Council fumbles contract

Sat., Nov. 23, 2013

As a past president of the Police Guild, I would have hoped the Spokane City Council would have thought this through a little better. If the guild goes to arbitration (which the city does not care for), the city will lose the body cameras, the 25 police officers and, most of all, face a huge pay increase for the Spokane Police Department.

Spokane, the second largest city in the state, is behind Tacoma and other smaller cities, and that is what the arbitrator looks at. The mayor and chief were on target, but I guess the council, as usual, is more worried about baristas than the economy of the city.

This was a cost-saver for the next four years; now it could be a disaster to the citizens’ pocketbook.

Bill Scheres

Loon Lake

Letters policy

The Spokesman-Review invites original letters on local topics of public interest. Your letter must adhere to the following rules:

No more than 250 words
We reserve the right to reject letters that are not factually correct, racist or are written with malice.
We cannot accept more than one letter a month from the same writer.
With each letter, include your daytime phone number and street address.
The Spokesman-Review retains the nonexclusive right to archive and re-publish any material submitted for publication.

Unfortunately, we don’t have space to publish all letters received, nor are we able to acknowledge their receipt. (Learn more.)

Submit letters using any of the following:

Our online form: Submit your letter here
Mail: Letters to the Editor
The Spokesman-Review
999 W. Riverside Ave.
Spokane, WA 99201
Email: editor@spokesman.com
Fax: (509) 459-3815
Phone: (509) 459-5430