Spokane's former Economic Development Director Theresa Sanders will be the top City Hall administrator under Mayor David Condon. Many city employees had speculated for months that Sanders would get that top job if he beat Mayor Mary Verner in the November election. Sanders was active…
Mayor-elect David Condon said today that Acting Assistant Police Chief Scott Stephens will lead the Spokane Police Department, but his appointment so far is extremely temporary. Condon, who will become mayor at midnight on Jan. 1, said he has agreed to have Stephens lead the…
Here are the rest of Spokane Mayor Mary Verner's responses to topics we asked her to reflect on as she prepares to leave office. The rest is in an article running today online and in print. Regionalism Background: As mayor, Verner opted to end the…
The portion of the Mayor-elect David Condon’s transition team devoted to public safety has decided to keep its discussions confidential. Tim Connor, communicaitons director for the Center for Justice, announced in an email to Condon this week taht he resigned from the committee as a…
The Spokane City Council rejected Councilman Richard Rush's proposal to ask voters if they want to eliminate the city's utility tax on trash, sewer and water early this morning on a 5-2 vote. Rush did get one other vote of support, from Bob Apple. The…
If Spokane voters approve a new tax to repave a new round of crumbling streets, walkers, wheelchair users and bicyclists won't be ignored when streets are rebuilt. The Spokane City Council late Monday, in the last meeting before four of the members will be replaced,…
A plan to raise parking ticket fines at parking meters from $15 to $25 or $20 if paid within six days won't be decided until a new City Council is sworn into office. Spokane City Council President Joe Shogan has pushed to raise the fee,…
The above map shows the outcome of Spokane County Proposition 1, which was rejected overwhelmingly in the November election. (Map by Jim Camden.) The rejection county voters gave last month to a tax for a new animal shelter led the Spokane City Council on Monday…
Spokane County's three Republican county commissioners are asking Mayor-elect David Condon to strongly consider Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich's offer to be the city's interim police chief. The three signed a letter to Condon's transition team saying that with Chief Anne Kirkpatrick retiring, it makes sense to…
Mayor-elect David Condon likely will have to win a second term if he wants to tinker with the pay and benefits of nearly half of the City Hall work force. The Spokane City Council on Monday approved three-year contract extensions for Local 270 of the…
Spokane City Councilman Richard Rush said this afternoon that he has decided against paying for a hand recount in his race against Mike Allen. Rush said after further consideration of the results of the machiine recount, as well as the hand recount that was completed…
(This post was updated at 4 p.m. Saturday.) City Adminstrator Ted Danek said Friday that the membership of Local 270, the city's largest union, voted overwhelmingly this week to approve a three-year contract extension. The contract currently expires at the end of 2012. The proposal…
Mayor-elect David Condon tonight released the names of about 80 people who will serve on five committees that make up his transition team. Here are the names, pretty much cut and paste from the announcement (except a couple spelling fixes): Public Safety Captain, Nancy Isserlis;…
Former Councilman Mike Allen's lead over incumbent Richard Rush grew by three to 91 on Wednesday after a recount of the Spokane City Council election for the city's south district. The race was recounted by machine because the result from the first count was within…
The campaign of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has won the endorsement of U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Spokane, Romney's campaign announced today. McMorris Rodgers will serve as Romney's chairwoman in Washington, his campaign said in a news release.
Spokane County Elections Manager Mike McLaughlin said this afternoon that sorting ballots for recounting took longer than expected. Therefore, the Spokane City Council recount between Richard Rush and Mike Allen and the 4th Legislative District Senate race between Jeff Baxter and Mike Padden won't start…
Land along the steep Monroe Street hill in North Spokane will be able to hold up 30 homes or apartments per acre under a plan approved Monday by the City Council. The council voted 6-1 late Monday to change the comprehensive plan to allow up…
Spokane County election officials expect to start and complete on Tuesday the first two of the three recounts they need to complete to finish work from the November election. Elections Manager Mike McLaughlin said the office plans to count the ballots from the Spokane City…
Spokane City Councilman Richard Rush will get a hand recount afterall. The incumbent councilman who trails former Councilman Mike Allen by 88 votes submitted a check this afternoon to the Spokane County Election's Office for $6,240 to pay for a full manual count of ballots…
Former state Sen. Jeff Baxter is paying for a partial recount of ballots in his unsuccessful bid to retain his Spokane Valley seat despite losing the race by more than 3,400 votes. Baxter’s opponent in the contest, Mike Padden, was sworn in as senator representing…
The final outcome of the City Council race for a seat representing south Spokane won’t be decided until next week. That’s when the Spokane County Election’s Office will recount ballots in a contest so close that state law required a second examination. Former Councilman Mike…
It’s hard to imagine how Mayor Mary Verner could have lost so much ground between the primary and the November election without concerns about the Otto Zehm case eating at her base. With some members of the Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane expressing…
Just before conceding, Mayor Mary Verner published a scathing comment on Facebook about her opponent’s campaign which she said is a “turning point for the way campaigns are conducted in Spokane.” “David Condon’s race for a non-partisan local office was woven into a … larger…
This post has been changed to correct the change in Allen's lead. The race between Richard Rush and Mike Allen for Rush's Spokane City Council seat representing the south district remains headed for a recount after the sixth day of counting. Allen's lead grew by…
Condon correctly predicted outrage was coming on water rates. Even before summer bills were mailed, he began attacking the water rate restructuring. When the bills were opened, he already had defined himself as the candidate who opposed them. On its face, focusing on sewer rate…
