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As a reporter responsible for my share of embarrassing typos over the years, I am hesitant to point out spelling and grammatical errors in others’ work (especially in a blog that usually isn’t edited before it’s posted).
That said, City Councilman Mike Allen’s campaign flier that arrived in South Hill mailboxes last week has enough grammatical and other errors that the candidate declared himself “disappointed” in the mailer.
Here are the two most problematic sentences in the flier:
- “Mike and his wife, Dena have two daughters, Madi and Kait live on the South Hill and enjoy our special quality of life.”
- “Good decisions about our quality of like should always be more important that politics or special interests.” (Emphasis is mine.)
Asked about the mailing, Allen said he saw a draft of the flier, which was produced by paid campaign assistant Ben Oakley.
“I was very upset and disappointed when I saw the final outcome in my own mailbox,” Allen said.
But Allen said the problems were his own fault for not checking the final version.
“That’s what happens when you don’t approve everything yourself,” Allen said.
Jim Camden is a veteran political reporter for The Spokesman-Review.
Jonathan Brunt covers Spokane City Hall for The Spokesman-Review.
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CalJones on October 20 at 3:21 p.m.
I think it’s amazing that somehow grammatical errors in a candidate’s flier is bigger news than the fact that Rob McKenna just endorsed Mike Fagan in Council District 1, Amazing! That endorsement should have been on the front page of today’s Spokesman Review, let alone Spin Control….amazing that their is no mention.
Dazzeetrader11 on October 20 at 10:04 p.m.
These politicians aren’t paid to spell . Nice if they type well too. Give us a candidate with good ideas who knows how to bring those ideas to workability. Give us a candidtate who is creative, fair and has vision. I liked Allen from the transmitted debates. He has acquired some experience and sounds like he’ll build on that experience.
ChefGus/ John Olsen on October 21 at 5:36 a.m.
Jim, thank you for the grace you give to those of us that type our blog comments in a stream of consciousness …. the little spell check on the blog precludes most errors… but when on a run it is not good use of time for some to go back and make our posts perfect in terms of grammar/punctuation and spelling…. it IS our thoughts that are the crux… and if our point gets across in spite of “spelling errors”…. then we ARE communicating ok….
I appreciate your letting us be who we are… :)) john (all that said, a campaign brochure should be a bit better proofed, perhaps Mr Phil Harris could help Mr Allen? )
Spok on October 22 at 2:04 p.m.
I want my City Council representative to both have vision and also pay attention to the details. A well-organized campaign should have had many volunteer eyes proofing that oversized postcard that was apparently mailed to every registered voter in District 2. Multiple voters in the same household got multiple cards. That has to be expensive and not at all “fiscally conservative.”
I would guess that mailing cost $15 to $20 thousand. I don’t see it on the PDC expenses. Maybe I missed it or was it in-kind? But that, too should be on the PDC.
justbob on October 22 at 2:49 p.m.
Spok -
$15-20 thousand sounds high, but you seem like you know alot. Are you currently working on a campaign?
Lulubelle on October 22 at 7:58 p.m.
The Realtors Quality of Life PAC out of Olympia have invested $17,400 in Allen campaign mailers. Check the PDC under Independent Expenditures. Not only are they from the West side, the business doing the printing is located in Monroe. Bet out local printers would have appreciated a little piece of that action.
Verbal on October 22 at 11:50 p.m.
Just who are these Realtors, Lulu? Is it a PAC that realtors from around the state donate to and just happens to be headquartered in Olympia because that’s where the state capital is? Or, is it a nefarious cabal of gold-jacketed home sellers looking to infiltrate our beloved city to further their diabolical plans?
Please Lulu, please give us more empty conjecture!
Lulubelle on October 23 at 8:11 a.m.
Do your own homework Verbal……………Google ‘em.
More important to me is that fact that a special interest organization would put this kind of money into this race. Tells me they are looking for political favors. I don’t care where they are from
Dazzeetrader11 on October 24 at 12:54 a.m.
Well, it works both ways. Envision Spokane has thousands of dollars in new signs being posted. Remember how they trumpeted that we all should support the “local economy” and “buy local”? The signs were built and printed in…wait for it……Houston! Now what were you saying about supporting the local economy? PDC is a handy thing Lulu..they tell the voters things people should know.
