Gov. Bob Ferguson has styled himself a fiscal reformer, but he led the way on a budget gimmick that ignores some $500 million in lawsuit costs for the state.

Inheriting a $16 billion budget shortfall was not the way I wanted to start as governor,” Bob Ferguson said Tuesday.

Gov. Bob Ferguson repeatedly said he would look for budget savings and efficiencies before agreeing to raise taxes on Washingtonians, but on Tuesday – the deadline for doing so – he signed Washington state’s nearly $78 billion,