The 2010s in review: Spokane’s politics

The decade saw the visit of presidential hopefuls, the death of an elder statesman and voters’ creation of a completely new industry. Meanwhile, local governments have been grappling with their responsibility to shelter the homeless and how to respond to changing state formulas on funding for basic education. The 2010s were defined by landmark individual accomplishments by local lawmakers, as well as continuing challenges that future lawmakers will still be tackling in the next decade.

Section:Gallery

Sun., Dec. 22, 2019

Mayor David Condon celebrates his re-election with a high-five to his son Creighton after getting results, Nov. 3, 2015, at Barrister Winery in downtown Spokane, Wash. His other children are Beck and Hattie.

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Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Lisa Brown shake hands before a debate at the Fox Theater in Spokane in this October 2018 photo. McMorris Rodgers, facing her toughest challenge to date to retain her seat in Congress, still emerged with a decisive win over a well-funded and well-known Democratic opponent.

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Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a rally in Spokane on May 7, 2016.

Ted S. Warren Ap
Alan Copsey, deputy solicitor general for the office of the state Attorney General, speaks during a hearing before the state Supreme Court addressing state funding of education in this September 2014 photo. The McCleary decision, handed down in 2012, heavily influenced state and local spending plans for the rest of the decade across Washington.

Elaine Thompson Ap
The Gonzaga University Concert Choir sing “Calling My Children Home” at the start of the Thomas Foley memorial service at St. Aloysius Church on the college’s campus in this November 2013 photo. Foley’s death brought elected officials back to Spokane to celebrate the life of the elder statesman, the only representative from the area to become Speaker of the House.

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Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., rehearses the Republican response to the State of the Union on Capitol Hill in this January 2014 photo. McMorris Rodgers, then conference chair for the Republicans in the House of Representative, spoke of the health care plight of “Bette in Spokane,” a story that drew increased scrutiny in the debate over the Affordable Care Act.

Susan Walsh Ap
From left, Ben Stuckart, Breean Beggs, Cindy Wendle and Nadine Woodward gather before a candidate forum on homelessness at the downtown library in this September 2019 photo. The mayoral and city council president elections drew unrpecedented amounts of outside spending from real estate and labor interests.

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People gather outside the House of Charity downtown homeless shelter in this August 2018 photo. The city closed the 24/7 shelter at the end of that summer, prompting a debate about the city’s responsibility to provide shelter for those living on the street that became a major talking point in the 2019 city elections.

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State Rep. Matt Shea, R-Spokane Valley, speaks at a pro-gun rally on the campus of the state capitol in Olympia in this April 2019 photo. An investigation is launched after it’s revealed Shea discussed surveillance of political opponents with his supporters in a series of leaked text messages, prompting an outcry from some Republicans and calls for his resignation.

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Crystal Perez gets a peek inside the Spokane Green Leaf store before opening the doors to sell pot to the public in this July 2014 photo. The legal marijuana industry, approved by voters in 2012, is now a billion dollar annual industry in Washington.

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