Doug Clark: Rocky days at City Hall finally over

Who the heck is this David Condon?

First he pulls off an unbelievable run from a waaaaay distant second-place primary finish to upend Spokane Mayor Mary Verner and snatch her job.

Then barely in office, Condon starts upsetting our civic equilibrium by actually fulfilling brash promises he made while stumping out on the campaign trail.

Promises such as …

• Making positive steps to restore public faith in the scandal-steeped Spokane Police Department.

• Attempting to yank city water rates back down to non-hysterical, pre-Verner levels.

• Getting a suave dudish* photograph of himself plastered on the cover of the latest edition of Spokane Coeur d’Alene Living Magazine.

(*I could be wrong about this being a campaign promise.)

• Handing Rocky Treppiedi his walking papers.

Hallelujah!

Treppiedi’s ouster made rainy Monday an anything but glum day.

Ridding Spokane of this hobo spider with a law degree has been overdue for a long, long time.

The Rockster shouldn’t need much introduction.

He’s the assistant city attorney who concocted the city’s legal malarkey about Otto Zehm, that he was to blame for his death after his violent encounter with cops six years ago in a convenience store.

If that wasn’t shameful enough, Treppiedi also met with officers involved in the Zehm case before and after their grand jury testimony.

And court documents say Treppiedi received information from an expert hired by the feds to examine video surveillance tapes of police officer Karl Thompson Jr.’s cruel beat-down of Zehm.

I didn’t know if Condon really had it in him to drop the hammer.

And in such a timely fashion as to make me look good.

Please note the following prophecy from last Thursday’s column:

“If Rocky’s still earning a city paycheck a month from now,” I wrote, “I’ll be positively shocked.”

Way to pay attention, boy mayor!

I don’t want to get ahead of myself. But if Condon keeps this entertaining stuff up he could very well turn out to be my favorite one-term Spokane mayor yet.

I say this fully realizing that Condon is a mere innocent onlooker in the “official” City Hall version of events.

Rocky, in fact, was given the heave-ho by City Attorney Nancy Isserlis.

But that’s like saying Al Capone had nothing to do with the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.

Truth is, Condon the candidate repeatedly called for Treppiedi’s hide.

Condon the mayor, however, realized such a Rock toss wasn’t within the scope of his authority.

The city attorney, on the other hand, does serve at the mayor’s beck and call.

And so …

Out went Howard Delaney.

In came the aforementioned Isserlis – a woman who can do what needs to be done.

But though I couldn’t be happier with Treppiedi’s new unemployment status, let it be said that Doug Clark is not one to hold on to a grudge.

So allow me to offer our ex-assistant city attorney my sweat and station wagon in this tough moment of transition.

Name a time, Rocky. I’ll meet you at City Hall to clean your desk and help move the casket you napped in during daylight hours.

I’m only too happy to help.