Not even a year ago, Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart was stymied by a conservative majority on the city’s legislative body on votes concerning tax issues, urban growth and protections for City Hall employees. In about three weeks, Stuckart and a liberal bloc of five out of seven votes could be unstoppable. Stuckart announced Monday the five finalists for the District 3 City Council seat left vacant with the resignation of Steve Salvatori, a fiscal conservative who moved to Texas last month because of work. It may be no surprise that the top five, who were chosen from a list of nearly two dozen applicants, are also Stuckart’s top five choices, according to a tally sheet handed out to media.