Spokane mayor
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Nadine Woodward | 34,531 | 50.62% |
| Ben Stuckart (N) | 33,682 | 49.38% |
* 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
Nadine Woodward
- Party:
- Age:
- 58
- City:
- Spokane, WA
Why running: Woodward said she has grown frustrated with the direction the City Council has taken under Ben Stuckart’s leadership in addressing issues such as homelessness and crime.
Experiencing the city as both a journalist and now a business owner, Woodward decided to get involved in politics and contribute to the city.
Her pitch: “I know the issues, I know this city very, very well,” said Woodward, who has lived in Spokane for 29 years after growing up on Washington’s West Side.
“I don’t come from a place of political experience. I don’t think that political experience is the best experience. I come from a place of being immersed in Spokane issues for 28 years and in a position of public trust.”
Political experience: Never held elected office.
Work experience: Was a television news broadcaster in Spokane for 28 years, first at KREM before moving to KXLY in 2010. She left the industry earlier this year and is vice president of Memories by Design, a video production business in Spokane.
Education: Graduated from Hudson’s Bay High School in 1980. Graduated from the University of Portland in 1985 with a bachelor’s degree.
Personal: Married. Has two children.
Ben Stuckart
- Party:
- No party
- Age:
- 49
- City:
- Spokane, WA
Why running: “I’ve seen a lot of great things happen, I also see a lot of challenges. I want to continue working for the citizens of Spokane,” Stuckart said. “I think I’ve been very effective as a council president and we’ve done a lot of great programs, but I want to see some of them to the finish.”
His pitch: Stuckart said he believes he’s the best candidate to address the city’s housing crisis, which he believes is the root of the homelessness issue.
He also points to his accomplishments as the city’s legislative leader for nearly eight years and the city’s continued economic growth.
Political experience: Served two terms as City Council president.
Work experience: Former executive director of Communities in Schools of Spokane County. Former regional manager at TicketsWest, 2001 to 2007. Spokesman for the 2010 campaign in support of the Children’s Investment Fund initiative, which voters rejected.
Education: Graduated from Lewis and Clark High School in 1990. Earned bachelor’s degree in political science from Gonzaga University in 2000 and master’s degree in organizational leadership from Gonzaga University in 2006.
Family: Married. Has no children.
Related Media
Complete Coverage
New Councilman Cathcart wants community policing in his district
Mayor Nadine Woodward is moving quickly to identify and open a new downtown police precinct focused on community-oriented law enforcement, with more officers patrolling on foot and bike. New City Councilman Michael Cathcart likes that plan so much he wants to mirror it in northeast Spokane, the district he represents.
No longer leading Spokane City Council, Ben Stuckart starts consulting business
Ben Stuckart formally created a consulting business, Forward Principle Consulting, this month, but isn’t ruling out taking his career in a different direction in the future.
Mayor Nadine Woodward asks for patience as she works with providers to tackle homelessness
As both candidate and mayor, Nadine Woodward has signaled that “a hand up, not a hand out,” will be her guiding philosophy. But how Woodward will translate that slogan into actual policy remains to be seen.
Woodward taps former city spokesman Brian Coddington, county budget director Tonya Wallace
If confirmed by the City Council, Brian Coddington, who worked for more than five years under Mayor David Condon, will return as the city’s director of communications and marketing, and Tonya Wallace will become the city’s chief financial officer.
Shawn Vestal: Ceremonial gestures aside, honesty will make or break new City Hall relationships
What will make or break the relationship at City Hall – and what broke the last one – isn’t what happens when everyone’s looking. It’s what happens when no one is, and how honest you are about it.
Nadine Woodward sworn in as Spokane’s mayor
Longtime Spokane television news anchor Nadine Woodward was sworn in as the city’s 45th mayor on Monday in a ceremony at the U.S. Pavilion at Riverfront Park, its netting illuminated in her campaign colors of blue and purple and pierced by the white streaks of dancing snowflakes.
Inauguration of Nadine Woodward to take center stage at U.S. Pavilion on Monday
The former longtime TV news anchor will officially succeed Mayor David Condon on Monday, with an inauguration ceremony and reception planned at the signature attraction of Riverfront Park beginning at noon.
David Condon’s handling of ouster of police Chief Frank Straub cast pall over relationship with City Council
The mayor and council President Ben Stuckart celebrated together in 2014 when voters approved funding for rebuilding streets and Riverfront Park. But by the end of 2015, the relationship had soured over the departure of Straub, who’d been accused of sexual harassment by an employee.
Passion defined Ben Stuckart’s two terms as Spokane City Council president
As he leaves office, Stuckart’s former council colleagues described his leadership style in interviews with The Spokesman-Review as unrelentingly passionate, at times to a fault, but always politically skillful and rooted in his dedication to serve Spokane residents.
Woodward’s New Year’s resolutions: move police precinct, solve homelessness and heal council rift
In part due to her choice to retain top leaders across multiple city departments, Mayor-elect Nadine Woodward and other city leaders are confident her transition into office will be a relatively smooth one – no matter what Spokane throws at her.
Woodward taps Ephrata city official to lead Spokane City Hall
“I love the fact that he’s got this dual perspective of running the city, but also serving on the council, as we move forward to open the lines of communication with our City Council,” Woodward said.
Supreme Court won’t hear appeal in case that requires cities to have shelter space available to ban homeless camping
The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to hear an appeal of the 2018 lower court decision setting limits on cities’ ability to enforce laws against camping in city streets and parks.
Shawn Vestal: Stats show crime continues to fall in Spokane, whatever people ‘feel’ about it
In June, as the election campaign was grinding into life, the city’s CompStat crime-reporting system showed that the number of crimes reported citywide were trending downward from the previous year. They were 13% below where they’d been at the same time last year.
Spokane sales tax will fund affordable housing after measure passes council
The Spokane City Council unanimously adopted legislation on Monday that will redirect a portion of the state’s sales tax revenue into local affordable housing projects.
Should City Council be a full-time gig? New council rules say yes, mayor says no
The City Council is flexing its strength by writing the expectation of a 30- to 50-hour work week into its rules. Mayor David Condon is pushing back.
Spokane sales tax revenue could be funneled to affordable housing
The City Council is scheduled to consider a measure Dec. 9 that would redirect some of the local sales tax collections directly toward affordable housing in Spokane, before it reaches Olympia. Spokane could raise $400,000 annually for that purpose if passed, officials say.
Mayor-elect Woodward, City Council may find common ground on downtown policing
Over the course of four years, there’s sure to be plenty for Mayor-elect Nadine Woodward and incoming Spokane City Council President Breean Beggs to disagree about. But the two politicians, who sat down for a meeting on Friday, see an early opportunity for collaboration in the form of a new downtown police precinct.
Without a team yet in place, Woodward makes nontraditional transition to mayor’s office
Mayor-elect Nadine Woodward was a self-described nontraditional candidate. Now, the former TV News anchor-turned city leader is running a nontraditional transition.
Hoping to avoid conflict, Stuckart to make quiet exit and hand reins to Beggs
With just a handful of meetings left, the outgoing two-term City Council president has informally ceded his post to Councilman Breean Beggs, who will be sworn in as the new City Council president in January.
Shawn Vestal: Beggs will play crucial role after supposed change election idles
After all that time, all that argument and all that Realtor money, the landscape at City Hall will be strikingly similar to the one we’ve had for eight years. Given that, it’s quite possible that the single most consequential elected official – the strongest one, you might say – will be the one sitting in the council president’s chair.