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August 16, 2011 in News, City
Verner takes commanding lead in re-election bid
Hession takes lead in Council president race
Spokane Mayor Mary Verner took a commanding lead in early results Tuesday, capturing 16,290 of the ballots cast in tonight’s primary election. Challenger David Condon laid claim to the second spot in the five-way race with 8,515 votes.
The top-two vote getters advance to the November general election.
Verner said she was “stunned” and “delighted” by her 61 percent showing.
“I want to be re-elected as mayor, and I’m not going to let up until the finish,” she said.
In the three-way race for Spokane City Council president, former Mayor Dennis Hession and challenger Ben Stuckart held the top two spots, with Steve Corker trailing in third. Corker called Hession and Stuckart this evening and conceded defeat.
Rounding out the contested City Hall primaries, anti-tax activist Mike Fagan laid claim to the top spot with Donna McKereghan closing in on him in the six-way race to replace Bob Apple representing northeast Spokane.
Meanwhile, in Spokane Valley, city council hopeful Marilyn Cline jumped to a comfortable lead over three other candidates with 3,702 votes. Ben Wick laid easy claim to the No. 2 spot with 2,288 ballots cast.
In the contested Spokane School Board primary, candidate Deana Brower took the early lead with 9,270 votes. Sally Fullmer was in second place with 7,016 votes.
In Medical Lake, incumbent City Council member Howard N. Jorgenson is leading the field with 257 votes, or 48 percent. Kent R. Reitmeier follows with 151 votes, or 28 percent.
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Ron_the_Cop on August 16 at 9:02 p.m.
Gee I guess the voters haven’t read the breaking story by Tom Clouse yet. Read the comments section regarding the wheels about to fly off in the Otto Zehm case cover up. The questions will be when and what did Verner know about this cover up:
Verner vows to seek resolution in Zehm civil suit
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2011/aug/16/verner-vows-end-civil-battle-over-otto-zehm/
liberal_in_right_wing_land on August 16 at 9:09 p.m.
From the way the tea baggers on here made it out to seem Verner never had a chance to make it out of the primary, hell they made it seem like she wouldn’t get one vote tonight. They kept saying how hated she was by everyone in Spokane for her liberal tax and spend ways and the voters will speak up…..yet somehow she has managed to double the amount of her tea bagging do nothing McMorris-Rogers flunky candidate.
Get ready for her second term tea baggers, thankfully the smart people in Spokane outnumber the dumb idiot tea baggers in Spokane.
Guess the tea baggers on here really don’t have a clue to whats going on or how people feel in their own city.
Spokane_Citizen on August 16 at 9:31 p.m.
It is always important to remember that the forum participants’ views are nowhere close to being statistically significant compared to the voter opinions of a much larger population. The forum participants (myself included) no doubt include citizens who have much stronger opinions regarding civic matters than the poulation in general….and the forum contributors often confuse posting frequency/ferocity of their own polarizing views as indicative of broadly held opinions.
Mayor Verner is very appealing to most voters, and for those of us who personally know of her honesty, and integrity, are not all surprised by the results of this primary. These races are not decided by the ‘single issue’ diatribes of those that would place any and all municipal shortcomings upon her administration alone. To do so is simple-minded, and naive.
brianrbreen on August 16 at 9:48 p.m.
I might well be simple minded and naïve, but the only thing I would like to see is some integrity, and quite frankly I could care less from who, or what letter they have after their name.
spokanelaw on August 16 at 9:49 p.m.
Will Condon’s money dry up?
Squid on August 16 at 10:15 p.m.
Apparently either people don’t read the news, or they just vote for the name they know, or they vote for the one that looks best in their eyes.
I really don’t remember a three year period of time when Spokane has had this much controversy, and denial. This is stuff that happens in Portland, Chicago, or New York City.
Then again, somehow Gregoire was re-elected.
This is only a primary… This is only a primary… This is only a primary…
Ron_the_Cop on August 16 at 10:22 p.m.
Well said Brian. I hope those reading here will read your words of wisdom in the other thread too about the wheels about to fly off in the Otto Zehm cover up. This will not be pretty and unfortunately Mayor Verner is in the thick of this cover up.
See my link to the breaking news story by Tom Clouse above.
soccermomsusie on August 16 at 10:26 p.m.
