John Roskelley stepping down as commissioner

Spokane County Commissioner John Roskelley will resign from office this week to take a position with the Eastern Washington Growth Management Hearings Board.

Washington Gov. Gary Locke announced the six-year appointment Monday. It will take effect Friday.

Members of the hearings board can’t hold public office, so Roskelley said he will step down from his position as commissioner effective midnight Thursday.

Democrat Linda Wolverton and Republican Todd Mielke will face off in November to fill the seat.

“I think it’s time to move on,” said Roskelley on Monday, adding that he’s sorry he won’t be able to participate in finalizing the county’s 2005 budget.

It is unlikely that county commissioners Kate McCaslin and Phil Harris will move to appoint an interim replacement for Roskelley, McCaslin said.

Instead, they’re investigating the possibility that a change in state law would allow the winner of the November election to take office early. Typically, the winners of November elections take office at the beginning of the new year.

“We’ll just continue to do our jobs,” said McCaslin, who also is not running for re-election this fall.

Roskelley was elected county commissioner in 1995 and has been re-elected twice. As a county commissioner, Roskelley has been an advocate for parks and the environment. He’s an internationally recognized mountain climber who scaled Mount Everest last year with his son, Jess.

Roskelley announced in June that he would not seek re-election this year. He said Monday that decision was spurred in large part by his desire to pursue the hearings board post.

State and local officials have been speculating about the appointment for months, but such things take time, said Glenn Kuper, a spokesman for Locke.

Kuper said the governor chose Roskelley because of his experience dealing with Spokane County’s comprehensive plan and development rules.

“He’s developed a lot of proficiency and background in the types of issues he will be exposed to on the board,” Kuper said.

In his new job, Roskelley will work with the two other hearings board members to make decisions regarding allegations that counties, cities or state agencies failed to follow the state’s Growth Management Act.

Members also rule on disputes regarding the Shoreline Management Act and the State Environmental Policy Act.

The Eastern Washington Growth Management Hearings Board’s territory includes the Washington counties east of the Cascades.

Roskelley said he won’t have a problem in the coming years hearing cases involving Spokane County.

“We pretty much have to follow the Growth Management Act and the law. There can’t be any arbitrary decision,” he said.

He won’t be allowed to hear cases involving actions he took as a Spokane County commissioner.

Roskelley will earn $88,145 a year in his new post.

His annual salary as commissioner has been $75,000.

He said he’s looking forward to the new job.

“It’s an opportunity to have an effect on a large section of the state with a broader view in the environmental arena,” Roskelley said.