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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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Undecided on Spokane City Council president race? Here are Plese and Wilkerson’s positions on 6 issues.

By Emry Dinman emryd@spokesman.com(509) 459-5472

  • How should the city respond to homelessness?

    • Kim Plese Says there should be more accountability. Argues that many of the homeless have gotten used to an easy lifestyle that needs to be disrupted and made less comfortable, and questions whether so much money should be spent on services, including providing three meals a day to those in city-run shelters.
    • Betsy Wilkerson Says city needs more housing and more diverse supportive services. Believes the city should divest from the Trent Avenue congregant shelter and support smaller facilities that are dispersed. Also supports creating public restrooms downtown so people don’t leave fecal matter on the streets.

  • What steps do you think the City Council should take to improve public safety in your community?

    • Kim Plese Says the community should be more supportive of the police, and changing that culture starts at the top, including with the City Council. Supports funding additional officer positions and giving the department additional tools to stop people who could be engaging in illicit activities.
    • Betsy Wilkerson Supports creating a dedicated property crime team that responds to non-emergency calls and makes residents feel like they’re not being ignored. Also supports investing in community programming to give young people alternatives to crime.

  • Do you support modifying Division Street, including by adding bike lanes, improving pedestrian access and potentially reducing vehicle lanes in favor of a rapid bus route once the North Spokane Corridor is finished?

    • Kim Plese No. Says road diets aren't a good idea and are harmful to businesses and increase congestion.
    • Betsy Wilkerson Yes. Notes that the modifications were recommended after painstaking community engagement.

  • Do you believe the city should continue fund the Trent Avenue homeless shelter, a 350-bed low-barrier facility opened slightly over a year ago?

    • Kim Plese No. Says city can’t close it immediately with winter coming, but that city is spending too much on the shelter. Suggested that the city should find ways to reduce costs, including by cutting back the number of meals served per day, and argues that it is too comfortable currently to be homeless.
    • Betsy Wilkerson No. Says city may need to keep it open temporarily, but city should never have relied so much on a single congregant warehouse. Believes it is too expensive and doesn’t produce results.

  • Do you support Measure 1, a 0.2% sales tax on the November ballot that would raise an estimated $1.7 billion over 30 years and, among other things, allow the county to build two new jails, among other investments in the criminal justice system?

    • Kim Plese Yes. Believes city needs more space in the jail to hold additional people, but questions whether it would be better to build a new jail out west rather than behind the current jail, so that people aren’t being released downtown.
    • Betsy Wilkerson Says community needs investments in the county’s criminal justice system, but this measure seems half-baked. Says it's not clear that jail expansion is needed and that she is uncomfortable not knowing how the rest of the money would be spent.

  • Do you support Proposition 1, which would criminalize camping within 1,000 feet of a school, public park, playground or licensed child care facility?

    • Kim Plese Yes. Says homeless camps are a serious safety risk to everyone around them, including due to the risk of accidental fires. Believes the proposition would allow police to disrupt a camp before something serious happens.
    • Betsy Wilkerson Says she understands the sentiment behind this, but since the ban would cover most of the city, it likely would push the homeless people farther into the fringes.