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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Spokane City Council District 3

Election Results

Candidate Votes Pct
Candace Mumm (N) 7,260 53.93%
Michael Cannon 6,202 46.07%

* Race percentages are calculated with data from the Secretary of State's Office, which omits write-in votes from its calculations when there are too few to affect the outcome. The Spokane County Auditor's Office may have slightly different percentages than are reflected here because its figures include any write-in votes.

About The Race

District 3 encompasses northwest Spokane north of the Spokane River, west of Division Street and the area near Spokane Falls Community College. The contest for this seat is to replace two-term Councilwoman Nancy McLaughlin, who cannot run for re-election because of term limits. Candace Mumm is a former broadcast newswoman with experience in community activism. She worked on Mary Verner’s re-election campaign as well as Rich Cowan’s bid to defeat U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers. Michael Cannon is the chair of the city’s Community, Housing and Human Services committee and has received significant financial backing from people in Mayor David Condon’s administration, including the mayor. The position pays $30,000 a year with full benefits. It is a four-year term.

The Candidates

Candace Mumm

Party:
No party
Age:
62
City:
Spokane, WA
Occupation:
Incumbent city council member, business owner

Her words: "I have always been involved in standing up for neighborhoods. I have been very involved in some of the northside neighborhood improvements … I really enjoy working with neighborhoods, and working at that level."

Her pitch: Mumm says the city council has built momentum on improving roads and sidewalks during her first four-year term, and hopes to continue that momentum for another four years. She points to work on improving the transit options near Spokane Falls Community College, working with the West Hills neighborhood, and securing a commitment from the Washington Legislature to add back a supervision system for property crime offenders in Spokane County, as evidence of her work to address the major issues facing voters in northwest Spokane. In a second term, her priorities would be finding a way to fund additional needed police officers, continuing contract negotiations with the Spokane Police Guild and revitalizing the business center located near Shadle Park High School. 

Work experience: Incumbent city councilmember and executive of Smartland, a real estate investment company. Previously worked as a crime reporter and managing editor for KXLY, and as a financial adviser for American Express.

Education: Graduated from Shadle Park High School in 1978. Bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism from Pacific Lutheran University in 1982. Earned a master’s degree in business administration from Gonzaga University.

Political experience: Elected to the Spokane City Council in 2013. Previously served on the city’s Plan Commission, the county’s Stormwater Task Force, the state Department of Commerce’s Community Economic Revitalization Board and the Mead School District’s Capital Facilities Bond Task Force. Former vice chair of the Five Mile neighborhood council. 

Work experience: Currently the CEO of Smartland, a real estate investment company. Previously worked as a crime reporter and managing editor for KXLY, and as a financial adviser for American Express.

Family: Married. 

Neighborhood: Five Mile

Michael Cannon

Age:
46
City:
Spokane, Washington

Education: Graduated from Central Valley High School in Spokane in 1995. Earned a degree in business and organizational management from Whitworth University in 2009.

Political Experience: Ran for Spokane City Council in 2013. Chair of Pride Prep Charter School Board 2014-2019. Chairman of the City of Spokane Community, Housing, and Human Services Board from 2012-2015. Member of former Spokane Mayor David Condon’s 2012 transition team.

Work Experience: Worked in finance 1999-2015. Now a sales executive for a payment software company and owns Cobalt Ventures, which invests in real estate.

Family: Not married. Has one son, who graduated from Mead High School in 2020.

Campaign finance: Raised $17,576 as of Sept. 8. Notable donors include Spokane City Councilman Michael Cathcart, developer Harley Douglas, Catholic Charities Vice President Jonathan Mallahan, business owner Robert Meterne, home builder Condron Corey and Avista Director of Government Relations Collins Sprague.

Complete Coverage

Richard Rush returning to Spokane City Hall

None

Doug Clark: Election autopsy finds more bucks, zero bang

The Spokane City Council has been rocked by a seismic shift in the balance of impotence. The council’s right-leaning rube majority has been replaced by a preponderance of lunks of a more leftist persuasion.

