Wings of Power: Boeing and the Politics of Growth in the Northwest

By T.M. Sell

Through most of its history, the Boeing Company has been one of the biggest providers of jobs and wealth in western Washington State. But in the 1990s, the company found itself a target of local activists and politicians who saw urban sprawl and "growth politics" ruining the region's quality of life.

T. M. Sell grew up in a Boeing family, near Boeing's Renton plant, and later covered the company as a reporter for the Valley Daily News and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. He is a first-hand observer of the drama he unfolds--one personally interested in the future of his community, well informed about the details of its history, acquainted with many of the principal players, and conversant with

the theoretical and historical literature that bears on the multifaceted questions he seeks to answer.

After a lively sketch of the Boeing Company's history into the last decade of the 20th century, Sell looks at what happened when Boeing tried to expand its facilities in Renton and Everett. It was then that the "paradox of growth" first manifested itself, the point at which the benefits of economic expansion appeared to be outweighed by its costs.

Sell examines political power management in Washington State, paying particular attention to Boeing's successful efforts to be a positive influence in the state, to the strategies it used to influence growth-management legislation in Olympia, and to its negotiations with the communities most affected by its efforts to grow. In each case, Sell gives not just an overview of positions and strategies but also sharply drawn portraits of the lobbyists, analysts, and politicians involved, many of whom explain their views in direct conversation.

The balanced and comprehensive approach Sell brings to bear on the story is also his recommendation for dealing with inevitable future growth-related contentions. Fostering the continuing health of our economic and political

environment, he concludes, will require just such a broad, evenhanded, and sensible approach to the politics of

compromise.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0295996250
• ISBN13: 9780295996257
• Release Date: August 2015
• Publisher: University of Washington Press
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Fascinating Read

Sell is admittedly an outsider, always studying Boeing from the periphery of a neutral journalist, or family member of one employed there, yet he manages to deftly describe the essence and culture of Boeing as a longtime employee would. He understands and conveys the conservative approach Boeing has always taken toward state governmental affairs, and presents Boeing as above reproach in these matters, a reputation Boeing has gone to great lengths to ensure. I appreciated the detail to which Sell went to explain the legislative aspects of growth in Washington state and Boeing's occasional collisions with it - a good read whether one is interested in the evolution of Boeing from Bill Boeing's hobby shop to the economic powerhouse it is today, or if one is interested in the impact of growth. Sell also slips in delightful, but subtle witticisms.

Facts without Fiction

Sell's book cuts through the fog of loyalty to green or greed parties and explains the paradox of growth with facts not fictions. Everyone has something to learn from this book. Sell makes both sides of the growth issue stand naked before the mirror and it isn't always pretty. "Wings of Power" is a well written and thoroughly researched book that, unlike most of this genre, is not devoid of humor.

Insightful

A great read, especially considering recent events (Boeing leaving Seattle.)

A must read, especially for Pacific Northwest residents

This is a balanced and even-handed look at an issue that is confronting communities all over the country: How to deal with the costs of growth without losing the benefits. A good read.