Spokane Valley City Council, position 1
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Rod Higgins | 8,207 | 50.83% |
| Chris Jackson (N) | 7,938 | 49.17% |
* 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
Rod Higgins
- Age:
- 81
- City:
- Spokane Valley, Washington
Political experience: Appointed to Spokane Valley City Council in 2013 and elected to the position in 2013 and 2017. He served as a city of Spokane Valley planning commissioner from January 2012 until his appointment to the council. Served as Spokane Valley mayor from 2016 to 2020.
Work experience: Spent much of his career in the mining industry. Was executive director of the Nevada Mining Association for four years. He is the retired director of International Society of Mine Safety Professionals.
Military experience: Served two years in the Army.
Education: Graduated from high school in Wallace. Earned bachelor’s degree from the University of Idaho in finance in 1964.
Family: Married to Gloria Higgins for 50 years. Has two kids.
Campaign fundraising: Raised $17,900, as of Oct. 11, 2021, including more than $5,800 that he loaned to himself. Contributors include Spokane Valley businessman Jack Pring ($1,000), former Spokane County Republican Party chairwoman Cynthia Zapatocky ($1,000), Associated Builders and Contractors ($500), Republican state Sen. Mike Padden ($125), candidate for Spokane Valley City Council Position 7 Laura Padden ($125), Spokane County Assessor Tom Konis and Kathy Konis, ($50 each), and Spokane Valley City Councilman Arne Woodard ($500).
Chris Jackson
- Party:
- No party
- Age:
- 37
- City:
- Spokane Valley, Washington
Education: Graduated from Spokane Valley’s University High School in 2005. Earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology from Western Washington University. He is defending a doctorate in social psychology submitted to the University of Otago in New Zealand in about a month.
Political experience: This is his first run for public office; involved in family campaigns.
Work experience: Mostly teaching and tutoring at colleges he has attended; swim instructor for many years and a houseparent at Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery.
Family: In a committed relationship. Has no children.
List of top priorities if elected: Creating a more transparent City Council and hosting more community-oriented events. Wants to bring back civil political discourse.
Complete Coverage
Spokane Valley fills seats on planning commission, tax advisory panel
Spokane Valley officials have appointed community members to the city’s Planning Commission and Lodging Tax Advisory Committee.
Rod Higgins wins close vote to maintain role as Spokane Valley mayor
Spokane Valley Mayor Rod Higgins narrowly held on to his position Tuesday in a vote that shows a divided City Council. In two 4-3 votes, council members selected Higgins to keep the mayor’s position and Councilwoman Pamela Haley to be deputy mayor.
Spokane Valley City Council will pick a mayor on Tuesday
Five Spokane Valley city officials on Tuesday evening will take the oath of office to form a new council that is expected to be more moderate. Newly-elected council members Ben Wick, Linda Thompson and Brandi Peetz, who defeated more conservative incumbents, will be sworn in at the same time as Mayor Rod Higgins and Councilwoman Pam Haley, who both won re-election in November.
Rod Higgins overcomes election night deficit, re-elected to Spokane Valley City Council
Rod Higgins is poised to retain his seat as Spokane Valley mayor against challenger Chris Jackson in a race that’s been close since initial ballots were counted Nov. 7.
Higgins widens lead over Jackson
Incumbent Rod Higgins increased his lead over challenger Chris Jackson in the Spokane Valley Council Position 1 race.
Maps show Valley voters rough on incumbents; Higgins edges ahead of Jackson
Voters throughout the Valley pulled support from most incumbents.
Spokane Valley voters toss incumbents on City Council; Munch, Collier and Pace lose seats
Voters on Tuesday rejected conservatives on the Spokane Valley Council on Tuesday, voting out incumbents Mike Munch, Ed Pace and J. Caleb Collier, and putting a fourth conservative in danger of losing in a race too close to call.
Jackson challenges Higgins for Valley Council Position 1
Spokane Valley City Council Position 1 pits incumbent experience against challenger’s youth.
Higgins, Merkel in Valley council race
The race comes down to the experience of Rod Higgins, and the fresh perspective of Al Merkel. We think both should advance and continue that debate.
Spokane Valley Mayor Rod Higgins faces two challengers in re-election bid
The 2017 City Council election in Spokane Valley has turned into a barnstorm of new faces challenging incumbents. The five open seats have attracted 13 candidates resulting in two contested primary races, one of which is the race for Position 1, held by Mayor Rod Higgins.
Neighbors around Spokane Valley’s Mayhew Road are furious about proposed development - say they received no notice
Spokane Valley residents in the semi-rural neighborhood between Mayhew and Keller Roads protest a proposed single-family development that will change the look of their neighborhood forever.
Valley council cleared
The Washington State Auditor’s Office has issued a detailed report clearing the Spokane Valley City Council – specifically Councilmen Ed Pace and Sam Wood, and Deputy Mayor Arne Woodard and Mayor Rod Higgins who were serving at the time – of violations of the Open Public Meetings Act and mismanagement of public funds in connection with the firing of former city manager Mike Jackson.