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

Spokane Mayor Up For Grabs At Press Time, Talbott Holds A Slim Margin Over Geraghty

From Staff Reports

Civic activist John Talbott narrowly led incumbent Jack Geraghty in the Spokane mayoral race Tuesday night.

A Talbott victory would uphold a 24-year tradition that has seen no incumbent mayor return for a second term.

Talbott led Geraghty 51 percent to 49 percent with 38 percent of the precincts reporting.

Voters appeared to be keeping other incumbents on the City Council.

Cherie Rodgers, who was appointed to fill a vacancy earlier this year, was well ahead of challenger Barbara Lampert.

Incumbent Phyllis Holmes, an insurance agent and financial planner, beat council critic Steve Thompson.

In the race for the council’s open seat, Rob Higgins led Judith Gilmore. Higgins, who served two terms on the council in the 1980s, is an executive with the Spokane Association of Realtors. Gilmore is a director of a dispute resolution clinic who previously served as former Gov. Mike Lowry’s Eastern Washington representative.

The race between Geraghty and Talbott revolved around transportation issues - crumbling streets and a controversial bridge - and a redevelopment plan for downtown that involves the city.

Talbott criticized the incumbent’s leadership abilities, and said the city should hire an independent auditor to sift through its budget and find savings. He opposed the proposed Lincoln Street bridge.

Geraghty was a firm supporter of the River Park Square redevelopment plan, and said the city had no choice but to borrow money to fix streets this summer and fall. In October, he resurrected a committee to review the bridge and report - after the election - whether it should still be built.

All Spokane County voters were asked to approve two tax measures.

With votes still being counted, a proposal to add 2.3 cents to each gallon of gas to help fix roads was trailing.

, DataTimes