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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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Jonathan Brunt

Jonathan Brunt

Current Position: Asst. Managing Editor (Govt)

Jonathan Brunt joined The Spokesman-Review in 2004. He is the government editor. He previously was a reporter who covered Spokane City Hall, Spokane County government and public safety.

Email
jonathanb@spokesman.com
Phone
(509) 459-5442

All Stories

News >  Spokane

Kendall Yards tax benefit sought

Owners of nearly 300 residences in the Kendall Yards development won’t have to pay property taxes on the new structures for a dozen years under a proposal the Spokane City Council will consider Monday. Greenstone Corp., which acquired 79 acres of former railroad property last year from developer Marshall Chesrown, is planning to build 2,100 residential units on the site within the next two decades.
News >  Spokane

Spokane council members not keen on YMCA options

Spokane City Council members are poised to reject Spokane County’s offer to buy the vacant Riverfront Park YMCA, a decision that could force the city to sell parkland or raise taxes to help offset the cost of the building. Officials also say that they likely will decline proposals they received to redevelop the site for private use because they pose too much financial risk to the city.
News >  Spokane

Voters will have say on Spokane EMS tax

Spokane voters next month will be asked if they want to maintain the city’s tax for emergency medical services. The Spokane City Council voted unanimously on Monday to place the six-year EMS tax on the April 27 ballot.
News >  Spokane

Incoming parks director talks about what he sees ahead for Spokane

The Spokane City Council is scheduled tonight to appoint Leroy Eadie, the city’s former planning director, to head the city’s parks system. Eadie has been acting parks director since October. He sat down for a Q-and-A with The Spokesman-Review. Q: As a former city planner, how do you feel about using the county’s Conservation Futures program to buy the former YMCA in Riverfront Park to create open space bordering Spokane Falls?
News >  Spokane

Wells among bidders for Y

The Spokane City Council has three development plans to add to the YMCA mix. The city received three proposals for the vacant Y by the 5 p.m. Friday deadline, said Rick Romero, Spokane’s internal auditor. He said the city will not release details about the plans until next week, but Spokane developer Ron Wells confirmed Friday that one of the plans was his.
News >  Spokane

Memo on legal work in RPS case surfaces

A lawyer with the state attorney general’s office who provided a legal review of an investigation into a fatal 2006 River Park Square garage crash believed his review was being used “for political cover,” according to a memo written by David Savage, the ex-husband of the woman who died in the incident. In the memo to himself, Savage, an attorney who worked on the civil case against River Park Square, discusses details of a phone call between him and Scott Marlow, the lawyer who handled the examination for the attorney general’s office.
News >  Spokane

State probe targets city CFO

The State Board of Accountancy is investigating Spokane’s chief financial officer, Gavin Cooley, because of a city Web site that listed him as a certified public accountant, his former designation. Cooley let his CPA license expire in 2006, but until early this month a city Web site devoted to the city’s investment policy listed Cooley as a CPA.
News >  Spokane

Historic merit up for debate

A new battle over the former YMCA pits the building’s history against the natural and cultural history of the island on which it sits and the adjacent Spokane Falls. In an interview late last month, developer Ron Wells said he plans to apply for historic tax credits to help finance the redevelopment of the former downtown YMCA. If he succeeds and completes a $5 million renovation, the site could be eligible for $1 million in tax credits, he said.
News >  Spokane

Deadlines near on YMCA’s fate

Almost a half-century after David Rodgers turned a shovel of dirt to commemorate construction of a new downtown YMCA, he considers the decision to build the Y along the shore of Spokane Falls a mistake. Rodgers, who was the Y president during construction, and other leaders from the 1960s and ’70s argue that with the former downtown YMCA empty, the community now can maximize access to the falls while avoiding a doughnut hole of private development in the middle of the park.
News >  Spokane

Tee times flying as courses open

The lack of snow and a sunny weekend in the forecast have several golf courses preparing to open even with four weeks left of winter. The city of Spokane’s Creek at Qualchan opened Wednesday, and most tee times were taken from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tee times were quickly filling up for the next few days, said Randy Buckenburger, assistant pro at Qualchan.
News >  Spokane

District may get Army site

The creation of a new high school in Hillyard remains an option under a plan approved Monday by the Spokane City Council. In the coming months, the military will empty the Joe E. Mann Army Reserve Center in Hillyard, moving reserve unit functions to Fairchild Air Force Base.
News >  Spokane

Second alternative high school climbs district’s wish list

Spokane Public Schools leaders are contemplating the creation of a seventh high school in hopes of lowering the district’s high dropout rate. Ideas for the new school center on giving students an alternative to the district’s five traditional high schools, which have more than 1,300 students each. District officials say the school would more closely resemble Havermale High School, which has about 350 students.
News >  Spokane

Mayor cites innovation in face of deficit

Spokane Mayor Mary Verner said Friday her administration has “plans in place and work under way” to deal with another deficit facing the city. “As we go about our business in 2010, we’re going to provide all the programs and services you’ve come to expect from us, while we push ahead with creativity and innovation,” Verner said in her annual State of the City address. “We’re going to be developing new ways of doing business. We’re going to maintain our financial strength, and we’re going to bolster our local economy.”
News >  Spokane

Park board backs mayor’s choice

Spokane Mayor Mary Verner has opted against making another change in the leadership of the Spokane Parks and Recreation Department. After firing one director in 2007 and forcing the resignation of another late last year, Verner has nominated interim Park Director Leroy Eadie to take the position.
News >  Spokane

Chief keeps eye on Seattle job

Spokane Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick told the Seattle Times that she is closely monitoring the search for a new Seattle chief but avoided saying if she plans to apply for the open job. Last year Kirkpatrick applied for the top job in San Francisco’s police department but downplayed the action and argued that as a woman leading a large department, she’s often recruited.