January 15, 2012 in City

Doug Clark: Mary, Mary, you’ve become quite contrary

Doug Clark The Spokesman-Review

Tags:back payDoug ClarkMary VernerSpokane mayor

Listen up, gang. I’m looking for volunteers to make cookies, cupcakes and zucchini bread for our first (and hopefully last) Mary Verner Bake Sale.

We need to raise $140,000. That’s a lot of scratch, I know.

But if we don’t reach our goal, well, I’m worried we’ll never get the ex-Spokane mayor off our backs.

Verner wants 140 Gs in back pay even though she voluntarily agreed to cap her mayoral salary at about $100,000 a year for her four years in office.

City’s response to Verner: No soap!

I know what you’re thinking.

I, too, was under the impression that Mayor Mary’s paycheck gesture was a selfless act for the good of Spokane’s financial well-being.

“I have to set an example from the top to cut back,” she said last year, “so that other people can keep their jobs and deliver services.”

Inspiring! Magnanimous!

Hogwash!

What we didn’t know was that this Vernerosity came with the following fine print:

“Offer good only if re-elected.”

That didn’t happen. The mayor somehow managed to blow the enormous lead she won in the primary and get thumped by David Condon in the general election.

So now we’re being dunned like a Mafia loan shark.

One of Verner’s last mayoral moves was to issue a formal request for the aforementioned uncollected pay from the last two years of her term.

Is she really this strapped for cash?

Or is she motivated by bitterness from losing the election?

I won’t venture a guess. But it does seem a bit telling that she wanted the money delivered in bags of small, unmarked bills with nonsequential serial numbers.

Aw, don’t be mad at her.

Verner, alas, is a politician.

We can only hope scientists will one day identify the genetic flaw that compels some human beings to say and do virtually anything for votes.

Pray for the cure, people.

For now, however, there is only one safe move.

Pay the woman off.

Be done with it, that’s what I say. Who knows what’ll happen if we hold out. I sure don’t want to be around when the leg breakers show up to collect.

The city’s bean counters turned her down, and there’s a precedent to consider, I suppose.

Give free money to one ex-mayor and it’ll only be a matter of time before Dennis Hession, John Powers and the ghost of Jim West show up with their greedy mitts out.

The bottom line is that the city is too broke to pay.

Verner should know. Heck, she was behind the wheel when the S.S. Spokane plowed into the iceberg.

Holding a citywide bake sale is the only viable solution.

If that doesn’t work, well, we can always mortgage the Clocktower.

Not to be nostalgic, but I prefer to remember the good old days with Mayor Verner.

You know, before she turned into the sore loser who took nearly a week to concede the election and then made this galling attempt to get back money she had philanthropically forfeited.

I miss that classy, gracious person. The one who came downtown and sang “Proud Mary” with me during Spokane Street Music Week.

Who knows?

Maybe she’ll accept installment payments – say 20 bucks a month. If so, she might come back next June and croon again.

If it happens, Tom Keefe, the longtime local Democrat who raised eyebrows by endorsing Condon, emailed me some clever new “Proud Mary” lyrics for the former mayor to sing.

Lost a good job in the city.

Mayor of Spokane every night and day.

But I never took all the money I was offered.

Worried how the voters thought it looked.

Turned out in November.

I suddenly remember.

Pay me. Pay me.

Pay me what you owe me!

Doug Clark is a columnist for The Spokesman-Review. He can be reached at (509) 459-5432 or by email at dougc@spokesman.com.

39 comments on this story so far. Add yours!

