Public Periscope

The best defense …

Spokane Police Capt. Chuck Bown devotes an entire page of the department’s March newsletter chastising colleagues who talked to The Spokesman-Review about Chief Terry Mangan’s busy travel schedule. Bown compares the department to the Dallas Cowboys football team and Mangan to Deion Sanders, noting that while many of the Cowboys may dislike him or even consider him “an egotistical self-promoter,” Bown says he’s never seen any of them criticize Sanders in print … “They recognize the importance of the team,” says Bown, who waxes nostalgic about the days when the department had just two portable radios. He also lectures younger cops on the proper way to complain: discreetly, and behind closed doors … “The best word is probably ‘loyalty.’ Nevertheless, I bet that behind closed doors (Cowboys) still talk about him. I bet it isn’t flattering, either.” Setting aside the problems with Bown’s metaphor, such as the fact that Mangan is really akin to the head coach, and the Cowboys aren’t a publicly funded agency, we’ve just got to wonder. What do the old dinosaur cops say - discreetly, behind closed doors - about Mangan?

Mouseketeer Phil

Anyone who thinks county Commissioner Phil Harris’ only talent is annoying Commissioner John Roskelley didn’t attend the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick annual luncheon at Shenanigans restaurant last week. Harris won a Disney watch and stuffed Goofy by singing “Danny Boy” - in his best impersonation of Donald Duck … “And he did a damn fine job, I might add,” said one source.

It was this or an incorporation meeting

A Spokane Valley Boy Scout troop spent a recent Monday evening soaking up the excitement of a City Council meeting. Mayor Jack Geraghty greeted the troop with a gentle jab at county leadership, saying “We’re always willing to show our friends in the Valley how good government works.”

The more things change …

An anonymous Spokane resident sent a 1901 newspaper clipping to Mayor Geraghty describing the lower South Hill Cannon’s Addition neighborhood as being “out in the country.” The clipping also talked about the city’s first council members “who served without pay.” “They still do,” deadpanned Geraghty.

We’ll resist the temptation to comment on this

Several times in the 1995 Annual Report from Spokane County Coroner Dexter Amend’s office, the word “homicide” is spelled “homocide.”

This is a test. It is only a test.

Everyone in and around Airway Heights should remain calm on March 27 when they hear the sirens blaring at noon. It will not mean that a tornado - or worse, an enemy attack - is imminent … Rather, the folks at Fairchild Air Force Base will be doing their semi-annual test of the sirens. Just to make sure they work in case those other things ever do happen. , DataTimes MEMO: Public Periscope, published Mondays, is compiled by Jim Camden from staff reports. If you’ve got a question about local government, growth or development, we’d like to help you find an answer. You can write us c/o The SpokesmanReview, Box 2160, Spokane, Wash., 99210. Or e-mail to jimc@spokesman.com. Or fax to (509) 459-5482. Or call Cityline at 458-8800 on a Touch-Tone phone, the press 9120 to leave a message.

This sidebar appeared with the story: HOT TOPICS Tuesday: Talk about crime, traffic, kids, zoning, the economy and the future of the city at a Spokane Horizons meeting. 6:30 p.m., Shadle Park High School. Thursday: See note on Tuesday, as Spokane Horizons holds another meeting in a new place. 5:30 p.m. Rogers High School. Friday: City and county experts discuss the effects of growth management on homes and businesses in a panel discussion sponsored by the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce. 7:30 a.m., 1020 W. Riverside, $2 for coffee, juice and doughnuts.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Compiled by Jim Camden from staff reports