State Senator
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McLaughlin apologizes for false claims
Spokane City Councilwoman Nancy McLaughlin publicly apologized this week to her opponent in the race for state Senate for using false information on a campaign mailer she sent before last month’s primary. Her apology was made as the state Public Disclosure Commission began inquiring about the mailer in response to a formal complaint.
Why city chose to blame Zehm remains unexplained
Spokane city leaders finally are admitting that mistakes were made during a 2006 police confrontation that led to the death of Spokane resident Otto Zehm. But it remains unclear if the city will answer a key question, one that officials have suggested for months would be explained. Why did city attorneys make official claims in 2009 that Zehm was responsible for his own death and that force used against him was “reasonable and necessary,” even though by that time then-Assistant Chief Jim Nicks had told a grand jury that the response likely violated department policy?
Sen. Brown was financially ready for campaign
State Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown perhaps was too prepared for her re-election bid. She already had ordered her campaign signs when she made the surprise announcement last week that she would not seek a new term.
Into endorsements
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Snyder, Waite enter field for House seat
The scramble is on for a state House seat in central Spokane, part of the fallout of Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown’s surprise decision not to seek re-election. Brown said Thursday that she would not run again for her 3rd Legislative District Senate seat. State Rep. Andy Billig immediately said he would run for Brown’s Senate seat, leaving a vacancy that often attracts multiple candidates.
Brown won’t seek another Senate term
One of the state’s most powerful politicians shook Spokane’s political landscape and shocked her own party Thursday when she announced she won’t seek re-election to the Legislature. State Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown has represented her central Spokane legislative district since 1992, first in the House and, starting in 1996, the Senate. A staunch Democrat, she has led the Senate for eight years, and her pending departure sent ripples through both sides of the partisan aisle.
City Council to address gay marriage
The debate on gay marriage is headed to the Spokane City Council. City Councilman Jon Snyder is sponsoring a nonbinding resolution in support of “marriage equality,” and despite a Republican-leaning majority on the City Council, it appears the resolution is on track for approval.
Measure 1 campaign pulls McLaughlin ad
The campaign to extend taxes to pay for the expansion of the Spokane Convention Center and Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena has pulled a TV ad featuring Spokane City Councilwoman Nancy McLaughlin. Citizens for Jobs Now has developed a series of commercials each featuring two people who often represent competing interests, including messages with a Democrat and a Republican and another with a union member and a business owner. In each ad each spokesperson says that despite their usual differences, they both support Measure 1, the Spokane Public Facilities District tax plan that pays for the Convention Center and arena expansions.
Councilwoman seeks to unseat state Senate majority leader
The Democratic majority leader of the Washington Senate is facing her first reelection challenge by an opponent with a winning campaign history. Spokane City Councilwoman Nancy McLaughlin, a Republican, launched her campaign to unseat state Sen. Lisa Brown on Tuesday at a small gathering in front of Madison Elementary School, where she once served as a Parent Teacher Organization president.