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January 13, 2012 in City
Roskelley running against Mielke
Democrat wants his county commission seat back
Former Spokane County Commissioner John Roskelley said Thursday he’s ready to take his old job back.
Roskelley, a Democrat, announced this week that he is running for county commissioner in District 1, which covers the North Side of Spokane and northern parts of the county.
Roskelley served as commissioner from 1995 to 2004.
He is running for a job occupied by incumbent Commissioner Todd Mielke, a two-term Republican, who won the seat in 2004 months after Roskelley resigned the position.
Mielke said Thursday that he is running and will hold a campaign kickoff event this spring.
Roskelley said he’s seen a decline in the county’s financial picture since he left office, and he wants to change that. He acknowledged that a slow economy has cut into the county’s budget, but savings that piled up during his tenure have helped the county work through its current budget problems.
“Granted, the economy was strong when I was in office, but what we did in terms of cutting spending and socking away a significant reserve was the key to keeping the current commission’s head above water these past few years,” he said in a news release.
He pointed out that during his years as commissioner, the county avoided property tax increases. Part of that came as a result of a strong economy, he said.
In an interview Thursday, Roskelley said, “We’ve got to be smarter.”
He criticized Mielke for supporting ballot measures to raise taxes for public safety programs.
Mielke countered that Roskelley also supported some of those measures when he was commissioner.
Mielke said that the county has maintained a strong financial position despite a slow economy, two large city annexations and the incorporation of Spokane Valley, all of which took tax money away from the county.
He said he’s worked on solving major issues, including wastewater, emergency communications and regional collaboration.
After leaving office, Roskelley served six years on the Growth Management Hearings Board for Eastern Washington.
He left the board in 2010 and has been busy writing in recent months. A compilation of his writings and previous books on his mountain adventures is coming out this spring and he’s working on a book on paddling the entire 1,245-mile length of the Columbia River.
Roskelley is a legendary mountaineer who has climbed some of the tallest peaks in the world.
Returning farmland to a state of nature 
Scottcycle on January 13 at 10:38 a.m.
“Legendary”?
samvimes on January 13 at 3:33 p.m.
@Scottcycle - yes, I was wondering the same thing. Just what are the legends surrounding John Roskelley?
greenlibertarian on January 14 at 12:54 a.m.
Legendary. He’s like one of the top ten mountain climbers in the world. That is a demonstration of significant, gigantic individual initiative.
I had occasion to “lobby” all the commissioners, frequently, sans any pay, regarding storm water disposal/flooding issues back in the 90’s in the Section 35 area, Peone Pines, Winfield Park, etc.
McCaslin was a eager student, and she sympathized, but said oh well, too bad. Phil Harris was dumbstruck, as usual. You’d think he’d been drinking, but no, he was just loopy all the time. Roskelley was a typical pol in that it takes awhile to convince them, but he eventually got it.
And our neighborhood “won”. No assessment on US because the County failed to consider their own qualified folks saying way back when, “that’s a flood area, don’t build there.” But they permitted it anyway. Dumb.
WillyPeter on January 14 at 8:00 a.m.
Throw Mary Verner in the mix. Like John, she needs the money too…..:-)
Scottcycle on January 14 at 10:29 a.m.
“He’s like one of the top ten mountain climbers in the world.”
How do you get to be in the top ten? Are there playoffs, or do they have a complicated system like the BCS? :)
Dazzeetrader11 on January 16 at 12:12 a.m.
WAS.
Phil Harris was responsible for the $20 million surplus the COunty generated. Roskelly wasin charge of spending. McCaslin too but less so.
Roskelly is a just a spending liberal Democrat…nothing more or less. He took his most recent job because he didn’t have to show up for work but sucked $85K per year off the taxpayers…plus he was enriched by his auto and suto travel to his St post given to him by…guess who?
He never generated one penney as a commissioner but surely went to work on his spending progra,/
Greenie..Harris doesn’t drink. He was a very dedicated Commissioner who’d still have the job if Bonnie Mager hadn’t done her character assassination on him and his family….which, because her actions, cost the County plenty in settling her lies. Mager and Verner…mutt and jeff of Dems. Both gone…both gone for good.
greenlibertarian on January 16 at 12:27 a.m.
Well we know Mielke threw several million in taxpayer funds down the drain buying and rehabbing that broken down “raceway”. Already at least one fatality on the site, how many more. It’s a Superfund site, toxic dump, and now the taxpayers have to remediate it. How much WAS that kickback?
Roskelley will get the taxpayers out of the two-bit asinine car-racing business. Let the MARKET take it over, if it’s such a great going concern, ha ha.
Taxpayers are sick of footing the bill for such nonsense.