Yuck squid! To think Spokane would be like Portland, Chicago or NY City! Everyone knows we should be like Usk, Millwood or Detroit. Come on Condon! You are our Tea Party favorite!! Everyone please send him $$$! Remember, he gets to keep it- win or lose!
Plus, this wonderful newspaper wants Verner to go down in flames! Let’s help the Cowles family out!
HEAR OUR VOICE!!!
Ed Byrnes on August 16 at 10:27 p.m.
Spokane Citizen,
Please offer us evidence of Mayor Verner’s integrity vis a vis the Zehm case. I prefer her to that political hack Condon any day, I am simply asking you to specifically square your assertion with recent revelations about the Zehm case.
If wish to speak to her conscientious leadership in the context of her not reading documents with an important bearing on the Zehm case that had been available for 10 days that would also be welcome.
Ed
Ed Byrnes on August 16 at 10:28 p.m.
Ron,
Recall that Nixon was re-elected in 1972 by a landslide after the Watergate story broke. The more things change the more they stay the same…
Ed
Shadedmuse on August 16 at 11:01 p.m.
Condon got pounded by Verner, because Condom is a right wing tool of the Repugnant-tea-bagger crowd, and he is also Cathy Do nothing Mcmorris Toady. if Condom cant get votes in a primary what favours republican canadiates then he has no chance in November where Democratic voters come out in higher numbrs. like is name vote Codom and the city is screwed.
Ron_the_Cop on August 16 at 11:13 p.m.
Ed,
Look I couldn’t bring myself to vote for either Verner or Condon. Instead I voted for Noder. I don’t know about November yet but if someone cuts bait and will pledge to rid the corruption in this town including police misconduct they’ll probably get my vote.
Shadedmuse I would be careful in calling people tea baggers. Ms. Verner will probably taken a significant hit on the Zehms cover up.
Dazzeetrader11 on August 16 at 11:45 p.m.
This is why she’s trying to settle the case as soon as possible!
She doesn’t want to face the music. In the end, the FEDS will be asking to talk to her…”when did you know and when did you know it”…followed by her taking the Fifth.
Spokane voters won’t know the difference. She has to hold off everyone till Novermber. Then, she’ll be in the clear. I’m sure her and Nicks will be prepped by the CIty attorneys. Just a sham.
But then, the voters get what they deserve.
DickAdams on August 16 at 11:54 p.m.
Both Verner and Nicks may be talking to Rocky Treppiedi as we speak.
Lulubelle on August 17 at 12:09 a.m.
Congratulations Mayor Verner and Ben Stuckart!
Honest hard work pays off……..and it speaks to the type of elected official a candidate will be.
mmspowaus on August 17 at 1:13 a.m.
What will hurt Verner and Rush if the Condon camp and Allen camp have brains enough to use it is Envision Spokane ridiculous proposition. Verner and Rush are tied to it as much as they would like to see it go away….
If Envision Spokane did not make the ballot in November, Verner and Rush would have won re-election in a walk. Now people who are against Envision Spokane will flock to the polls to defeat it. These people will not be favorable to Verner and Rush…
Don’t forget the General election is four times bigger than the Primary in an off year election. To think one has it in the bag because they won the Primary with a big lead is foolish; especially when other ballot issues come into play.
John Waite lost, yet again and got his hat handed to him in District #1 this time (instead of District #3) Maybe in another time and place he would have still lost. Back to the thin airways… Voters generally don’t like carpetbaggers Mr. Waite…
Dazzeetrader11 on August 17 at 1:37 a.m.
mm good point. Let’s see what some might do about that concept;) Afterall, it’s quite true..no matter what Verner says, she did clear the way for this silly bill of frights ( as GM has said)
Still though, if the electorate is stupid and inattentive enough, nothing will help……even if the truth smacks them in the face.
JBlim on August 17 at 6:06 a.m.
liberal_in_right_wing_land got it right. The teabaggers out number us in the Spokesman’s forum, not in real life Spokane. But, then, most teabaggers are unemployed, living off their government checks, and have nothing better to do.
Spokane_Citizen on August 17 at 6:26 a.m.
