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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

City Council, District 3 (Northwest)

Election Results

Candidate Votes Pct
Karen J. Stratton (N) 6,336 54.92%
Evan Verduin 5,201 45.08%

* 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.

The Candidates

Karen J. Stratton

Party:
No party
Age:
65
City:
Spokane, WA
Occupation:
Incumbent councilwoman

Her words: "My father used to say, if you really want to know what people think and what people want, you need to go to them. And I believe that. To me, the vibrancy and the pulse of the city is in the neighborhoods." 

Her pitch: Stratton says more work needs to be done to improve the quality of life in the northwest neighborhoods, particularly West Central. The former Spokane city clerk says she'll continue to advocate on behalf of municipal employees, efforts that have often put her at odds with Mayor David Condon's office. She defended the city's approach to providing services for the homeless in her four years on the Spokane City Council, but said she'd advocate for more partnerships in the community between city social workers, educators, mental health care providers and others to provide more and longer-term services for those living on the streets. 

Education: Graduated from Marycliff High School in 1977. Earned bachelor’s degree in communications and general studies from Eastern Washington University in 1989.

Work experience: Worked at Washington State University Spokane and the Community Colleges of Spokane. Served as a clerk in the city clerk's office.

Political experience: Incumbent councilwoman. Appointed to complete term of Steve Salvatori. Former aide to Mayors Jim West and Mary Verner in 2014. Former legislative aide in the Washington state House.

Family: Married. One adult son. Her mother, Lois Stratton, was a legislator in Olympia as a Democrat from 1979 to 1993, and her father, Alan Stratton, was a member of the Spokane City Council from 1965 to 1975. 

Neighborhood: Audubon-Downriver

Evan Verduin

Age:
40
City:
Spokane, WA
Occupation:
Architect

His words: “A super majority in any form of government, especially a legislative body, is less open to compromise and more likely to advance partisan agendas, the end result being the citizens of Spokane lose. We need more balance on our council and not partisan agendas being passed by super majorities to grow the size of government.”

His pitch: A young, fresh voice who doesn’t subscribe to the polarized nature of politics, and who will focus on encouraging development closer to the city’s core and easing burdens facing developers attempting to renovate old buildings.

Notable experience: Architect, owns a design firm. Vice president of the city’s Plan Commission.

Education: Graduated from Northwest Christian High School in 2002. Earned bachelor’s degree in architectural studies from Washington State University in 2007. Earned master’s degree in architecture from Washington State University in 2009.

Neighborhood: Five Mile

Complete Coverage

Shawn Vestal: Stupidity on Facebook shouldn’t disqualify Condon ally

In a quick, quiet vote last night, four members of the City Council voted to punish a political opponent for daring to criticize them. Or – if you take a more charitable view – the council voted to uphold standards of basic civility.

Spokane City Council limits participation in weekly public forums

On Monday Spokane City Council voted 5-2 to limit open forum speakers to once a month.

Mapping the Vote: Council races suggest conservative/progressive split in city

For more than a generation, Spokane city politics divided mainly on geographic lines. Tuesday’s election suggests those lines may be disappearing and new coalitions are redrawing the electoral maps.

Mapping the Vote: Spokane Council Dist 3

Karen Stratton built her lead over Evan Verduin in the heart of Spokane Council District 3.

Spokane candidates on the lack of a city planning director

The city has been without a planning director since Scott Chesney was ousted last November.

Does Spokane have a sprawl problem? Spokane candidates speak

Yes. No. Depends who you ask, like we just did for you.

Candidate fact check: Has crime really fallen under the Condon administration?

With three days to vote, the wave of campaign literature continues unabated. But how true are the claims made by these mailers and door-hangers?

Spokane candidates talk about the city’s spokesmen and spokeswomen

Their answers vary, some say just two, others say it’s up to the mayor.

Candidates speak about Spokane’s lawsuit against agrochemical giant Monsanto

In August, the city of Spokane filed a lawsuit against the international agrochemical giant Monsanto, alleging that the company sold chemicals for decades that it knew were a danger to human and environmental health.

Condon and Lichty on the Mayor Vs. City Council

Condon says things are pretty good. Lichty says not so much.

Spokane candidates on the Mayor Vs. the City Council

Everything’s golden, or This. Means. War.

Spokane candidates on their political heroes

Even politicians have heroes.

Editorial: Verduin would restore balance to City Council

Architect Evan Verduin will be better advocate for small business concerns.

In race for Spokane City Council, Stratton and Verduin say they’re not proxies for Stuckart and Condon

Incumbent Spokane Councilwoman Karen Stratton is backed the council president. Her opponent, Evan Verduin, is supported by the mayor.

Paid sick leave vote put on hold

A proposal to require employers to give their workers paid sick leave won’t be considered by city leaders until after they approve city spending for next year – after the November election. City Council President Ben Stuckart said some council members had hoped to vote later this month on a plan that would require businesses to offer their workers one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. That amounts to three days a year for full-time workers.

Condon and Lichty advance in mayor race

Spokane Mayor David Condon had the best primary election night of his elected life Tuesday, but he acknowledged the lopsided vote wasn’t a cause for unbridled celebration. “We all know what that spread means, don’t we,” he said. “We all know what happened four years ago, but I’m very grateful for the results.”

Spokane primary results: Condon, Fagan, Stratton on top

Spokane Mayor David Condon finished easily in first, and community activist Shar Lichty a comfortable second in the city primary. Incumbents Mike Fagan and Karen Stratton topped the field in their respective council races.

Condon will face Lichty in November election

Spokane Mayor David Condon had the best primary election night of his elected life tonight in his quest to re-election.

Political balance before Spokane voters

For the past year, the debate at Spokane City Hall often has devolved into two camps, the mayor versus the City Council. Or, more directly, David Condon versus Ben Stuckart. It’s true that Mayor Condon, who hails from Republican circles, doesn’t always agree with the City Council, which has held a left-leaning, veto-proof voting bloc since last summer. And it’s true that at times Condon and Council President Stuckart have entered into public political fisticuffs over issues including how much Condon’s inner circle at City Hall should be paid and an informal handshake deal between Condon and hotelier Walt Worthy to use city funds to pay for environmental cleanup.