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

Civil Lawyer Tapped As Hearing Examiner

From Staff And Wire Reports

A top civil lawyer employed by Spokane County will fill the newly created position of county hearing examiner.

Mike Dempsey, 43, will start his new job March 25 at $68,000 a year.

He will replace a citizens’ hearing examiner committee in what county officials say will lead to more consistent and legally defensible land-use decisions.

Washington’s larger counties use hearing examiners instead of citizen committees.

Dempsey, a Spokane native and Gonzaga Law School graduate, has spent the past eight years in the civil division of the county prosecutor’s office, most recently as legal counsel to the county commission.

He is noted for his expertise on land-use planning, zoning and sewers.

“It’ll be a challenge and an opportunity to provide good public service for the county,” he said. , DataTimes