Candidates Offer Plenty Of Choice 6-Way Commissioner Race Has Breadth Of Ideas To Match Numbers

All are white males, but the six candidates for Spokane County commissioner may have little else in common.

Two Democrats, three Republicans and one independent are seeking the job and each tried to tout his unique qualifications in a Friday forum at the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce.

Only voters living in commissioner District 1 will vote in the Sept. 19 primary. The area includes the city of Spokane north of Garland Avenue and most of the unincorporated area east and north of the Spokane River.

The top vote-getter in each party and Chris Anderson, a Spokane City Council member running as an independent, will advance to the county-wide general election in November.

With Democrat George Marlton being the incumbent, most of the attention has so far been focused on the Democrats. He is challenged by John Roskelley, a mountain climber, author and photographer.

Marlton, appointed to the job to fill a vacancy, called himself something Rush Limbaugh doesn’t think exists, “a moderate Democrat.” He said his experience as a public defender makes him qualified to deal with the problem of youth violence.

Marlton also separated himself from the Republican majority on the commission, Steve Hasson and Phil Harris.

Unlike that duo, Marlton is against assuming responsibility for the county health district.

He also said slashing government had to be handled carefully. “The 1,850 county employees are human beings who have families and depend on their paychecks. They aren’t things … we don’t make widgets.”

Roskelley echoed that, saying staff cuts at the courthouse have decimated employee morale and left the county in violation of state growth laws.

“It’s good political rhetoric to just say slash and burn,” he said.

Roskelley was the only candidate to talk about regional solutions such as including Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene in discussions about growth and aquifer protection. Spokane also needs to be the economic force for Eastern Washington and North Idaho, he said.

The Republicans are Martin Burnette, a financial planner, Art Meikel, a retired Air Force pilot, and Mike Davis, a Deer Park farmer.

They are new to politics, and each accepts the conservative label.

Davis described himself as “a Christian man with Christian values,” adding that he doesn’t stand for business as usual. Davis then stumbled and was unable to finish his opening remarks.

“I’m not very good at this and I’m sorry,” he said. “At this time I need to re-evaluate my speech.”

Meikel came out in support of neighborhood rights, saying he sat in on a workshop where Indian Trail residents were trying to protect their area from unsightly apartments.

Residents living in an area should alone decide on annexation, and a philosophy of growth at all costs has to be stopped, he said. “In this community the dollar is way ahead of people. We have to listen to people.”

Burnette said he’s never climbed a mountain or flown an aircraft, but stressed his financial skills, “being a decision-maker and a problemsolver.” He was the only candidate to support the commission’s recent decision to eventually absorb the functions and employees of the county health district, saying there needs to be more accountability at the agency.

He also wants to restore the county’s budget reserves and promote higher wages in the private sector by reducing government payrolls. He added the ratio of local government workers to the population is “totally unacceptable.”

“We have created a financial rubble,” he said of local government.

Anderson, the only candidate to have won an election, said he has a reputation as a “change agent” who has opened up city government meetings and provided more public access. A polished speaker, he also had the best summation of the campaign.

“There are no two of us on the podium this morning that are remotely alike,” he said.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Map: Spokane County Commission District 1