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SPOKANE COUNTY OFFICES | ||
| RACE, CANDIDATES | WHAT HAPPENED | FAST FACTS |
COUNTY COMMISSIONER DIST. 3 Bonnie Mager, D; Phil Harris, R | Voters appeared to give Mager a victory over seasoned campaigner Harris, potentially breaking up the Republican trio that had ruled the courthouse. Harris repeatedly was put on the defensive during the campaign as his critics voiced concerns about nepotism. (Three of Harris’ sons have been hired by the county since he was first elected in 1994.) The incumbent argued that Mager was a one-issue candidate only concerned about land-use policy. | Mager replenished her campaign chest after a competitive three-way primary. Still, she only raised about two-thirds the amount of Harris, who faced a strong challenge in the GOP primary from a retired community college instructor. |
COUNTY ASSESSOR Judy Personett, D; Ralph Baker, R | Baker had stressed the efficiency and accountability of the assessor’s office during his years there – first as deputy assessor and since 2005 as assessor. Personett, who had a narrow lead Tuesday night, accused him of providing poor customer service, as when he moved some staff into a building where they can’t be contacted by the public. Baker angered some employees by publicly questioning whether they purposely left properties off the tax roll to hurt his campaign. The county employees’ union called for an apology; Baker issued it Friday on Mark Fuhrman’s radio show. | The race for county assessor has been one the highest profile county campaigns from the start with a nasty primary battle between Baker and Spokane City Councilman Brad Stark. Baker won the race after the county GOP disavowed Stark. |
COUNTY AUDITOR Vicky Dalton, D; Mike Volz, R | The campaign for auditor has been particularly divisive in the courthouse as employee morale became one of the top issues. Last week, Volz ran a radio ad with two former Dalton employees voicing concerns about their former boss. But voters re-elected Dalton by a wide margin. | Neither Volz nor Dalton faced primary competition. Volz campaigned on a platform of returning the county to a voting system that allows both absentee and poll-site voting. The county has gone to an all-mail system under Dalton’s leadership. |
COUNTY PROSECUTING ATTORNEY Bob Caruso, D; Steve Tucker, R | Facing an overmatched opponent who publicly said he wanted to charge Spokane police officers with a charge that doesn’t exist, Tucker won with a lopsided 62 percent of the votes. Judges have lauded Tucker for allowing his skilled deputies to do their jobs, but they acknowledge that Tucker has not done enough publicly in a high-profile position. | Caruso, who attended law school at the age of 58, put up a spirited campaign, calling into question Tucker’s handling of several high-profile cases. But even his own party refused to endorse him. |
COUNTY SHERIFF James Flavel, D; Ozzie Knezovich, R | Appointee Knezovich won with 73 percent of the vote, reflecting a mismatch on every level. He raised about $98,000 at last report and blanketed the town with signs and billboards; challenger Flavel reported spending only the $1,050 filing fee and followed a novel, but ultimately unsuccessful, strategy of online campaigning that included live Web chats. When they compared resumes, Knezovich had a college degree and 10 years with the department; Flavel touted his time with the Idaho State Police and business experience. | Knezovich got practice with a tough primary against Spokane Valley Police Chief Cal Walker, while Flavel, making his first run for office in Spokane, was unopposed and largely unnoticed. |
COUNTY TREASURER Skip Chilberg, D; Bob Wrigley, R | Chilberg, a former Spokane County commissioner, won with 57 percent of the vote in a relatively friendly race. Chilberg had stressed he had no problems with Wrigley’s work as deputy treasurer, even saying he would consider keeping Wrigley the No. 2 employee in the department. Chilberg argued he was the better candidate because he is willing to be more outspoken on tax policy issues. Wrigley responded that it is more important to follow the law than to be a policy advocate. | Wrigley gathered about $14,000 for his campaign. Chilberg raised no money and spent only about $1,000 of his own, arguing that there’s a conflict of interest for the tax collector to ask for donations. Both candidates were unchallenged in the primaries. |