Election Center
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Spin Control: Council president race in North Side voters’ hands
The race for Spokane City Council president would appear to be a tossup, particularly in many north Spokane precincts where a clear favorite has yet to emerge. No duh, you might say, considering that winner Dennis Hession got only slightly more than a third of the vote in a four-person field.
Verner’s winning margin unrivaled for sitting mayor
In Spokane, where voters routinely chew up and spit out their chief elected officials after one term, Mayor Mary Verner’s primary win Tuesday was rare. But to finish with nearly twice as many votes as her closest opponent, David Condon, is unprecedented. It’s a story best told by numbers.
Doug Clark: Mayor race yields losers, worse losers
The primary is past tense. The shocking election results are (mostly) in. In capturing a whopping 59.9 percent of the vote Tuesday night, incumbent Mary Verner is making the most serious run at becoming the city’s first two-term mayor since way back when FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover showed up to work in a red satin prom dress.
Commission puts animal shelter levy on November ballot
Voters will decide this fall whether to replace the overcrowded, awkwardly located Spokane County animal shelter. Divided county commissioners decided Tuesday to place a nine-year property tax levy on the Nov. 8 general election ballot.
City won’t add two ballot questions
Voters will have to make a decision on a proposed citizens initiative without the observations of elected city leaders on the same ballot. The Spokane City Council on Monday rejected a proposal to add two questions to the November ballot that City Councilwoman Nancy McLaughlin described as red flags about the initiative that also will be decided in the election.
Spin Control: Palin movie elicits stiff-arms, light turnout
Sarah Palin may not be much of a draw in Spokane. That’s one conclusion – and a charitable one, at that – to draw from an event a little more than a week ago at The Bing Crosby Theater featuring the new biographical movie about Palin. Planned as a chance to raise money for charities, food for Second Harvest Food Bank and pet supplies for SpokAnimal, it was a disappointment, said organizer Mike Noder.
Councilwoman wants Prop 1 advisories on November ballot
Spokane voters could get a hint from the Spokane City Council when deciding the fate of a citizens initiative on the November ballot. The City Council will consider on Monday the addition of two nonbinding questions for the November election. The two proposals would ask voters how the council should respond to Envision Spokane’s Community Bill of Rights if it’s approved: raise taxes or cut services.
Council candidate stays on the air
No candidate for Spokane office has had as much air time this campaign season as Mike Fagan, and he hasn’t had to dig into his campaign funds to get it. Fagan co-hosts a conservative local talk show five mornings a week on KTRW 630 AM, and a couple of his opponents question Fagan’s decision to keep his show while running for office.
Candidate refuses to disclose funds’ source
A Spokane City Council candidate is refusing to disclose where he’s getting thousands of dollars that he says is funding his campaign. Chris Bowen, who is running for an open seat representing Northeast Spokane, claimed in a filing with the state Public Disclosure Commission in May to have spent $18,221 and to have another $14,093 on hand. But he hasn’t filed any required paperwork showing where his money comes from or what he has spent it on.
Array of offices, candidates on August primary ballot
Control of Washington’s second-largest city is up for grabs. So are seats on everything from city councils and school boards to fire protection and water districts across Eastern Washington.
Ballot questions clarify, change City Charter
When Spokane ballots arrive in the mail this week, the largest chunk of paper will be filled with a series of questions that have received little attention. In May, the Spokane City Council voted to place 11 amendments to the City Charter before voters.
Vacated school board seat draws 5 candidates
Five Spokane residents want the chance for a voice on Spokane Public Schools’ board of directors. The candidates’ platforms range from one or two issues, such as math curriculum, to a broader view of holding the administration accountable for overall student achievement.