Bill_Jackman on January 15 at 5:06 a.m.
Why can’t Mary just go away quietly and enjoy the humiliation that is bestowed upon all former single term mayors?
Back in the August Mayorial primary, there was stong evidence that suggested Verner’s carefully crafted image was untouchable. She seemingly had a magnificent opportunity suddenly, unexpectedly, turn into a political catastrophe.
Why?
We all knew that she wasn’t a strong mayor.
Many of us were aware that her sincere character was nothing more than a facade.
Millions of dollars were saved by pay concessions by city workers. Those same city workers made those concessions without any expectation of a total refund as Verner requested for herself. Mary Verner’s healthy self confidence has finally degenerated into overwhelming conceit and contempt for the people of Spokane.
For us, there is nothing to wonder about in her decisive defeat for re-election. “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Provb. 16:18
opiemuyo on January 15 at 7:41 a.m.
One word: Chutzpah.
QueenofSanDiego on January 15 at 9:21 a.m.
Rollin’ on the ri–i–-verrrrrr…..Rock on Doug. Good bye Proud Mary :)
PS - good to see you B. Jackman!
liberal_in_right_wing_land on January 15 at 10:53 a.m.
You really want to rip apart a politician, where is your hatchet job article against Cathy McMorris Rogers? This is a lady who has done NOTHING to help the people who keep electing her, she has passed no bills and offered nothing to improve the lives of Eastern Washington, while she is becoming a millionaire…..yet she gets a pass from every single media person in Spokane.
I do not at all agree with what Verner did, it was stupid and she was stupid for doing it……however, lets get real here people, and Doug Clark included, all our elected officials are horrible corrupt lazy a-holes who are looking out for themselves and themselves only.
Where is your article blasting Cathy McMorris Rogers for becoming a millionaire while in office while her constituents see their income drop, loss their houses and their jobs? What she has done in office to make herself VERY wealthy is way worse than anything Verner did, and yet nobody seems to mention that.
Where is your article, Doug, showing your disgust and outrage of Cathy McMoRo getting rich just for being an elected official during this Great Depression we are in, while everyone else gets poor?
mary1958 on January 15 at 11:18 a.m.
I’m not afraid of any ol’ leg breaking thugs. Keep Mary in the poor house I say!
pjc on January 15 at 11:41 a.m.
liberal - there should be a rule that you have to spell someone’s name correctly before you can write about them. Then again, this is Spokane ….
Cathy McMorris Rodgers mcmorris.house.gov/
Stop belly-aching about the subject matter of this column and people pointing out Mary Verner’s stupidity, you sound like one of those right-wingers complaining about media bias.
Middleman on January 15 at 11:50 a.m.
Lib… FYI…..The article isn’t about Cathy McMorris Rogers. (and I’m not a Cathy supporter) There are many, many opportunities to cut her to pieces in a variety of stories on here.
This is about Mary Verner and her fall from grace. She had an opportunity to leave on a good note and show class and humility. She chose the opposite and embarrassed herself. We can easily see by your comment two days ago that you defend Mary and you even went so far as to say “PAY HER WHAT SHE IS OWED”. You were extremely quiet yesterday when people were taking shots at her, which is their right (and yours). Maybe just staying out of the fray instead of deflecting the subject at hand would be a better? Just sayin’.
Ed Byrnes on January 15 at 11:54 a.m.
Whenever I think we’ve seen the bottom of how low politicians can stoop I learn how bottomless their collective venality is.
@Doug and the SR editors: It would probably interest many of your readers to learn about the financial dealings of all our elected leaders, including mayors, city council members, county commissioners, state representatives and senators, and U.S. congressional representatives and senators.
There is probably so much dirt on both sides of the aisle that aisle would be impassable.
Ed Byrnes
Middleman on January 15 at 11:55 a.m.
Liberal…..on your reply to Dazzeetrader11, I completely agree with you. Dazzee often goes way below the belt and crosses the line of decency that is assumed on a public forum. Not acceptable!!
terryalan on January 15 at 12:16 p.m.
Frankly public shunning is not good enough for such a hateful, bigoted nasty piece of work that is Dazzeetrader11
disgusting
Truthhurts on January 15 at 12:42 p.m.
Boy, this is sad.
Verner spurns the Zehm crowd who want her to clean up the cops, and this costs her the election.
Verner keeps the most corrupt city officials around her, and won’t clean up the overall mess she inherited (hint, Feist and Cooley must go).
Now, her “grandiose” gesture finishes her political career (in case Zehm inaction had not) as some wolf in sheep’s clothing of an “adviser” probably suggested she make this pathetic play for back salary.
I know someone who rounded up union support for Verner’s first run, tried to give her good advice, and who was ignored by Verner post-election, while those who really ran City Hall remained entrenched.
In the end, Verner’s lack of willingness to “confront” did her in. She failed to confront the police on abuses. She failed to confront Cooley and his manipulations and external and internal constituencies. And, in the end, Verner did not know how to think for herself with sufficient clarity to know whom to fight, or how, even if she had the courage.
Sad, indeed.
detroitdude on January 15 at 12:51 p.m.
“McMorris has taken her salary and was very welathy prior to being elected. Your assertion that she made millions after she went to the congress is just stupid and uninformed.”
Not to split hairs, but that is not true either. The last time she was here for the town hall meeting she said she was worth $100,000 when she got elected to congress, these words came right from her lips. I’m sure others who were there remember her saying that too.
johnclarke on January 15 at 1:04 p.m.
Daisy, we all know you are part of the closet gays at the Spoaken Club. Just admit it and stop attacking your own kind. Accept your true self.
Dazzeetrader11 on January 15 at 1:20 p.m.
Wiil do Clarkie…:)lol
I wonder if all this doesn’t presage some form of lawsuit. Verner blames the city and some
leaker” who let this out for political purposes. She’s not stupid ( just goofy)….and as a lawyer she knows she won’t get $140K but she likely could settle for $30-$50K…which is more than she has now..
I wouldn’t count it out….Just a little unethical woman trying for some “just go away” type money…again at taxpayer expense for her loss. I’d tell her to jump in the river….yes the same river wherein she squandered the “river cleanup fund”…but who knows?
I do think she’s ruthless and will try for something. Her whole mindset is askance but she’ll try to find something. If she was smart, she’d just go away. All this is bound to hurt her further.
It’s a bit puzzling…it’s not what you think. Something else is afoot here….I can smell it all the way from Dallas.
reservedparking on January 15 at 2:12 p.m.
OK you two… neutral corners.
Citizen on January 15 at 2:17 p.m.
Ironic to hear Dazzee throw the harrassment card. If anyone here is a harrass-hole, it is the Dazed One.
johnclarke on January 15 at 2:25 p.m.
Yes Daisy, please stop. Self moderation.
force_vector on January 15 at 2:35 p.m.
I’m missing the “gay” connection here. What are you guys talking about?
misjustice on January 15 at 2:35 p.m.
Harass-a-holic, IMO.
Mary Verner showed her true colors with this attempt to claw back the wages that she made such a show of not taking. Well, that AND her own involvement in the Zehm murder cover-up.
The election was her’s to lose; which she did, in spades.
Go away Ms. Verner. Reflect on your mistakes and learn from them.
Mayor Verner had every opportunity to right a grave error but she chose not to. And as I have said many times, choices have consequences.
misjustice on January 15 at 2:38 p.m.
FV, she almost always refers to LIRWL as “tutu”; a reference to his sexual orientation.
I have noticed that of late she has taken to calling him “tu” but anyone that follows these threads regularly knows that she only calls him that cause she can’t call him a F_ _ _ _ T.
force_vector on January 15 at 2:43 p.m.
ahhhh, got it.
lewis8457 on January 15 at 2:48 p.m.
good to see corrupt Spokane still ticking, while i was enjoying the great service of the staff at Deaconess hospital.
Mary you and Kirkpatrick went on local TV and told us all Otto’s death was his own fault when anyone with a brain bigger then a peanut could see something wasn’t right. For that you Mary lose, go back to your law office blow the dust off your desk look out the window and know you won’t get any money, the Zehm family and the other 12 folks put to death during your term in office will be getting what dollars the city may have left.
if you were as smart as you think you were, you would have lit a fire under the SPD guilds butt got rid of the bad cops, then you would have been re-elected, and taken your full wage and no one would have said word.
but you chose to be a loser and guess what? You lose!
misjustice on January 15 at 2:58 p.m.
HEY, Lewis! Welcome back!
Brian and I were wondering how you’re doin’????
; )
@FV, the harass-a-holic often calls me fat, chubby, obese, etc…but I just ignore her attempts to rile me. For one thing, I am none of those; just look at my profile pic. I’m HOT! For another, I realize that if she makes a personal attack it is because she can not argue with the content of my argument so must resort to a personal attack in a misguided attempt to make her argument seem valid.
She regularly goes after Diana, too. After repeatedly having her posts jerked she cooled it for awhile but she’s been back at it, I see, picking on someone for their sexual orientation. Her attacks on LIRWL are NOT funny, they are pathetic.
reservedparking on January 15 at 3:04 p.m.
And they’ve been flagged. Hopefully not just by me.
Dazzeetrader11 on January 15 at 3:44 p.m.
force_vector on January 15 at 2:35 p.m.
I’m missing the “gay” connection here. What are you guys talking about?
Answer::: there is none. He’s just “sensitive”.
J…don’t tell me what’s in my mind or my intentions in a post. You make most of the things you post.
This time it’s “gayism”. Nothing to it mind you but they do it anyway. Sorry for their distraction readers.
But back to the article….
Shadedmuse on January 15 at 3:48 p.m.
maryor Verner is the best maryor Spokane has had sine Chase-Mcneil were Maryors. Verner deserves every penny of the money, its better she gets it then Cathy mcMo-Mo’s boy.
Shazamm on January 15 at 5:04 p.m.
Whatever with the “tutu” and McMorris diversions. The focus here is Verner. She blew her credibility sky high with her bid for back salary and even Dougie recognizes that. Run her against McMorris, you Dumbocrats, I dare you.
Shadedmuse on January 15 at 5:28 p.m.
Maryor Verner would trounce Cathy Mcmo-Mo in a Congress run, becaus Mcmo-mo is a right wing tool and career politican who has made all her money sucking the tazpayers teet. she was a Aid to a former member of the Leg and then took over his seat after kissing it, and then she landed in the cushing congreass seat after the weazel king fouled it to go on a political sucide Mission to run agaisnt R great Senator and one of the 23 senators that voted NO on Monkey boys invasion of Iraq. and that great Senator is Patty mcmurray, who i’m proud to have voted for everytime since 1992. Patty mcmurray is looking out for all of us, and she works hard for all of us, far from what Cathy Mcmo-mo and the weezel King have done.
Mcmurray and Cantwell are the greatest senators since Senots Dill-Jackson and Maginson.
brianrbreen on January 15 at 6:04 p.m.
@Lewis
Hey dude, glad it all went well. I see the fingers still work…now remember what you said before you went under the knife and be careful what keys they hit. No one will know how to handle a gentler, kinder, Lewis…and it’s a lot less stressful.
Shelala on January 15 at 8:12 p.m.
@Lewis
Good to see all went well. Welcome back.
Ed Byrnes on January 15 at 8:42 p.m.
Lewis,
Welcome back! I am glad that your health is resolving and wish you strength. Your post that Brian is referring to was spot on…it’s often hard to remember that our opponents are a necessary part of a universal process that we’re all part of…I forget that myself and typically regret it, on a personal rather than interpersonal level, when I do…welcome back and I look forward to your direct critique of the local status quo!
Ed Byrnes
michaelm on January 15 at 10:22 p.m.
Dazzeetrader11:
Other moderators may have more tolerance for your mocking other posters based on their sexuality, but you’ve worn mine out. Let me remind you of the first sentence above the comment box: “Please keep it civil.”
I have deleted all the flagged comments you posted that refer to liberal_in_right_wing_land in such a manner, and will continue to do so at every opportunity. I let a few go by for a couple of days, hoping you would tire of such mean-spiritedness, but I can see I had hoped for too much.
I am passing along a note to Ryan Pitts about your comments; any final decision on your continued status will be up to him.
And liberal_in_right_wing_land, first off: My apologies for letting this continue for so long. I blame my sometimes irrational faith in human behavior. Also, these sites aren’t monitored continuously, so some obnoxious behavior can slip past the monitors. Flagging does put comments in a special section that many of us check on a fairly regular basis, though, so keep up with that.
And while I understand your anger and frustration, I also deleted your comment in which you lashed out at her. I suggest you send any future complaints on inappropriate behavior on this site to Ryan, at ryanp@spokesman.com.
greenlibertarian on January 15 at 10:59 p.m.
I told you people never to feed that vile troll. This is the bazzilioneth time she’s gone WAY over the line. And every time I’d see somebody respond to IT I’d just wince and shake my head.
Thank you Michaelm.
Ed Byrnes on January 16 at 1:19 a.m.
Michaelm, thank you for taking this action, we will do our part and flag such posts while you and your fellow moderators do your best.
greenlibertarian, I feel the same way about some of the trolls in these forums, which is part of why I post less frequently. I also do my best to ignore the worst offenders and encourage everyone else to do the same.
Ed
D Statler on January 16 at 9:01 a.m.
I have some left over fruit cake from Christmas I will donate. LOL Actually, I have to say sorry to Mayor Vernor for not giving her the fruit cake for a going away present sooner. :^) I too believe that she would have won re-election hands down if she was the strong Mayor she was elected to be. I am concerned that Mayor Condon may take the easy path as well and end up Spokane’s next one term mayor. Might I suggest walking thru every department and listening carefully to the workers ideas and concerns. Strong leadership can be painful as well as rewarding for everyone. Please try to keep your campaign promises (minus the vehicle tax one) if possible.
“Proud Mary keep on turnin, Rollin on the river” city.
misjustice on January 16 at 9:45 a.m.
Michaelm, thank you.
; )
lewis8457 on January 16 at 10:45 a.m.
misj, brian, ed and shelala i wont forget i was given a second chance i am done hating.
would love to see justice come back to life again for all of us.
i know there are many good people in our police, and will stand tall for them they need us as bad as we need them.
misjustice on January 16 at 11:00 a.m.
Lewis, there’s nothing wrong with a measured response to wrong doing. And while I may not have always agreed with your earlier stance I did understand why you took it and where it came from.
It’s truly great to have you back on the threads with us! I wish you nothing but the best in this New Year!
; )
DISENFRANCHISED_X on January 16 at 1:45 p.m.
Verner is as she always has been, a classless and arrogant water head constantly out of touch with society with only her best interest in mind.