Spokane's newly installed gondola ride in Riverfront Park reopens at noon today just as the park's fall leaf color nears its peak. The $2.5 million replacement for the park's former gondola ride was temporarily shut down in September because a required state parks permit had not been obtained.
Facing the prospect of being removed from office in a recall election on Dec. 6, Spokane Mayor Jim West has become increasingly visible in recent days, using his office to call attention to his work. Critics say it is apparent West has started a campaign against the recall.
Spokane city residents may be facing a choice between higher taxes or new cuts in city services, but Spokane Mayor Jim West on Monday used much of his annual address to the City Council to talk about the good things going on in city government. Critics said the mayor is merely posturing as he heads into a campaign to fight off a citizen recall over a charge that he misused his office for personal benefit. A recall petition with more than 17,000 signatures was certified by the county auditor last week, and a mail-in election has been set for Dec. 6.
The pain from last year's budget cuts had barely subsided at Spokane City Hall when Mayor Jim West dispatched his troops to Council Chambers with more bad news. Payroll costs were growing faster than tax revenue and deeper cuts would be needed in 2006 without help from taxpayers and city employees.
Spokane City Council President Dennis Hession on Friday warned Mayor Jim West not to turn a scheduled Monday night appearance before the City Council into an illegal campaign speech. The mayor under the City Charter is required to annually give the council a "statement of the affairs and conditions of the city" on the second Monday in October. West's speech is scheduled for the council's 6 p.m. legislative session Monday and will be televised on cable Channel 5.
Nearly 100 Spokane residents turned out Thursday evening to consider the possibility of establishing an ethics commission to oversee the performance of elected officials and public employees. It was coincidental that the forum at Spokane City Hall occurred on the same day that a recall petition against Mayor Jim West was validated by the county auditor. Mail-in balloting is expected later this fall on whether West violated his office by using his position for personal benefit.
Emergency zoning regulations intended to prevent a proliferation of multiple-unit housing projects in some area of the city were re-approved by the Spokane City Council on Monday. The emergency regulations target zones in neighborhoods near Gonzaga University and the West Central area on the North Side.
Spokane City Council candidate Dallas Hawkins on Tuesday said an ethics proposal being advanced by his opponent is too vague and could be a publicity ploy as much as a substantive solution. Hawkins wants any new ethics commission to have authority to bring sanctions against violators, not just a knee-jerk response to sexual impropriety allegations surrounding Mayor Jim West.
The Spokane City Council on Monday stepped up its pressure on embattled Mayor Jim West by voting to hire an outside lawyer to argue for the release of West's hard-drive computer information. Council members approved a $5,000 increase in a contract with a Bellevue, Wash., law firm that was previously hired to investigate the mayor's workplace conduct over reports that West had been using his office to solicit personal relationships.
Spokane Public Library officials have scheduled a series of informational meetings on proposed new hours of operation at branch libraries for 2006. The first of the meetings is tonight from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Shadle Library, 2111 W. Wellesley Ave.
Allegations of sexual misconduct by the Spokane mayor and the potential for favoritism by Spokane County commissioners have some people talking about the need for better ethics in local government. Citizen activists and a handful of Spokane elected officials are inviting members of the public to an ethics forum on Thursday at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall.
A boil order remained in effect on Saturday for 4,000 customers of Spokane County Water District 3 in the Country Homes area just north of the Spokane city limits. Water District 3 officials said they were hoping to complete treatments of the contamination by today so that residents and other customers can again begin drinking water without boiling it first.
A Chelan County Superior Court judge on Friday handed Spokane's recall proponents another legal victory in their drive to oust Mayor Jim West. Judge T.W. Small tossed out a petition by civic watchdog Steve Eugster seeking to invalidate a large signature drive that began at the end of August.
Spokane needs to expand its emergency shelters and temporary housing facilities as part of a wider community response to homelessness, a citywide panel reported on Thursday. People who show up at those facilities should be offered support services to help them end what may be a chronic problem of homelessness, the task force said in its draft of a 10-year "blueprint" to combat the problem.
The Northeast Community Center in Spokane is planning a $4 million expansion to provide more health care, day care and other services to residents in the northeast area of the city. Work could begin as early as next year on the 14,000-square-foot addition, said Jean Farmer, director of the center. She said about $1 million has been raised for the project, including a $500,000 federal grant.
After two years of budget shortfalls, and potential tax increases on the horizon, Spokane city leaders are thinking they might need a little help with economic policy. Mayor Jim West and his staff have proposed creation of a new Council for Economic Policy and Forecasting, which would be patterned after a similar state council of economic advisers. The City Council is being asked to approve formation of the council at its meeting on Monday. Members would donate their time at no cost to the city.
Unexpected archaeological discoveries at a construction site at Spokane's People's Park led to a $149,000 increase in an excavation contract between the city and Eastern Washington University. On Monday, the Spokane City Council approved the increase from $212,000 to $361,000.
The city of Spokane, with its long tradition of promoting youth, has won a prestigious spot as one of the country's top 100 cities for children. America's Promise – The Alliance for Youth announced on Monday that Spokane made the list of the 100 Best Communities for Young People out of some 700 applicants.
Appointed Spokane City Councilwoman Mary Verner cleared her first hurdle in seeking to win election to the District 2 seat she has held for 18 months. Verner outpaced two other candidates in Tuesday's primary voting, gathering more votes than the challengers combined in early returns.
Spokane voters will get a chance to decide this fall whether to increase their property taxes by $3.3 million to pay for ongoing police and fire services, and increases in branch library hours. City Council members voted 6-1 to place the measure on the Nov. 8 ballot.
Three Spokane City Council primary candidates sent supportive e-mails to Mayor Jim West in May shortly after allegations were published that West was using his office to seek dates and possibly sex with young men. One candidate, Judith Gilmore, said in her e-mail she was canceling her subscription to The Spokesman-Review for what she declared was a "non-story."
A charter amendment setting up a mayoral impeachment process for the city of Spokane may not be ready in time to make the November ballot. City Council President Dennis Hession said work on drafting the measure fell behind in a crush of city business and events of the past several months, and there is still too much left to be done on the measure to make the regular ballot this year.
The Spokane City Council on Monday denied an appeal by a developer seeking approval of a 36-lot preliminary plat with gated entries. TFH Partnership applied for the plat, known as Westwinds, on 19 acres of land south of Strong Road on the western edge of Five Mile Prairie. It was proposed with two north-south streets opening on Strong Road to the north and ending at cul de sac turnarounds to the south.
The last financial connections between the city of Spokane and the owners of River Park Square are being severed through a refinancing of a $22.65 million community development loan made in 1999 for expansion of the downtown shopping mall. The Spokane City Council voted 5-1 in favor of a resolution on Monday that clears the way for the refinancing, known as a "defeasance" in the world of public financing.
Winning an appointment to the Spokane City Council last year out of a field of 27 applicants was a big accomplishment for Mary Verner. Now she must defend her March 2004 appointment during this year's primary election on Sept. 20. Voters in the South Side's council District 2 will narrow the three-way race to the top two finalists for the citywide general election ballot in November.
