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July 8, 2010 in Washington Voices
Transcript: Dean Grafos’ July 6 comments
Spokane Valley City Councilman Dean Grafos’ comments directed at Bill Gothmann at the July 6, 2010, council meeting.
Dean Grafos: Last week Mr. Gothmman insinuated once again from the dais that my motivation on this council was less than honorable, somehow dishonest and I was guided by my own financial interests. Mr. Gothmann, I do not have a problem with your weekly blathering and bragging, but out of respect for your position as a council person, before your next diatribe, poison email release or sideshow for the cameras or press, you could at the very least disclose the fact that you are a very active and vocal member of the SVBA.
Rose Dempsey: Point of order. Point of order.
Grafos: Point of order?
Dempsey: In our governance manual, section 7, it says “we believe that council members set the tone for civic discussion and should set an example by a) setting high standards of decorum and civility.” I would request that we do that.”
Grafos: Point of order. I have a right to speak in response to what Mr. Gothmann said last week, Rose. I chose to run for council not to promote the agenda of any special interest group, but because I love this Valley. I live here, employ people here, have taken financial risks here, worked and prospered and paid taxes here for over 40 years. You also made a big point of my involvement with the disincorporation movement and that I was a major financial donor to that movement. For a man who knows everything in the world, you got it wrong again. I would like to give you and the rest of the council a copy of the letter signed by Dorothy Dieni, the treasurer of the Citizens for Disincorporation, stating that I did not contribute money to the Citizens for Disincorporation and further states that you can verify this fact with the PDC in Olympia. I did, however, Bill, walk Valley neighborhoods in that effort and I did speak with thousands and thousands of your fellow citizens. Many of the citizens who signed that petition may or may not have voted for disincorporation, but they wanted to exercise their right of petition, which is guaranteed to them by the Constitution of the United States. We do this as Americans when we have an unresponsive government. You know, that right of petition you and your fellow council member, Mrs. Dempsey, made fun of recently on the Sullivan Road closure. I’m surprised that the man who knows everything didn’t know that. After all, you brag about being on the governance committee and having written the governance manual for the city. I must have missed the chapter on self importance and character assassination.
Dempsey: Again, Mr. Mayor, I must protest with a point of order. I don’t consider this type of diatribe conducive to civil conversation.
Grafos: I’m responding to what Mr. Gothmann said and you said last week. And Mrs. Dempsey, the next time someone on this council attempts to revisit or discuss an issue passed by yourself and the previous council and you feel compelled to interrupt, make faces or put them down for questioning the wisdom of some prior council decision, please take a good look around. The previous council that made those decisions is no longer here. That is called an election. Thank you.
Genesis Church finds new home 
Sam_Smith on July 08 at 11:25 a.m.
First someone should teach Mr. Grafos how to speak into a microphone. It isn’t necessary for him to eat it to be heard. He sounds like crap when he speaks to begin with but when he talks into the microphone it sounds even worse. Mr. Grafos sounds, while he once again reads the speech which was prepared for him, like a big baby. He was on the disincorporation committee, he did contribute money, or is he not part of Grafos Investments, which owns half of his properties, he does own property just around the areas of Sprague and Sullivan where the intersection will be transformed. He does not like anyone poking into his personal business. Well guess what, when you become a public servant, everything is up for public inspection. You and your friend Brenda Grassel should learn it is best to keep your mouths shut instead of talking out of both sides of your heads when you don’t know what you are taking about. Road safety, river pollution, TIB money, City manager appointments, and a plethra of other topics. read the material and be informed or be quiet.
rterrylynch on July 09 at 7:42 a.m.
It is a sorry situation when a minority of the electorate can install unqualified persons that have no record of civic service. We know the focus of the few in the gang recently elected; hopefully come the next election there will be a change to benefit the citizens as a whole and not a few malcontents. I suggest one can say are you happy with the change you brought about? Lack of leadership experience, lack of community involvement, lack of transparency demeans the success of the new city. Take the time to visit west side city web sites or news outlets or better yet visit news from California and see how fantastically well off the new city of Spokane Valley is due to the diligence and care of the previous council. Shame on Mr. Grafos and his unhappy legion of anti-incorporationists.