Ballots feature host of issues for local voters

The axiom that all politics is local might not be correct every year. But for the Inland Northwest this year, it’s pretty close.

Washington and Idaho voters have very local political choices to make by Tuesday: mayors and city council members, school board members and school levies, fire district commissioners and emergency medical service levies.

Rules for voting are a little different in each state. Most Eastern Washington voters cast ballots by mail, although each county has drop-off sites. Ballots must be mailed by Tuesday evening, so anyone dropping off a ballot on Election Day should make sure it’s at a place that can be postmarked that day.

Idaho voters can request absentee ballots through Monday by going to city hall or the county elections office. Or they can go to the polling site on Election Day between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Idaho residents not registered, but otherwise qualified – at least 18 years of age, not a felon – can register and vote on Election Day at the poll site. Be sure to bring a state-issued photo identification card and proof of residence if the current address is different than the one on the ID card.

Washington voters have some statewide ballot measures, but much of the focus in both states has been intensely local. Here are some of the high-profile races:

City of Spokane

In Spokane, a mayor’s race between incumbent Dennis Hession and City Councilwoman Mary Verner has captured most of the attention. Hession’s making the pitch to keep an administration that brought the city through the trauma of the Jim West recall and into a growing economy. Verner isn’t proposing many stunning reversals in policy but argues that she’d be a more collaborative leader than Hession, who’s had to defend some of the city’s decisions, such as cutting down street trees and canceling alley pickup of garbage in some parts of town.

The other citywide race is for council president and features incumbent Joe Shogan against perennial candidate Barbara Lampert. Spokane voters also have three district council races with some different matchups.

In northeast Spokane’s 1st District, incumbent Bob Apple and Logan Neighborhood activist Donna McKereghan have disagreed over who’s better at keeping an eye on the government bureaucracy as well as some public safety issues. McKereghan wants the city to limit the Police Department’s use of Tasers; Apple says they already have standards limiting the use to three shocks. He supports a police ombudsman; she wants an ombudsman available for the entire city government.

In south Spokane’s 2nd District, another incumbent who’s touting his experience faces a challenge from a stay-at-home dad who’s pushing stricter adherence to the comprehensive plan. Councilman Brad Stark says he may have made some mistakes over the last four years, but that’s what happens to someone who tries new ideas and he’s learned valuable lessons about what works and what doesn’t. Richard Rush, a member of the Cliff/Cannon Neighborhood Council, talks about stronger neighborhood planning and more environmentally friendly development. As the campaign has progressed, Stark has accused Rush of being so narrowly focused on the comprehensive plan that he doesn’t know much about the city’s other issues, while Rush has accused Stark of being beholden to developers.

Northwest Spokane’s 3rd District doesn’t have an incumbent, but it has candidates with experience. The main bone of contention is what kind of experience. Lewis Griffin was a former city manager in Colfax and Liberty Lake after retiring from the Air Force as a senior noncommissioned officer. Steve Corker served a term on the council, gave up his seat for an unsuccessful run for mayor in 2003, and ran unsuccessfully for the district’s other seat in 2005. They both talk about controlling growth, particularly in Five Mile and Indian Trail – where they both live – and both support some type of impact fee on new development to help pay for expanded transportation in high growth areas.

Spokane Valley

The election season started quietly in the new city, with only one contested race for an open council seat. Rose Dempsey, a music director for a Coeur d’Alene church, and David Crosby, a Realtor who serves on the Planning Commission, survived the August primary. They’ve clashed on growth issues, with Dempsey supporting an impact fee on new construction that would help pay for school expansions and Crosby calling it a “feel-good measure” without much effect. Dempsey also wants to protect existing neighborhoods from denser development, while Crosby said that Spokane Valley will have to balance neighborhood character against a state law that encourages denser development over the expansion of a city’s borders.

Councilman Steve Taylor had no challenger until September, when Tom Towey, a retired supermarket manager, decided to mount a write-in campaign. Taylor, who won his council seat in the Valley’s first election and once served as a district aide to former U.S. Rep. George Nethercutt, has the advantage in name recognition and campaign funding. But Towey is trying to capture some residents’ concern over the council’s work on a new development code that would allow denser housing. As the government affairs director for the Spokane Homebuilders Association and the Spokane Association of Realtors, Taylor drew the wrath of some critics of the new code, who argued he should have recused himself from the vote. He counters that he’s done what he’s promised since first being elected, looking at issues carefully and supporting economic growth in the Valley.

Coeur d’Alene

The Lake City has eight candidates spread among three council seats, and growth is an issue in some of these races, also.

Seat 1 is a head-to-head competition between Ron Edinger, a retiree who’s been on the council for a third of a century and served as mayor in the mid ‘70s, and Dan Gookin, who’s written computer books and run for the state Senate as a Libertarian in 2004. Gookin wants the council to become more accountable to taxpayers and favors more spending on economic development and job creation. Edinger contends a small group is nitpicking city government; he wants to find ways to ensure good-paying jobs to keep younger residents in the area.

Seat 3 features another longtime member, Al Hassell, against Itron employee Chris Patterson, retired law enforcement officer Jerry Weaver and Jim Brannon, a Habitat for Humanity executive who ran for council in 1999. Hassell wants adequate parks for the growing city and believes the urban renewal agency can help create housing for middle- and low-income residents. Brannon wants to use incentives to build affordable housing and would dedicate a portion of the money the urban renewal agency collects for work force housing projects. Patterson is critical of the way the city manages growth and believes streets and other infrastructure haven’t kept up with the growing population. Weaver believes the council disregards residents’ comments and questions, and he supports term limits for council members and elections for the urban renewal agency’s board.

Seat 5 has no incumbents, but does have several candidates with government experience. Susie Snedaker is a retired legal secretary and former Planning Commission member who would support multifamily buildings in more areas and questions the way the city is changing zoning rules on commercial businesses. Wayne Frisbie, a business owner and former building inspector making his first run for office, supports a regional animal shelter as a way to get better services for less money and is concerned about the shortage of affordable housing. Joseph Kunka, a sporting goods store employee who ran for mayor in 2005, wants to deal with a growing gang problem and have more activities for teens, and he thinks the infrastructure isn’t keeping up with growth. John Bruning, who’s been on the Planning Commission for 25 years, including 20 as its chairman, wants the new comprehensive plan to preserve hillsides and stronger design rules for buildings downtown and in other areas. Anita Banta, a legal assistant and former candidate for county clerk, wants to make sure the city keeps its livable small-town feel and stays affordable.