Keep this weighty job

Mayor Condon wants a $70,000 increase in his own pay while letting 100 city jobs disappear.

One job that he wants to eliminate is Spokane’s Weights and Measures man, Steve Parker. Parker’s salary is $55,000 per year. He is the only person in Spokane who ensures “that we get what we pay for.”

He visits businesses once a year to make certain that gas pumps are dispensing the amount of gas that is recorded and checks the scales that determine measurements of meat and produce in the grocery store. Parker says that most businesses do not cheat the public, but that could be because they know they are being watched. Parker says his job has saved Spokane consumers millions of dollars.

Mayor Condon says the state could take over that job, when the city no longer has that position. However, the state would only visit these businesses every four to five years. I think many scales and pumps would need recalibrating before that.

Mr. Mayor, please keep the position of Spokane Weights and Measures.

Susan D. Luppert

Spokane