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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Spin Control

Envision Spokane to appeal judge’s ruling barring them from the ballot

Envision Spokane will appeal a judge's ruling that kicked them off this November's ballot.

"We’re not going to take this laying down," Brad Read, board president of Envision Spokane, said Tuesday. "She chose to side with the powerful interests to tell the people of Spokane what they could vote on."

Read called Spokane Superior Court Judge Maryann Moreno's ruling an "attack on democracy," and said his board voted unanimously to appeal her decision.

Read doesn't expect his group's Community Bill of Rights initiative to appear on the ballot this fall simply because time won't allow it.

On Friday, Moreno barred Envision's initiative and one from Spokane Moves to Amend the Constitution from the ballot, siding with a coalition of government and business interests, which argued that the initiatives would have created regulations and protections that were not within the city's power to enact. Moreno said the provisions within the measures either conflicted with state and federal law or infringed upon the power of local government to set policy.

Chris Nerison, who leads SMAC, said Friday he would not appeal the decision.

Read our piece on her ruling here.



Nicholas Deshais
Joined The Spokesman-Review in 2013. He is the urban issues reporter, covering transportation, housing, development and other issues affecting the city. He also writes the Getting There transportation column and The Dirt, a roundup of construction projects, new businesses and expansions. He previously covered Spokane City Hall.

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