Lulubelle on October 25 at 10:01 a.m.
Daisy - Yes, the PDC is a treasure trove of info. It certainly informs Lulu’s voting decisions. Not sure how your “it works both ways” comment on Envision Spokane relates however……maybe you think she supports Prop 4? Lulubelle takes her spankin’s when spankin’s are due…but maybe you shouldn’t make assumptions.
ideasman on October 25 at 4:50 p.m.
Over $1100!!! PDC fact. The amount that Jon Snyder has taken from Envision Spokane supporters. To me, that is a lot bigger news than a typo on a mailer. Come on people. When is someone going to write about this?
Lulubelle on October 25 at 8:32 p.m.
Ideasman……..you’re kiddin’, right?? $1100 out of over $44,000 is something to get you’re panties in a twist over??
You’re are out of ideas, man.
ChefGus/ John Olsen on October 26 at 10:58 a.m.
Mr Snyder has stated in several settings that he is Opposed to Prop 4…. simple straightforward and to the point… john
Verbal on October 26 at 11:34 p.m.
Lulu - I did my homework and found the RCW on “Independent Expenditures”. You should do the same.
ideasman - I don’t think anyone is going to write anything about $1100. Ever. That Envision supporters also support Mr. Snyder is really a non-issue. Like a blogger recently suggested, who else would they support?
Like ChefGus said, Mr. Snyder has expressed his opposition to Prop 4 many times. We have to take his word for that, as he doesn’t seem to be a dishonest guy at all. I can’t say I like his supporter’s tactics, as Spok and Lulu have turned a simple “hee-hee” campaign follies post by Mr. Brunt into an opportunity to troll for Mr. Snyder (which I’ve furthered myself by responding to - and taking shots of my own).*
If anyone reading this still hasn’t made up their minds about these two candidates, let me try to put it as fairly as I can:
Both are good citizens and care deeply about Spokane.
Both seem to agree on 85-90 percent of the issues.
Mr. Snyder’s main focus would be environmental issues - cleaning up the Spokane river, sustainability, etc.
Mr. Allen’s focus would be more on economics - a more efficient government by increasing transparency and accountability, create a plan to prioritize and manage large capital expenditures, etc.
I feel I gave Mr. Snyder’s focus the short shrift, and I tried to go short on Mr. Allen’s to compensate. Maybe one of his supporters would like to add a brief post regarding Mr. Snyder’s focuses, if elected.
Also, for the undecided voter, ignore the posts about “this candidate is a good listener” or “this candidate has the common sense it takes”. That’s all BS. Both of these fellas would gladly listen to a constituent’s concerns and do their best to help. They’re both very bright, intelligent and curious.
*I reserve the right to respond to any “trolling” (of course, as long as I don’t violate any rules of the board here). :)
BillBill on October 27 at 4:59 a.m.
There is NO INDEPENDENT SPENDING FOR SNYDER. Verbal, are you misinformed or are you intentionally attempting to misinform Spokane’s voters?
However, Allen’s PDC record shows $17,434.02 in “independent expenditures” from the Realtors Quality of Life PAC. That is A LOT OF OUTSIDER OLYMPIA MONEY being used to influence the outcome of our local election.
DeWood/Monroe Court have contributed one-sixth of Allen’s cash contributions. That makes one wonder how the variance for his high-rise adjacent to the courthouse is coming along?
The measure of Jon Snyder’s grass roots campaign, rather than Allen’s special interest money campaign can be seen in the following: Jon Snyder’s campaign has approx 300 unique contributors, as compared to Allen’s approx 100. The average Snyder contribution is around $94, compared to Allen’s over $220. Snyder has gotten 3 times as many contributors each giving half as much on average.
Snyder is a businessman. He has budgeted for both small and large businesses. He started and grew several small businesses right here in Spokane. It is that first-hand experience that has made small-business development one of his priorities.
These are just some of the reasons why I am voting for Jon Snyder.
CalJones on October 27 at 4:16 p.m.
You know bill bill, Snyder is simply using a classic tactic of convincing anyone and everyone to contribute a small donation, just so it looks like one candidate has more money. If Allen is simply focusing fundraising from higher dollar donors, it doesn’t indicate he has fewer supporters.
