Council Candidates Concise Eleven Of 13 In Running Speak Briefly On Issues During Forum
Speed-talking proved a priceless talent at a Thursday morning Spokane City Council candidates forum.
Eleven of 13 candidates showed for the relay race of introductions, questions and answers sponsored by the Small Business Council of the Chamber of Commerce.
Candidates got three minutes to introduce themselves before a stopwatch beep from the back of the room told them their time was up.
One-minute responses were allowed to two questions - one on downtown redevelopment and another on city-county consolidation.
Asked how they felt about a proposed charter to consolidate city and county governments, candidates gave the following responses:
COUNCIL POSITION 1
Roberta Greene: She supports the concept but feels some questions need answering. She has concerns about possible increased taxes, especially a business and occupation tax. “There’s a cost issue there.”
David Holter: He’s skeptical about a proposal that leaves so many questions about costs and consequences. “Will we be giving up our quality of services to the county?”
Jim Kolva: He supports consolidation and believes in long-term cost savings. Unified building and planning codes are essential to development vitality.
Ron McArthur: He says the proposal is a wonderful idea but doubts voters can accept such sweeping changes. He supports consolidating “one project at a time.”
COUNCIL POSITION 2
Incumbent Orville Barnes: He was asked years ago what form of government would best serve the community. At that time, he decided that services needed to be prioritized to “see what type of government could best do those.” He didn’t say whether he supports consolidation.
John Talbott: “The process is good but the concept faulty.” The proposal needs a full cost analysis.
Steve Thompson: “We have enough dysfunction with six part-time council members without making it 13.” Needs more study.
Greg Works: He says the question is irrelevant. “This is not something that the present or future council members really are going to deal with.”
COUNCIL POSITION 3
Jeff Colliton: He supports consolidation and doesn’t mind serving the shortest council term in Spokane’s history.
Incumbent Bev Numbers: She’s never seen a real cost analysis of the proposal and has concerns about effects on areas such as parks.
Ken Withey: Charter is a “gallant effort that fell short. I don’t like big government. I like smaller government closer to the people.”
Asked how they felt about revitalizing downtown, candidates gave the following responses:
Greene: “Whatever can be done within necessary bounds should be to have a living, breathing, vital downtown.”
Holter: He would like to see a “holistic approach to downtown,” with plans to add affordable and upscale housing, more police and cheap parking.
Kolva: He says downtown needs a small business enterprise zone and housing to serve all incomes.
McArthur: He sees downtown’s future as a large retail center diminishing as the need for entertainment, smaller shops and housing in the core area grows.
Barnes: Everything possible should be done to keep downtown vital. “What government has to do is cooperate and work with the business community.”
Talbott: “If a project is viable, private financing is available. The city should be there and ready to support changes to infrastructure.”
Thompson: “A good, strong healthy downtown is important. But use private money, not the government’s.”
Works: “If you want to make Spokane fly financially, you need to stick to the hometown idea. If you want to do some kind of study, don’t get people in Bellevue.”
Colliton: “We need affordable housing for all residents. We need to offer incentives to businesses to stay downtown, incentives to developers to renovate.”
Numbers: She supports public-private partnerships. “We need to use all the ways we have to make downtown viable.”
Withey: “We can’t mortgage our neighborhoods to fund private projects.”
Robert Schroeder and Larry Bacon, both candidates for Position 1, didn’t attend the forum.
, DataTimes