LaVerne Biel announced today that she would run for the District 2 seat that became vacant yesterday when Mike Allen said he would not seek a second term. Biel ran for Councilman Jon Snyder in 2013, but came in last in the primary with 20...
Spokane City Councilman Mike Allen, who was first appointed to the City Council in 2007 to fill the seat left vacant when Mary Verner became mayor, announced today he would not seek re-election this year.
Are you happy with the direction the city is going, with the productive tension between the mayor and city council? What about the $150 million cut from the city's massive effort to prevent sewage from entering the Spokane River? Do you think the mayor's pay...
On the heels of the recent resignation of Jan Quintrall for buying city employees food and beverages using a city credit card, Spokane Councilwoman Karen Stratton has filed legislation to officially set how much staffers can be reimbursed for meals. The bill says that city...
Spokane Mayor David Condon is being recognized for his administration's efforts to clean up the Spokane River through innovative public works projects. Condon is the recipient of the 2015 National Environmental Achievement Local Public Service Award, which is awarded by the National Association of Clean...
Who said political columns can't start internet movements? OK, probably no one said that, but it happened here. It turns out a tongue-in-cheek column by our own Doug Clark has inspired a group of conservative Spokanites to launch an "8th Man" Facebook page. Clark's piece...
Spokane Mayor David Condon appeared on the MSNBC show Sports Matters to discuss the Seahawks, the Super Bowl and Spokane's pride in the team from the other side of the state. Condon appears about four minutes in: Condon was on the show with Mayor Rodney...
It's no mystery why the Spokane City Council's current agenda has a new front page. Where before, the council's agenda always began with a screaming, large-font-ed, "The City of Spokane...," now, the agenda sets out the ground rules for behavior. We can blame the three...
Adrian Dominguez, an epidemiologist with the Spokane Regional Health District and member of Spokane's Police Ombudsman Commission, might be a candidate for City Council this year. If so, he would run in District 3 for the seat currently occupied by Councilwoman Karen Stratton, who was...
Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart, who is up for re-election this year, has become a meme. But will he go viral?!
Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart has decided to run for re-election, ending months of speculation that he would challenge Mayor David Condon for the mayor's office. "I've done a lot of reflection," Stuckart said. "But I like being on legislative side. The council has...
Last night's Spokane City Council meeting was ruled by heated talk and dire warnings of a recently passed city law that says police will not ask people about their immigration status. But the council also did some business, notably approving a federal legislative agenda.
John Waite, a downtown business owner and three-time Spokane City Council candidate, has announced another run for the city's legislative body.
Every year, the Spokane City Council gets to change their roles on various committees at the city and around the region.
Banning saggy pants and "clutter." Taxing marijuana where it's not legal. These are a couple of "dumbest" local laws passed across the country this year, according a list put togther by Atlantic's CityLab. Here in the Inland Northwest, we are not immune to stupidity.
Spokane voters will get a chance to weigh in on the mayor’s salary next year, but City Council members say a change to the city charter may complicate other potential ballot measures that will seek money for schools and an expanded transit system. A proposed…
Rick Bocook, a perennial figure at Spokane City Council meetings, has just a few issues he rails on at City Hall. Freedom for street musicians. The tyranny of the city's sit-lie ordinance. Sidewalk chalk drawings. Bocook, AKA Harpman Hatter, was in fine form on this…
Troy Bruner, head of the Spokane's Ethics Committee, said City Council President Ben Stuckart's leak of a confidential email had the ability to hurt the city, but there was no evidence of it doing so. “Certainly there was a potential for harm to be done…
Spokane City Councilman Ben Stuckart was fined $250 for violating the city's ethics code, but committee members said his action did not financially harm the city. Stuckart was referred to the committee for leaking what city officials called a “highly confidential email regarding a pending…
In today's paper, I wrote about the proposed demolition of two historic buildings on Spokane’s storied auto row, part of the conceptual master plan by the Larry H. Miller Group to build a large downtown campus for its auto dealerships. The buildings to be razed…
The Spokane Transit Authority is passing around an online survey today looking for feedback on its Moving Forward campaign and a potential tax increase to expand its service. In an email, the transit organizations had this to say: Dear community member, STA Moving Forward is…
Scott Chesney, Spokane’s planning director who was abruptly ousted from his position last week, said today he was taking the “high road” and ending his role at the city. Chesney did not give details on why he was forced to resign, but his silence is…
Yet another Spokane developer has given his support to Scott Chesney, the city's planner who was abruptly dismissed from City Hall yesterday. Dave Black, who brought Target to the South Hill, said it was a "tragedy" that Chesney was fired. "The guy is a get…
Add one more prominent Spokane developer and a well-known downtown real estate attorney to the list calling for Scott Chesney to remain at City Hall: Walt Worthy and James Black. In a short email written early this morning to Jan Quintrall, the head of the…
Scott Chesney, Spokane’s planning director since 2011, abruptly left the city Wednesday for unknown reasons. “I resigned due to the mayor’s loss of confidence in me,” Chesney said in a text message. “I respect his choice.” Jan Quintrall, head of the city’s Business and Development…