Using your argument, it could be said that Snyder’s “supporters” don’t believe in him as much as Allen’s “supporters” believe in Allen. Likely not true, but all the same from your argument.
CalJones on October 27 at 4:19 p.m.
Hey Daisy -
Yard signs from Texas seem to me to be an extremely hypocritical move on behalf of Envision, and then to try and cover it up to boot. Just imagine the carbon footprint as a result of their transporting the goods (signs) from Houston to Spokane, shameful!
The fact that they were purchased by an employee of the Pennsylvania Community and Legal Defense Fund, should all tell us something.
Lulubelle on October 27 at 6:36 p.m.
CalJones says “Snyder is simply using a classic tactic of convincing anyone and everyone to contribute a small donation, just so it looks like one candidate has more money”.
Weird logic, and not a campaign tactic, classic or otherwise I’ve ever heard of, but whatever.
Facts are you don’t need the most money to win an election you just need enough money and a message. Snyder has the message that speaks to South Hill voters not to special interest groups that don’t even live in the district. These voters put their small donations where their values and mouths are. I’d be willing to bet none are going to be making a boatload of money off a zoning change. And more importantly….with each of those small donations comes a vote or maybe two.
ChefGus/ John Olsen on October 27 at 7:57 p.m.
Or maybe five…. the votes for the other two districts so far are 17 and a half percent… turned in… and in the 2nd it is 19 and a half percent…. two percent of 40,000 votes in the district likely will make a difference,….. those of us voting for “change” will likely line up on the side of the young turk Jon Snyder…. the “polls” are taken with those folks who are owning hard wire phones.. and most of the young voters ( snyder votes) do not OWN a hard wire and thus are not included in the “polls” that show it to be a close race…. GO Jon… j
justbob on October 28 at 10:34 a.m.
ChefGus - What polls?
Verbal on October 29 at 8:37 p.m.
Well, three days and nothing from the Snyder supporters on any concrete details on what he will do if elected….
BillBill, I’m just telling the truth. Say, you didn’t post your comment here because you’d gotten yourself into a corner on the other thread, did you?
And like I said earlier, Jon doesn’t have a ‘grass roots’ campaign, as that implies support from both sides of the political spectrum. He has the Democrat’s donor list and the party machine used to back candidates who will implement their ‘out there’ agenda.
After all, I think most folks would rather their leaders focus on sound economic practices rather than …..rather than…..oh yeah, no one can say exactly what it is he will do.
Your looking glass must still be dirty.
Lulubelle on October 30 at 9:29 a.m.
News flash Verbal………there’s a difference between “grassroots” and “bipartisan”. Check your dictionary.
More importantly……what YOU think “most folks would rather their leaders focus on” doesn’t mean spit. It’s what the VOTERS in District 2 think. My prediction is Dist 2 voters support Snyder who will represent them….not special interests that may or may not live in our district.
Allen is bought and paid for…..he’s a nice enough guy, but he’s just lined up on the wrong side of neighborhood and average Joe voter concerns.
I want my Councilmember to represent everyone in District 2…..not just special interests that have the money to buy favorable council votes.
See ya Nov 4th
CalJones on November 01 at 9:02 a.m.
I want my council members to represent the whole city.
Verbal on November 01 at 5:29 p.m.
Lulu - If my opinion means spit, what does yours mean? Getting a little nasty, aren’t you?
Allen will represent all of district 2, even those who believe big government can solve all problems like yourself.
“Bought and paid for”? That a very serious allegation, Lulu. You’re coming apart (and getting more desperate) as the election gets closer.
Perhaps you mistake Allen for a politician like Mayor Verner, who took $10,000 from the City Worker’s Union in 2007, then a few months after her election, “negotiated” a contract which included a 5% pay increase along with extremely generous benefits (while many Spokanites were losing their jobs and/or their 401(k)’s.
Allen voted against the contract, stating that the city couldn’t afford it.
Well, to pay for it, our Mayor introduced the started taxing us on the taxes we pay for water, sewer and garbage. Like a sales tax on a tax! Oh yeah, she also raided the capital reserves to the tune of $4 million.
Robbing from Spokane’s future to pay off campaign donors…hmm sound familiar? Maybe the far left is wanting Snyder on the council so he can rubber stamp more of her fiscal irresponsibility.