Face it, Condon took a good solid shellacking, pure and simple. He came out mudslinging, which mainly appeals to the sort of people who let their free-floating anger fuel their political views (and especially their forum posts….which are read by very very few people…it’s not like the forum denizens’ scribblings are of any public information significance anyway). Continual anger and outrage is debilitating, and seldom leads to logical positive action. Most healthy humans inherently realize that fact.
And when the voters don’t see it your way (and they quite apparently didn’t in this case) you simply start denigrating their intelligence, rather than question your own anger driven myopia. I suspect most of your close acquaintances and family have long recognized your personal problems with political zealotry and fixation on single issues…..and very much wish you could escape the thought patterns and habits that make you such angry and miserable people.
Ron_the_Cop on August 17 at 6:27 a.m.
BREAKING -
See this piece I just posted in the latest Otto Zehm article thread:
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2011/aug/16/verner-vows-end-civil-battle-over-otto-zehm/?comments#c332943
I would hope the good people of Spokane would wake up one day too.
Former Sheriff Tony Bamonte of Pend Oreille Co, SPD officer, writer, publisher and made famous in the book Breaking Blue http://tinyurl.com/ykz9wcb has filed a formal complaint with the US Atty’s Office
August 16, 2011
Tim Durkin, Assistant United States Attorney
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Washington
920 West Riverside Avenue, Suite #300
Spokane, WA 99201
RE: Otto Zehm death
Dear Mr. Durkin:
Please accept this correspondence as a formal complaint against the following people: Spokane Mayor Mary Verner, Spokane Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick, Spokane City Attorney Howard Delaney, and assistant city attorney Rocky Trepeddi. I am making my complaint to you because of your involvement and knowledge about the Zehm case. I ask that you forward this complaint to the attorney general for his approval. I believe you already have strong evidence to prove that, in harmony with each other, the above community leaders have conspired to mislead and have deceived the public for over five years. This concerns what appears to be the brutal killing of an innocent citizen by a police officer. The evidence of this has been overwhelming and exceptionally clear. I am especially concerned about Mayor Verner’s conduct in the case. In her position she is the only public official in the city with the power to remove the city attorney and the police chief for criminal behavior, yet, to this date, has taken no action of any kind. . .
jimvw2 on August 17 at 6:46 a.m.
Sometimes the facts win. Congratulations to Mayor Verner. Trying to hang the failings of a police department that’s been out of control for 30 years on a mayor who has been in office less than four years didn’t work for the Condon camp. Manufacturing conspiracies where none exist won’t work either.
The truth is that Mary Verner has been a breath of fresh air at city hall, a competent leader who isn’t beholden to the Downtown Merchants Association or the Police Guild.
Verner understands the nasty economic environment that the Grover Norquist-Tom Delay crowd created for all of us, and she’s managed to negotiate our cityt through the mess these Libertarian nutbags created over the past 20 years without massive disruption of services.
That’s why she won the primary so emphatically. No amount of cynical spin on the Otto Zehm tragedy is going to erase the reality of her high level of effectiveness in office.
Condon’s Clones will need to find another reason for Spokane voters to select Do Nothing Cathy’s gofor over an experienced, proven mayor.
It won’t surprise me a bit if they try to create a bogeyman in the form of a “conspiracy” of lefties to enact a “radical” agenda of looney ideas like making clean air and water a priority.
Get ready for the outside special interest money to start pouring in now that the Libertarian right wingers see how much myth-making and lying it will take to make an inexperienced errand boy seem like a viable choice to lead our city.
Good luck with that ditto heads. You’d better get busy constructing that alternate universe you want us to believe in.
misjustice on August 17 at 6:49 a.m.
Congratulations to all top 2 winners, moving on to the election in November. And thank you to all that ran!
; )
misjustice on August 17 at 6:51 a.m.
Re; Condon “…an inexperienced errand boy…”
Now that’s funny!
; )
Ron_the_Cop on August 17 at 7:29 a.m.
Jimvw2,
Look both Sheriff Bamonte and I voted for Mary Verner in the last election. Verner reversed field on her commitment to root out the corruption in this town to Bamonte. Bamonte is no neo con and in fact is a major player in the local/state Democratic party. Yes SPD has had serious problems for many years but the Zehm cover up occurred on her watch and she failed to act. Zehm is not the only serious problem she failed to act on either while pursuing her progressive agenda while Rome is burning - water rates under the guise of conservation to keep the City afloat financially.
