The Hot Seat

Ah, the power of the press

Zing! No sooner had Spokane Police Chief Terry Mangan landed in this week’s Hot Seat than he hit that ol’ ejection button, shot right into the air and SPLAT, fell into it AGAIN. Welcome back, Terry. On July 18, a motorist flipped the bird at Mangan and the chief flipped his wig. He spun his car around, stopped the other driver, cussed him out and poked his fingers in the man’s chest for punctuation. In the police department it became a joke. Seventeen days later it became a news story. THEN, the chief unholstered those speedy fingers and pounded out a memo punishing himself with a stiff two-day suspension. Lucky thing Mangan’s so faithful at flipping through his morning newspaper. We hereby name him reader of the week.

Just how ugly can City Council meetings get?

Spokane Mayor Jack Geraghty and the City Council have grown accustomed to sweating in their respective hot seats, before the fiery blasts of citizen rhetoric. Last week’s meeting brought them a new experience. In the heat of a particularly volcanic outburst, Gypsy leader Grover Marks spit out his dentures. The audience - packed with a shameless squad of police department cheerleaders - snickered. The cheerleaders were trying to distort the issue of the night into a loyalty test for Spokane police, the Gypsies’ arch rival. Through it all, Geraghty maintained his sphinx-like dignity and decorum. The same cannot be said for the audience.

Hey, Slade, it’s an election year, remember?

With an election coming, Congress of course must impress the voters by passing the usual Bill to Crack Down Really, Really Hard on Crime. Sen. Slade Gorton declared last week that the bill is a hollow farce and he must vote against it. Quick, somebody bring this poor, deluded soul to his senses. Opposing crime bills this close to an election is a violation of Senate rules.