Unfortunately, Snyder won’t tell us what he’ll do, and neither can his supporters like you.
You have absolutely nothing, other than your continual empty conjecture and innuendo, to say about either candidate. You certainly cannot provide anyone with anything close to a rational point.
Good luck on Tuesday!!
BillBill on November 02 at 3:16 a.m.
You accuse L of doing what you are doing in your post, V. Nasty Nasty.
You fringe Righty-Wing extremists are not representative of Spokane. You evade and try to make this about the mayor. Clue: the mayor is not running in the race.
Talk about empty conjecture and innuendo!
Your candidate was appointed to office, not elected, and knew the salary. Yet he voted to increase his own salary by TWO-THIRDS just months after that appointment! Worse, he voted to deny salary increases to the police at the same time he gave himself the fat raise.
He has taken large contributions from developers. Last I looked ONE-SIXTH of his cash contributions came from a single developer or his company. The Olympia Realtor’s Quality of “Like” (sic) PAC kicked in ONE-HALF of his overall contributionss. He sold out our Southgate neighborhood to the developers and their THREE 100,000 sqare foot big-box stores already. Enough is enough!
Do you think that may be what L was referring to? Hmmmm…
Allen, after months of weasle words and refusing to take a side on I-1033, finally was forced to vote on it at city council three weeks ago. Lo and behold, Allen voted against it.
Is he really against I-1033? Maybe. Maybe not. He is supporting his buddy Fagan’s run for city council. Fagan is the I-1033 that makes his living with Tim Eyman writing these initiatives. One can never quite tell where Allen stands.
I am voting for the moderate Jon Snyder. He is beholden to no one. His campaign is running on over 300 contributions from neighbors.
Lulubelle on November 02 at 8:24 a.m.
Hey Verbal……so you think Lulu is a “nasty” girl??…..sounds like you’ve been reading some Idaho’s Larry Craig’s quotes. “Spit” is nasty??….maybe s@*t…but spit???
“Bought and paid for” an unfounded allegation??…well let’s see.
$17,400 independent expenditure from a real estate PAC
$ 5,500 from DeWood and his companies (check out the current rezoning deals he’s working on)
$10,000+ local real estate & development interests (and that’s just the obvious ones)
Organizations and CEOs don’t put this kind of money into a City Council race because the candidate is just a good guy.
Way over half of Allen’s contributions are from special interest organizations and people “doing business” with the City.
Sure we all give money to the candidate we think best represents our own values and interests…..but I have no illusions that my $50.00 donation to the Snyder campaign will result in a round-about or speed bump I’d like installed on my street.
I do, however, have high hopes that Snyder will bring much needed balance to the council. I’m sure I won’t agree with all his votes, but I will know they come from honest consideration of all the facts and circumstances.
Verbal on November 02 at 6:35 p.m.
BillBill & Lulu,
Please read what I wrote above: You have absolutely nothing, other than your continual empty conjecture and innuendo, to say about either candidate. You certainly cannot provide anyone with anything close to a rational point.
Billbill - Just because someone isn’t far, far left does not make them and extreme right winger. You’re showing the same intolerance they do, though. Guess the extremes are quite a bit alike.
By all accounts except yours, Allen is a moderate.
Remember, Snyder said several times prior to the primaries that Allen has done a good job as councilman. It wasn’t until after the primaries that he realized that the only way he could win is by going negative. His minions like yourself and Lulu followed suit. Maybe he’s afraid that if he ran on what, exactly, he would do as councilman, no one -besides the far left environmentalists, would vote for him.
Spok on November 02 at 9:35 p.m.
Verbal keeps repeating his garbage and spin. Silly guy.
The voters will have decided soon enough. You underestimate their intelligence.They are smarter than you.
Bill and Lu, tomorrow is going to be fun. I love victory parties.
Jon Snyder’s will be a good one.
Lulubelle on November 03 at 7:09 a.m.
Hey Spok….looking forward to meeting you at the party….trying to figure out who BillBill is too.
GO JON!!!!!!!
Verbal on November 03 at 12:22 p.m.
Spok - after all this time, no one can say exactly what Snyder would do.
Its not spin at all. Its fact. Its too bad you won’t acknowledge that.