Challenge Passes To The Challenger
This newspaper did not support Spokane’s next mayor. But the voters did. Their wisdom has our respect.
By the thinnest of margins, John Talbott apparently will become one of the City Hall insiders he has bashed so hard for so long. It would be poetic - and unfortunate - if Talbott now discovers what it’s like to do his level best, only to be greeted every Monday night with a hail of stones from the conspiracy theorists, legal nitpickers and chronic critics who lurk on the sidelines of local politics.
But if Spokane is exceptionally fortunate, Talbott will not have that experience at all.
If Spokane is exceptionally fortunate, Talbott will figure out how to fashion constructive ideas and convince his community and his six very competent council colleagues to support them.
If Spokane is exceptionally fortunate, Talbott by his very presence on the council, will cause the critics to drop the stones from their hands and pick up the bricks and mortar of investment and helpful civic engagement.
If Spokane is exceptionally fortunate, it is tempting to say, pigs will learn to fly. But we must not be mean-spirited. Neither should anyone else who is disappointed by the election. Now, it’s time to get back to work at community building.
Our differences of opinion with Talbott stem from this newspaper’s strong support for investments in the social and economic progress of our community - including its recovering downtown, where the city’s image is shaped and where a big chunk of the city’s tax revenue is collected.
Talbott’s first challenge, as one who claims that better management and current tax rates can fix the streets, is to show he wants to keep the downtown tax base healthy. Talbott may lose his credibility if the public concludes he’s just a saboteur for the commercial purposes of his patron, NorthTown developer David Sabey.
Talbott may gain credibility, though, by fulfilling his pledge for open government.
For years, city officials have inspired suspicion by hiding documents and deliberations that concern the public’s business. It’s time to establish the presumption, commonplace in other cities, that the public’s government is public.
Open government is related to another challenge on Talbott’s plate: How can civic leaders engage a busy and sometimes apathetic community when proposals are in the formative stage? Often, hearings have in fact been held but have gathered little input until the last minute, when critics woke up and attacked.
If Talbott can enrich civic dialog with timely input from thoughtful critics, emerging with consensus rather than obstructionism, he’ll be a fine mayor. And he’ll assist everyone who puts money and property on the line in the struggle to build a better Spokane.
, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = John Webster For the editorial board