Letters / David Bray

• It’s not the uniform

  February 7, 2012 Though I appreciate Councilman Mike Fagan’s outside-the-box thinking, I don’t think new police uniforms are going to do anything to build public trust in our Police Department. It kind of …

• Can’t trust mayor

  September 27, 2011 I like Mayor Verner. She’s personable, works hard and she’s a fair rapper. What I don’t like, and can’t accept, is possibly having another mayor whose integrity is questionable when …

• Tab fee not timely

  February 18, 2011 Street bonds are for those who drive on streets. If we were flush with money or our streets were in good shape, I’d be OK with spending some tax money …

• Impressed with French

  August 4, 2010 It took a little time. When I first bumped heads with Al French in the political arena several years ago I thought I’d have an adversary for life. We didn’t …

• Guild brings out the worst

  April 19, 2010 So the Police Guild says they have “no confidence” in Chief Kirkpatrick. Well, cry me a river. I’m sorry, but in my 19 years in Spokane and 43 years in …

• Welcome to Utopia

  October 20, 2009 OK, what is going on here? Who’s responsible for this insane document called Prop 4? How did a wish list for a Utopian society become a demand for that wish …

• Police get a walk

  March 24, 2009 Many years ago I took a job selling vacuums. It lasted three days because I couldn’t stomach the sales techniques used to entrap customers. I was disgusted and amazed at …

• What light rail?

  January 30, 2009 In Sunday’s paper there was an article by reporter Jonathan Brunt titled “City seeks Riverside extension.” The piece itself was shocking, but one sentence really caught my eye. While describing …

• Current commissioners a boon

  October 29, 2008 Coming down to the wire in this election cycle I want to encourage Spokane County citizen-investors (voters) to Keep Todd Mielke and Mark Richard as county commissioners. These two men …

• Don’t invest in ‘R’ and ‘D’

  September 12, 2008 Lighten up, people. It’s an election year and we’re down to less than 60 days. After reading “Letters” on Sept. 10, I had to shake my head. We have a …

• Streets should be priority

  February 29, 2008 This is getting ridiculous. They’re not “potholes” anymore. They’re street craters. Yesterday I saw kid jump in a puddle while crossing a street and he disappeared for a minute, then …

• Endorsement alternatives

  October 10, 2007 I detest newspaper candidate endorsements. Endorsements are a dying practice in print media but the Spokesman just can’t relinquish any powers of influence it may hold over the public. So …

• French-fry Hession

  July 24, 2007 One of the most difficult things people have to learn in life is to separate their business and personal lives. We all tend to take our work home with us …

• French the best candidate

  June 21, 2007 The primary in eight weeks and three viable candidates for mayor: Dennis Hession: A nice guy, but he couldn’t think outside the box to save his life, or help this …

• Gas prices legal robbery

  May 11, 2007 Plain and simple, we’re being legally robbed. There’s no justification for the current price of gasoline other than pure greed. The excuses are bull droppings. Twelve more refineries with reduced …

• Strong mayor system works

  March 28, 2007 There must be something in the water at the Spokesman-Review building. How else do you explain the leap from a City Council having a difficult time resolving a difficult issue …

• A glaring contrast

  February 23, 2007 A police officer dies in the line of duty. It doesn’t happen very often, but it happens too much. Until that tragedy that officer gets to go home every day, …

• An offensive strategy

  October 17, 2006 Like many people in Spokane, I love to read the “Letters” in the Spokesman. I’ve even written a few myself. During the political season you see a ton of letters …

• Light rail a waste of money

  August 21, 2006 These people drive me nuts. So now light rail proponents want us to vote on the future of a rail between Spokane and Liberty Lake, after spending 8.5 million taxpayer …

• Light rail a disaster

  February 27, 2006 Sometimes I think the people who are pushing light rail transit live in a world of rainbows and Skittles falling from the sky with prancing leprechauns and unicorns as playmates. …

• Change City Charter

  January 12, 2006 So we have new mayor and a new council president, too. Soon we’ll have a new council person in District 3. What’s really interesting about that is that neither our …

• Media show heart in girl’s case

  March 21, 2005 Lilly Anna Rainey is a blond-haired, blue-eyed 3-½-year-old cutie with a smile that could turn manic-depressives into cheerleaders. When I visited my own granddaughter in the same day-care where Lilly …

• Mayor’s street proposal is flawed

  October 25, 2004 We elected Jim West as mayor because we thought we’d get tons of political experience and some “Olympian” assistance from him. What we got is a huge budget deficit, the …

• Questions about questionable law

  July 19, 2004 Another freedom lost in Spokane, another law to protect us against ourselves. I guess the Spokane City Council, being blessed with the wisdom of Solomon and therefore recognizing how stupid …

• S-R a poor arbiter of ethics

  June 16, 2004 Regarding the Spokesman editorial Sunday, June13, page B8, “Met allowed free rein for too long”: I don’t know the details of how Metropolitan Mortgage did its business, and I doubt …

• Use I-695 savings to support buses

  May 7, 2004 In 1999 the citizens of Washington passed an initiative that reduced vehicle registration fees from hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars per vehicle to a base rate of $30 per …

