High Hopes For Council Position 2 The Time Is Right, Say Aspirants Vying For Brewer’s Seat Sept. 16

Mike Brewer may not want his Spokane City Council seat next year, but four other people certainly do.

A graphic designer, an energy management specialist, a business executive and the associate director of a dispute-resolution clinic are making a run for the $18,000-a-year Council Position 2 spot Brewer has held for eight years.

The two men and two women vying for the four-year term will meet in the Sept. 16 primary. The two top vote getters graduate to the Nov. 4 general election.

Only two candidates - incumbent Cherie Rodgers and Barbara Lampert - filed for the Position 1 spot. Five candidates are seeking council Position 3.

Council members are nonpartisan and elected through a citywide vote.

Judith Gilmore

Gilmore considered running for the council for years, she said, but just now found the time to do it.

Earlier this year, Gilmore joined former City Councilman Jack Hebner’s Fulcrum Institute Dispute Resolution Clinic after spending four years as former Gov. Mike Lowry’s Eastern Washington representative.

Working for Lowry taught her that local government needs to clearly communicate its needs to legislators - something the city often fails to do, Gilmore said.

“I believe the experience I’ve had in the last few years would be very valuable to the council,” said Gilmore, sporting the cherry red glasses she’s latched on to as a campaign logo. “I’m energized and enthusiastic.”

As a longtime volunteer in her West Central neighborhood, Gilmore said she understands the frustration of residents who dedicate time to a city project only to see their work changed or dismissed by officials.

“I want to make sure when a committee comes forward, the final product has their input,” Gilmore said.

Gilmore’s husband, James, works in the city’s street department and serves on the executive board of Local 270, the city’s largest union.

That isn’t likely to keep her from voting on issues involving city union contracts - unless her constituents ask her not to, she said.

“I believe if I get elected, the electorate believes I’m fair and honest … There are a thousand other members besides my husband.”

Rob Higgins

After a break of nearly a decade, Higgins wants back on the council dais.

Higgins spent eight years on the council in the 1980s and ran unsuccessfully for mayor against Sheri Barnard in 1989.

The youngest of his three children took off for college this fall, he said, making it the perfect time to jump back into politics.

“I have experience in that arena,” Higgins said. “I have the time. I always said once the kids were gone, I might get back in.”

Higgins said he is generally pleased with the way things work at City Hall. “I’m not running on a mission to try to change something,” he said.

He considers himself a government buff, who actually enjoys poring over budget and land-use documents. “I happen to like it. I don’t mind going home and pouring over the comprehensive plan,” he said with a grin. “I’m a strange guy.”

Higgins doesn’t think his job as executive vice president of the Spokane Real Estate Association makes rendering land-use decisions more difficult.

“Those are landowners trying to get things done, not the association,” he said. “Look at my record. I work according to the comprehensive plan.”

Charlotte Karling

People have been urging Karling to enter the political arena for years, she said.

“They tell me, ‘You say what I want to say, but I don’t know how to say it. When are you going to run?”’ said Karling, a graphic designer and former chairwoman of the Spokane County Republican Central Committee.

When Gilmore entered the race, Karling decided it was time. A Christian conservative, Karling said she didn’t want to see the former governor’s liaison on the council.

Karling is a strong proponent of shrinking government, not expanding it, she said.

She added she worries about laws like growth management that usurp individual property rights.

She spent several years as a single mom and later cared for her dying mother-in-law - experiences that help her relate to many Spokane residents. “I’m not a business person. I’m a people person,” she said.

Karling said the city needs to explore creative options to fixing problems, and she’s just the person to lead the way.

“I think I’m a very good leader, a very good listener,” she said. “It’s sort of exciting to be faced with a challenge.”

Ken Withey

Withey doesn’t like what he sees going on inside City Hall.

“Spokane needs to go in a different direction,” said the energy management specialist for Central Valley School District. “I don’t see anybody stepping up to the plate to make things better.”

Withey’s hoping his third try for the office takes him further than the last two. He ran unsuccessfully in 1993 and 1995.

Withey said too much time and energy is spent pleasing special-interest groups, pouring money into downtown that should be spent on other things. He wants the city to concentrate on delivering priority services such as police protection and smooth streets.

“All the consulting fees, that’s just wasted money,” he said.

Withey, who campaigned to bring the Pacific Science Center to a public vote two years ago, disputes claims that he’s constantly opposed to city projects.

“There are some great ideas, and some that are a total waste of time,” he said. “Whatever it is, it’s got to be something as a whole that citizens can support.”

, DataTimes