Editorial: Allen’s fiscal discipline a needed asset on council

Spokane City Councilman Richard Rush has the unusual task of defeating a former incumbent in District 2, but not the man he defeated four years ago.

Mike Allen, who lost his seat two years ago to Councilman Jon Snyder, is again on the ballot.

The Spokesman-Review endorsed Allen in 2009 and Rush in 2007. We again endorse Allen.

Allen was appointed to the City Council when Mary Verner was elected mayor. In the 18 months he served on the council, he consistently looked for solutions to budget shortages that did not include new revenues. He voted against labor contracts that have distorted the relationship between public and private sector pay.

Allen says the city needs to develop performance measures that citizens can use to determine whether the city is getting enough bang for the buck, adding that he wants the City Council to have an independent source of financial analysis instead of having to rely on the mayor’s staff.

He supports the regionalization of services like animal control and more partnerships with business that will sharpen the focus on economic development, in part by encouraging consolidation of the many agencies trying to help entrepreneurs get started.

But Allen is wrong on the $20 car tab fee and red-light cameras, which he calls “Big Brotherish.” The cameras have been an effective traffic control and, secondarily, a source of revenue for street projects.

He says the city needs to come up with a better plan for funding ongoing street improvements, perhaps by creating a utility fund as an alternative to selling bonds.

Rush also questions the wisdom of issuing 20-year bonds for 10 years of street construction. But he opposes a street utility tax because it would be regressive — precisely the same charge that could be leveled against the $20 tab fee he successfully championed. We supported the fee because the $2.5 million in projected income will backfill for lost real estate excise tax revenues.

Rush wisely supports the use of red-light cameras for traffic control, and dedication of fee revenue to street maintenance. The reconstruction of Lincoln Street between 17th and 29th avenues is a shining example of the imagination and energy he can bring to traffic and environmental initiatives.

He says the city should look at simplifying business licensing, perhaps by working more closely with the state, and be more flexible on applications for changes of property use, which sometimes trip up entrepreneurs.

Unfortunately, his opposition to diverting the camera fines is a rare occasion when Rush has not endorsed, if not initiated, new fees or taxes. He lately floated the idea of a local income tax, a trial balloon with “Hindenburg” written all over it.

Rush, who himself declined a pay raise, cautions against too confrontational an approach to relations with labor.

Rush has worked hard, but with no end in sight to the relentless budget headwinds, Allen would be a voice for greater spending discipline.