consumers, it’s important. It’s vital.”

Jesse explained Results Washington tracks and reports good government, everything from education to the environment to the economy. The sector also works to hold state government accountable and conducts performance audits. However, Jesse said there will most likely be a rebranding in the future.

“We’re going to just tilt all of this towards customer service and customer relations,” he shared. “So that’s, that’s kind of what we did and we are going to come up with a brand new shop and do different things.”

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What makes Jesse Jones, Jesse Jones?

Gee Scott, co-host of “Gee and Ursula” asked where Jesse’s tenacity comes from.

“I don’t want to get emotional. My mother just passed. She passed on December 26 and she was a great lady, and she really taught me how to treat people,” he shared. “I mean, it was really funny at the funeral, I was learning all kinds of stuff that my mother did for people that I had no idea. I mean, single-family background, mom was working two or three jobs. She was working a Latchkey program on the Hilltop. She was flipping burgers at the fair. She did whatever she had to to make things right. And I’m hearing stories about my mother when we were fighting to eat, have a roof over our head, and she’s donating money to churches and to people so they could keep going and doing the things they were doing to help other people.”

I’d be in Hilltop with my mom, and I’m Mr. TV, hey, I’m Jesse Jones, right? Man, my mom was a superstar and all the lives that she touched, I mean, I owe it all to Mary Ann Jones and she was my queen,” he continued.

Jesse: ‘If Domino’s can follow a pizza, we should be able to follow your application’

Jesse emphasized his goal of fostering more accountability within the government and making government systems easier for citizens to use.

“I’ve looked at thousands, if not millions of complaints from consumers over my 30 years in broadcast, and kind of the one thing that people need to know is where they stand with state government when they apply for something, or when they ask, or they waiting for a benefit, so we have to be accountable that way,” he said. “If you apply for benefits, or something through the state, you shouldn’t have to sign up and then wait for us to get back to you. If Domino’s can follow a pizza, we should be able to follow your application. Tell you exactly where you are, let you know the truth.”

He used the example of people applying for benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“People sign up for benefits, and then it would be, ‘Where am I? I don’t know when I’m gonna get a callback. I don’t know how this is gonna be handled. I’ve got a set amount of money that’s gonna last me so long. I need to know where I’m at.’ Well, we need to be able to provide that, period,” he said.

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Jake and Spike weigh in on Jesse’s new role

Co-hosts of “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio Jake Skorheim and Spike O’Neill shared their thoughts on Jesse.

“Everybody knows that guy,” Jake said. “He gets things done.”

Spike noted Jesse’s focus on consumer advocacy.

“The consummate, if you had taken advantage of somebody, screwed somebody over, and Jesse knocked on your door with a cameraman — you were in trouble,” Spike said.

“You saw Jesse there and you’re like ‘Oh crap'” Jake said.

“Yeah, justice is here,” Spike replied.

Julia Dallas is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read her stories here. Follow Julia on X here and email her here.

Listen to “The Gee and Ursula Show“ weekday mornings from 9 a.m.- noon on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

Listen to “Jake and Spike” weekdays from noon-3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.