• Courts suited to rule on RPS

  March 31, 2004 “It’s déjà vu all over again” (Yogi Berra). An “emergency” ordinance by the Spokane City Council, no time for citizens to vote or have any input on the subject; and …

• S-R determined to bury Met Mortgage

  February 3, 2004 If you think the newspaper you’re currently reading has any ethics or integrity in its ownership or leadership, maybe you should ask yourself why, during the past seven years, there …

• Half-truths reflect poorly on Hession camp

  October 17, 2003 With great respect to Joanne Moyer, her letter of Oct. 14 begs a response, as does Dennis Hession’s campaign of half-truths. To complete the story that Mrs. Moyer refers to …

• Change mayors, for sure

  September 10, 2003 The Spokane firefighters don’t support Mayor Powers. The Spokesman-Review didn’t endorse Mayor Powers. The city employees union dislikes the mayor so much they want to change city government, and for …

• Change leaders, not government

  August 15, 2003 Although my sympathies and support stand with our city employees, I believe they’ve been misled regarding their initiative to change city government. Let’s be honest, the initiative is really a …

• `Protests’ only demoralizing troops

  April 9, 2003 They claim a two-fold message, “no war” and “support the troops.” It’s hypocrisy or self-delusion to rationalize his or her own ignorance. “Protests” that create disruption, block traffic, destroy property, …

• Would criminal run rampant in Your City?

  February 25, 2003 For a few minutes, imagine that Your City is the whole world, comprised of many neighborhoods and neighborhood leaders. One neighborhood is run by a Known Criminal. He’s murdered hundreds …

• All convention benefits stay downtown

  January 24, 2003 Though familiar with the history of railroads in Spokane, and appreciative of same, I’m nonetheless thankful to our Spokane City Council members and county commissioners for putting the brakes on …

• Powers unqualified to be mayor

  October 7, 2002 Mayor John Powers once again demonstrates that he’s completely unqualified to be our mayor. With the firing of our highly experienced budget department head, the firing of our chief negotiator/mediator …

• Can we get a break from Higgins?

  June 25, 2002 I can’t count how many times Council President Rob Higgins has interrupted a council member (more often than not one he disagrees with), with the remark that he “was just …

• Citizen safety should be top priority

  May 17, 2002 The primary purpose of government is the protection and safety of its citizens. In other words, police and fire protection. I don’t care if the police and fire departments use …

• City reserve built on workers’ backs

  April 2, 2002 Will someone please explain to me the logic behind our mayor’s continual boast that he’s restricted hiring and expenses, slashed jobs and minimalized city employee pay raises, while setting up …

• Steve Eugster should be admired

  January 18, 2002 I like Steve Eugster! There, I’m out of the closet. I’ve read too many letters that attack our esteemed councilman and I’ve had enough. Eugster causes some folks unbelievable consternation …

• Powers’ timing is way off

  November 21, 2001 By definition, a financial reserve is something held apart for a special purpose or future use. Mayor John Powers really, really wants one. By common sense a reserve should also …

• Pacifists not dealing in realities

  October 10, 2001 There are times when the words and actions of those who seek peace at any cost are the words and actions of fools and the ignorant. To think that the …

• Flawed process scuttled prayer vigil

  June 20, 2001 We all lost. When the Park Board denied the Every Day is Son Day organization the opportunity to hold an overnight prayer vigil in Riverfront Park it gave Spokane and …

• Uninformed voters a scourge

  April 19, 2001 Opinion editor John Webster’s April 18 editorial, “How one thing leads to another,” addresses the pickle Washington state is in due to state employees demanding pay raises not unlike what …

• Mayor, let’s see your plan

  March 22, 2001 He’s insulated himself with hired former campaign supporters. He’s become almost inaccessible to the public, the media and even to City Council members. He’s backpedaled faster than a unicycle rider …

• Higgins hasn’t gotten message

  January 19, 2001 As many of us watch our newly designed City Council with high hopes and great expectations, we are sadly disappointed in the new council president’s attempts to denigrate and diminish …

• Resolve to participate in great city

  January 2, 2001 For years I’ve wondered why we in Spokane struggle so hard to move ahead, and why we often settle for less than what we strive for. Are we too complacent? …

• Powers, here’s hoping

  November 21, 2000 Congratulations, Mayor-elect John Powers. You won. Before you lie the hopes and future of an entire city, a city that I and many others hold preciously in our hearts. You’ve …

• Powers lacks experience

  October 19, 2000 He has absolutely no political or government experience. None, zilch, nada. He’s served on no city or county commissions, boards. It’s obvious from his distractive answers to direct questions about …

• Powers flogs a straw man

  September 25, 2000 Do we want a mayor who gains the office by deception? John Powers has continually cast aspersions on Mayor John Talbott’s policy of open government by making claims outrageously untrue. …

• Wrong to condemn council majority

  August 17, 2000 Recent letters to this publication have taken the position that our City Council should make all the problems regarding the River Park Square garage just go away. Those who would …