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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Sparks Tapped To Take Over House Seat He Plans To Start Now To Get On Committees

Lonnie Sparks, an Idaho potato farmer turned Spokane attorney, was picked Tuesday by Spokane County commissioners to fill an empty seat in the state Legislature.

The commissioners appointed Sparks, 51, after interviewing three Democrats hoping to replace Dennis Dellwo as the House representative for the 3rd District.

Sparks’ reign as a state lawmaker could last five months if he doesn’t beat two rivals in the September primary.

One Sparks foe tried to convince commissioners that appointing anyone was a waste of tax dollars, because the Legislature is out of session and the election is so close.

Commissioner Steve Hasson said the 3rd District needs help now.

“It needs as much attention as it can get,” Hasson said. “It’s a very vulnerable district.”

The district covers the city core and most of its poorest neighborhoods, including West Central and East Central.

Hasson called Sparks “experienced and mature.” He also called him a “known quantity” with “moxie.”

Sparks said he plans to immediately start working for the district, including trying to get seats on the House transportation and appropriations committees.

“A good legislator can do a lot of work from here to January,” Sparks said.

Neighborhood activist Jeff Gombosky, 25, and retired social services executive Val Smith, 58, are the other Democratic candidates vying for the vacant 3rd District seat this fall.

Smith urged commissioners to save money by not appointing anyone.

“I don’t think this is smart money to spend tax dollars to fund someone’s campaign,” she said during her Monday interview. Smith said she wouldn’t accept the position if it was given to her.

Sparks, who lost a county freeholder race in 1992 and a prior bid to become a state Appeals Court judge in 1988, enjoys the support of party activists.

When the county’s Democratic Central Committee voted last week, Sparks received 61 of 109 votes cast, Gombosky, 33, and Smith, 15.

The three candidates answered most of the commissioners’ questions in similar fashion during Monday’s interviews.

They all favored continued funding for the north-south freeway planning, although Sparks was less decisive, saying he needed to study the proposal further.

Smith and Gombosky also endorsed the state Growth Management Act, while Sparks again said he wanted to study it.

The candidates all stressed their abilities to work with Republicans.

Gombosky talked about his ongoing dealings with the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce and business interests. Smith called herself a conservative Democrat who believes solutions lie in compromise. Sparks noted he was the lone Democrat in a fraternity full of Republicans in college.

Asked by Hasson if there were any skeletons in their pasts that might alarm voters, Gombosky and Smith said “no.” So did Sparks, but he qualified it.

“If there are some foibles in my background, I’ll ask them to forgive me,” he said.

The only Republican candidate running for the seat so far is Ken Whitehall, 24, a Spokane restaurant manager who was the fiance of kidnap-murder victim Felicia Reese.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo