Letters

Pring-library story isn’t news

Like many other citizens in our city, I gave $100 to each of the candidates that ran on the “positive change” platform. We who gave wanted one thing from those council members: responsible governing. We wanted no favors, no special treatment. Neither did Jack Pring.

We wanted this money-sucking Sprague/Appleway Revitalization Plan and a $35 million city hall plan to go away. The only way to do that was to elect, by the citizens, a new city council. The citizens spoke loud and clear.

For this dying newspaper and Nina Culver to continually try to undermine this council is not news, it’s a fabrication to stir the pot. This newspaper for years has tried to discredit any person holding office in any of our local cities. A story to be told in Spokane Valley would be to investigate the wages of our city staff as they are set by a comparison of the West Side of the state. Many of our department heads make more than our county commissioners.

If the state of California was a country, it would be the fifth largest economy in the world with a governor making about $170,000 plus benefits; our city manager makes about $160,000 plus benefits. Now there’s a story.

Jack Pring being approached by the library district about a piece of property for a library and a park addition is not a story.

Dan Allison

Spokane Valley

Housing double standard

The Spokane Valley City Council has adopted two new issues on its agenda. The first is the glaring use of the word “ditto.” The second is establishing a double standard.

Ditto is a proper word. It is a derivative of the Italian detto, originating in Italy in the year 1625. At a City Council meeting, Mr. Hafner initiated the use of ditto, later used by Mr. Woodward.

Ditto means aforesaid. It also indicates that the user has not done their homework and is piggybacking on those who do.

Article 2, section 2.01 of the city’s governance manual specifies that meeting are to be conducted with respect, dignity and decorum.

The second and more important issue is the double standard. There is a multiple family apartment complex built in 1966 (without protest) just south of the proposed low-income housing proposed by Catholic charities. Why the double standard?

The president of the United States tried to force the Catholic Church to provide contraceptives to its employees free of charge and had to back down. And so will the Spokane Valley City Council.

There is a plaque in front of the Veterans Hospital in Boise. It reads, “The price of freedom is visible here.” Freedom to practice one’s faith is certainly not visible on the six of the seven members who rejected the zone change.

We are veterans of WWII who believe in the constitution and would volunteer again to defend and preserve it.

Etter Milla and Bill Mihalic

Spokane Valley