Spokane City Council power shifts post-election

To the victors go the committee assignments. It may not sound exciting, but the first likely change in the new Spokane City Council as a result of Candace Mumm’s victory Tuesday is the power to decide who sits on what committee.

Mapping the Vote: NW City Council race

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Mumm and Snyder take commanding leads in Spokane City Council races

The balance of the Spokane City Council will shift to the left after a season of record-breaking campaign spending. The first results from Tuesday’s election showed incumbent Councilman Jon Snyder easily holding on to his seat representing south Spokane with 64 percent of the vote over former Republican state Rep. John Ahern. In the other competitive Spokane council race, former Plan Commission Chairwoman Candace Mumm was beating Michael Cannon, chairman of the city’s Community, Housing and Human Services Board, with 54 percent of the vote.

Conservatives lose control of Spokane City Council; voters oust state senator

Progressives appear poised to regain control of the Spokane City Council.

City Council campaign ads contain false claims

Beware. With money pouring into two Spokane City Council races at a frenzied pace, the campaign material arriving by mail, on the radio, on TV and on the Internet may be misleading or plain wrong.

Doug Clark: Council campaign fortune could be better spent

It takes a lot to shock me after nearly 40 years of journalism. I once had to conduct an interview while standing next to a charred corpse that lay among the scattered wreckage of a plane crash.

Shawn Vestal: Public shares blame for smear tactics in campaigns

And so we come to another election season when we are asked to consider: Whose interests are “special”? And whose are simple, pure, virtuous and just? Just kidding. We’re not asked to consider it – i.e., think about it – in any way whatsoever. We already know the answer: Our interests are simple, pure, virtuous and just. Theirs are special, and all that that implies.

Smart Bombs: Duck and cover, Spokane

So I’m enjoying the low-key excellence of “CBS Sunday Morning,” when a pungent political ad pierces the calm with noise about … the Spokane City Council race? You mean the PAC-generated ads that were universally panned in state and national races last year have seeped into smaller races for nonpartisan offices? Afraid so.

Greenstone disavows ad campaign attacking Mumm, Snyder

The president of Greenstone Corp. has disavowed any connection between his company and a negative television campaign against Spokane City Council candidates Jon Snyder and Candace Mumm. At the same time, business interests funding the ad campaign upped the ante on Monday, adding another $25,500 to the independent television ad buy for a total of $48,700.

Jon Snyder, Candace Mumm target of PAC-funded attack ad

A group of business-backed political action committees has launched a new television attack ad against two candidates for Spokane City Council, marking the opening salvo in what could become the most expensive council races in city history. Councilman Jon Snyder and candidate Candace Mumm, seeking separate seats in this fall’s general election, are targeted by a PAC called Jobs & Prosperity for Spokane, which received funds from three other PACs to help pay for $23,000 in television advertising against them. The ads began appearing on Spokane TV stations last week.

Spokane City Council candidates square off in debates

Two debates filmed Tuesday showcasing candidates for Spokane City Council races had two distinct tones. A debate between Michael Cannon and Candace Mumm, who are vying for a seat representing northwest Spokane, was testy.

Spokane City Council District 3: Candace Mumm vs. Michael Cannon

If convincing people to contribute to a political campaign is a sign of future success in government, Candace Mumm will be a hit. Mumm has raised more than $70,000, beating all previous fundraising records of City Council candidates and almost doubling her opponent’s fundraising in the race to replace Councilwoman Nancy McLaughlin, who has served the maximum two terms allowable by local rules.

Stuckart 1, Condon 0

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Incumbents survive their primary challenges

Washington voters – or at least the relative few that cast ballots in the summer primary – seemed willing to stick with the familiar Tuesday. Turnout was light in most areas, but incumbents seeking to extend their terms in office survived primaries for the Spokane City Council, Spokane Valley City Council and the 7th District state Senate race.

City Council’s balance could hinge on District 3 race

Call it a race for supremacy at City Hall. A tug of war between the mayor and City Council president. Just don’t call it boring.