Mccaslin Frustrates Some, But Has Gained Respect

Spokane County commissioners often start their careers by learning what not to say.

Phil Harris alarmed civil libertarians with talk about chain gangs during his first year. John Roskelley was still a newcomer when he angered golfers by calling theirs a sport for the wealthy.

For Kate McCaslin, the jeers came from classical music lovers and the people who ride Jet Skis and other personal watercraft.

Still, McCaslin scores high marks with many people for working long hours and keeping close tabs on taxpayer money. Last Tuesday, for instance, she spotted a critical typographical error buried in a contract that had been read by attorneys.

“She does seem to be looking out for the best long-term interests” of county finances, said Suzanne Knapp of the Spokane Homebuilders Association, which is critical of McCaslin for her handling of land-use issues.

It doesn’t hurt McCaslin’s image that she replaced Steve Hasson, whose eccentricities were considered unbecoming by many.

“She’s led the whole commission into an era of more thoughtfulness and deliberativeness than we were previously used to seeing,” said Tom Hargreaves, a member of the county planning commission.

If McCaslin had a political honeymoon, it lasted just three months and ended the day she and Harris rejected the Spokane Symphony’s request for $17,000. No offense, McCaslin said, but the money is better spent promoting county golf courses and the fairgrounds.

After two weeks of intense lobbying, McCaslin reversed her vote, saying she hadn’t realized the money was promised before she took office.

“She was willing to change her mind,” Roskelley said.

McCaslin insulted some personal watercraft owners that same month by calling their machines “noisy” and “obnoxious” during a debate about whether they should be banned on the Spokane River.

But she met with the riders, as well as bird-watchers and canoeists who supported the ban, to work out a compromise that pleased none of the groups. Roskelley voted for her plan, but only because he couldn’t get the outright ban he wanted. Harris voted “no,” saying the county should not restrict recreational use of the river.

A month later, the outburst was one of both criticism and support when McCaslin suggested public defenders are squandering money.

“There’s nothing in the law about this ‘zealous’ stuff,” she said, referring to the wording in guidelines that describe the legal defense people accused of a crime should receive. “Adequate” would be a more appropriate guideline when taxpayers are footing the bill, she said.

Others have been put off that McCaslin sometimes sends her assistant, Laura Reinhardt, to meetings in her place. Some critics call Reinhardt “the fourth commissioner.”

Never before has a commissioner’s assistant played so prominent a role. They were called secretaries until McCaslin took office.

McCaslin said Reinhardt regularly sits in for her at board meetings for the Spokane Neighborhood Action Program and Spokane Home Ownership Partners. Reinhardt goes to other meetings when McCaslin has a scheduling conflict.

Reinhardt takes copious notes and doesn’t express an opinion unless she’s certain of her boss’ stand, McCaslin said. The alternative is to have no presence at some gatherings, said McCaslin, adding that she attended an average of seven meetings a day during the first six months.

‘At least this way I know what’s going on. There’s someone there who sees things from my perspective,” McCaslin said.

, DataTimes