State Senator
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Brown won’t seek another Senate term
One of the state’s most powerful politicians shook Spokane’s political landscape and shocked her own party Thursday when she announced she won’t seek re-election to the Legislature. State Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown has represented her central Spokane legislative district since 1992, first in the House and, starting in 1996, the Senate. A staunch Democrat, she has led the Senate for eight years, and her pending departure sent ripples through both sides of the partisan aisle.
City Council to address gay marriage
The debate on gay marriage is headed to the Spokane City Council. City Councilman Jon Snyder is sponsoring a nonbinding resolution in support of “marriage equality,” and despite a Republican-leaning majority on the City Council, it appears the resolution is on track for approval.
Measure 1 campaign pulls McLaughlin ad
The campaign to extend taxes to pay for the expansion of the Spokane Convention Center and Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena has pulled a TV ad featuring Spokane City Councilwoman Nancy McLaughlin. Citizens for Jobs Now has developed a series of commercials each featuring two people who often represent competing interests, including messages with a Democrat and a Republican and another with a union member and a business owner. In each ad each spokesperson says that despite their usual differences, they both support Measure 1, the Spokane Public Facilities District tax plan that pays for the Convention Center and arena expansions.
Councilwoman seeks to unseat state Senate majority leader
The Democratic majority leader of the Washington Senate is facing her first reelection challenge by an opponent with a winning campaign history. Spokane City Councilwoman Nancy McLaughlin, a Republican, launched her campaign to unseat state Sen. Lisa Brown on Tuesday at a small gathering in front of Madison Elementary School, where she once served as a Parent Teacher Organization president.
Council to tackle firefighter contract
Spokane city leaders are readying for a showdown with the Spokane Firefighters Union over a three-year contract negotiated between the firefighters and former Mayor Mary Verner in the final days of her administration. But challenging the deal could prove risky for the City Council and force the city to give the union a more generous contract than the one now before them.
Spin Control: Not everyone wants voter registration tweaks
OLYMPIA – Washington voters have a very good track record of casting ballots – among the best in the country. Is it perfect? No. Could it be better? Yes. Are there people who should vote but don’t? Probably. Is it worth making major changes to the current system to capture some shoulda-woulda-coulda voters?