I’m not thrilled with Condon either and in fact voted for Noder in the primary. And I voted for Corker over Hession too. Am no straight ticket person. I want those who I vote for to have integrity in office no matter what their ideology is.
rosehips on August 17 at 7:29 a.m.
I’m not from Spokane, but I’m glad Verner did so well. I don’t follow Spokane politics all that closely but Mary Verner has always struck me as a woman with much integrity. I also would like to see examples that contradict this.
To assume she was involved in a cover up sounds like wishful thinking from her detractors. Let the evidence speak for itself and those involved.
The past three years had more controversy than any past? Really? My, what short memories some folks on this forum have. geesh.
Examples of controversies, please….
misjustice on August 17 at 7:38 a.m.
Ron, please correct me if I am wrong, but I thought that the death of Otto and the cover-up occurred/started under Mayor Hession? Am I not remembering correctly?
Ron_the_Cop on August 17 at 7:55 a.m.
Rosehips,
Look I called out both Brunt and Clouse on the timing of the latest stories on the Otto Zehm case before the election as potentially a political hit piece on behalf of the powers that be in this town. I am aware of the many connections that Condon has to the powers that be and I am deeply concerned of his true allegiances.
Having said that I won’t vote for Verner. You asked for specifics. Read Sheriff Bamonte’s letter to the US Atty’s Office very carefully that I linked to above. Bamonte is no slouched. Brunt’s and Clouse’s latest reporting is really old new news as the information was there in April of 2010. Verner either knew or should have known circa April 2010 that a cover up of the Zehm death was underway by both officials in SPD and the City Attorney’s Office. Verner did NOTHING.
I would direct you to this piece regarding Verner’s failure to carry out her oath of office to the citizens of Spokane:
http://tinyurl.com/48qh6et
And finally read this key excerpt from my post in one of the previous Zehm comment threads:
http://tinyurl.com/3ftoew8
Det. Ron Wright (Retired 35 years Riverside PD, CA)
Principal Ron Wright Investigations LLC
Ed Byrnes on August 17 at 7:57 a.m.
Mis J, the cover up began on Hession’s watch though Verner appears to have continued it.
jimvw2, please offer any shred of evidence that Mayor Verner is not beholden to the Police Guild as you assert. I voted for her this time around too as the lesser of many evils, though I held my nose as I did it.
Ed
Spokane_Citizen on August 17 at 8:43 a.m.
Many of you have a rather inflated opinion of your contributions, and community influence, regarding these issues, both relative to the election, and to complex judicial processes!
Ron_the_Cop on August 17 at 8:58 a.m.
Justy,
Zehm and BTW Jo Savage (RPS Parking Garage) died under Hession’s watch. I voted for Verner instead of Hession in the last election because of this and other reasons. The cover up continued under Verner’s watch. Verner can’t claim that she didn’t know what was going on as both Bamonte and I have a long paper trail with her on this and other issues.
Verner is complicit in the RPS bond frauds. Verner as Mayor could have relieved Atty O. Yale Lewis from his atty/client privilege to the City that would have unraveled these frauds that cost the taxpayers of Spokane minimally $87M dollars. Verner chose not to after being asked to do so by several prominent people including former Mayor John Talbott who retained Lewis.
The City Attorney’s Office actively withheld the Lewis documents that Lewis sent to the City to be released to Talbott and former City Councilperson Cherie Rodgers. I was eventually able to get Lewis’ documents by persevering with the City Attorney’s Office with a PDR demand. See my email to Mayor Verner on another topic regarding the O. Yale Lewis documents: http://tinyurl.com/2g84d4n (scroll down to the email)
Verner was also protecting others complicit in the RPS frauds - elected and appointed officials alike including the Office of the City Attorney, Atty Laurel Siddoway now WA Appellate Court Judge and Mike Ormsby the current US Attorney for the Eastern District of WA and many others. Verner reneged on her promise to Bamonte to pursue the corruption in this City.
More specifically both Bamonte and I filed official complaints with SPD OPO Burns for serious allegations against Chief Kirkpatrick. I have called for Verner to fire Chief Kirkpatrick in part for this cover up and other serious breaches of the public trust. Verner failed to act. http://tinyurl.com/2enq3em
The City is in serious financial straights not only from the down economy but from mismanagement and ill-advised public/private projects that have brought little or no real economic development that was promised except for personally benefiting the interests of the select powers that be in this town. The Mayor is a strong supporter of the pie in the sky Downtown Electric Trolley Project (projected cost of $36M) another project in a long line of these projects.
The SPD has disbanded its Crimes Against Property Investigation Unit for lack of funding. In my book residential burglary is a serious felony and this is sending the wrong message to the criminal element in this region.
In short the taxpayers have been called upon to fund many capital improvement projects in the Downtown Core for which they have received little if any return on their investment in terms of real economic growth and increase in the shocking low prevailing median wage in Spokane. All that we have generated from these projects is low level service sector jobs.
Don’t take my word for this. Read the work of the Spokane Economic and Demographic Blog for the effects of this miss allocation of public resources:
Spokane Economic And Demographic Data
Raw and Uncensored – Economy, Jobs, Education, Government and Rumors
http://tinyurl.com/3husrc8
Ron_the_Cop on August 17 at 9:03 a.m.
On a related note I’m definitely not a progressive but I am concerned about the Spokane River and the Rathdrum Aquifer.
I’ll mention the water rate issue. The water is free. The only cost is pumping it out of the ground and the infrastructure to deliver it. The water rate increases under the guise of conservation is a cover story. The real reason is to increase City revenue it desperately needs by the way of the hidden escalator utility tax of 20% with an effective rate of 25% on how it’s applied (Gross up).
Look I’m all for water conservation and did install one of those smart timers to water my yard. The Rathdrum Aquifer is in no danger of going dry anytime soon by many experts on both sides. The real issue is the River flow on the surface through Downtown because of the raising of Lake Coeur d’Alene, the Post Falls Dam and others. This can be rectified by Avista by increasing the flow rate out of these dams during the summer low flow period.
Read this recent report by the Washington Policy Center:
Analysis of Spokane’s Water Price Changes
By Chris Cargill, Eastern Washington Office Director, August 2011
http://www.washingtonpolicy.org/publications/brief/analysis-spokanes-water-price-changes
brianrbreen on August 17 at 10:18 a.m.
@Spokane_Citizen
I admit I have an exaggerated since of self importance, and at times am perhaps naïve but I do try to be objective. If you have any influence with the Mayor or anyone else in city administration who doesn’t read these blogs would you discuss this post of mine with her and see what her take is.
· I personally don’t have an axe to grind against Mayor Verner and I’m not a D or R or Bagger. I was happy to see that she admitted that she did in fact know what Chief Nick’s testimony was going to be back in April of 2010. If she knew in April of 2010 that Nick’s testimony would be in conflict with the city’s defense of the civil litigation she also knows that several officers well below the rank of Chief named in the civil litigation will be testifying in direct conflict to the city’s position in the civil suit. So in all fairness would it not be appropriate for the Mayor to request the city council to fund legal representation for all of the officers who’s testimony will be in conflict?
I suppose that one could make a case that it is up to the Spokane Police Guild, and the Spokane Police Lieutenants and Captains Assn. to pay for representation of their members (I’m not sure if Chief Nick’s is still a member of the L and C Assn.). But how does all of that equate with the city funding Karl Thompson’s criminal defense. Seems to me there is some real disparity as to how my dollar is being spent.
Transparency, transparency, transparency. Boy, we have heard that term a lot lately. If the Mayor wants to be transparent and I hope she does how about releasing all of the emails between Chief Nick’s, Chief Kirkpatrick, Dennis Hession, herself and all those involved in the investigation of the Zehm case to the media without hiding behind privilege, or ongoing litigation, or ongoing investigation. That would be transparent!
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/apr/15/feds-testimony-altered/
Ron_the_Cop on August 17 at 10:33 a.m.
@Brian
Mayor Verner’s spokesperson Ms. Feist just posted the full text of the Mayor’s press release in the new thread on Verner’s election win. I took the liberty of passing along your suggestion to Ms. Feist to deliver to the Mayor.
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2011/aug/17/mayor-pushes-to-resolve-zehm-suit/?comments#c333049
lewis8457 on August 17 at 2:10 p.m.
hey why was my post dumped not enough ass kissing for verner? come on sr