Public Periscope
Thumbing the info superhighway
Councilman Chris Anderson took to the Internet last week looking for a job. His temporary contract in Sandpoint expired on Feb. 28 and “in spite of extensive credentials and excellent references, I have yet been able to locate a local opportunity,” he tells cyberspace readers. Even though he has a family of five to feed, “my salary requirement is minimal.”…He pleads for guidance, suggestions and referrals. For those who don’t have a job to offer, he asks they contact county commissioners “to make right the egregious wrong” of his previous dismissal…. Send job offers on the Internet to chris-anderson@eznet.com
Careful, those are your voters out there
The shortage of critics of the new Citizens Review Commission was taken by Councilman Joel Crosby as a sign the plan has wide support: “A former mayor once said that people came to council because they could gain something, lose something or because they didn’t have anything else to do.”…That assessment rankled former mayoral candidate and sometime council critic John Talbott, a frequent visitor to the chambers. Regular attendants aren’t “people who have something to gain or lose or are wasting their time, but people who care,” Talbott said. “I feel a sense of total futility in participating in this process. I will not be one of those bothering you any more in the future.”
No MarketPlace of new ideas
Good thing the Park Board approved putting the MarketPlace in Riverfront Park. Last week’s call for other possible locations turned up no startling new ideas…Callers divided equally between those who thought it would be a terrific addition to the park and those who don’t want to schlepp bags of produce from the north end of the Howard Street Bridge to whoknows-where parking. The next most favored location was the old Schade Brewery, while a couple thought a public market might work well in the old Greyhound bus depot…Can’t give you the unscientific survey totals because we know MarketPlace supporters pushed up the pro-park numbers just before the board met.
Road show
County commissioners will take their three-man act to Freeman High School at 6 p.m. Wednesday to hear concerns of constituents in the county’s southeastern corner. They’ll make similar treks to other areas occasionally…It won’t be a policy-setting meeting, because state law which Commissioner Steve Hasson terms screwy says such meetings must occur in the county seat.
Getting involved
The county filled a few positions last week: John Roskelley was named to the county Planning Commission while Karen Miller and Eugenia Partee joined the Substance Abuse Advisory Committee last week. The Noxious Weed Control Board wants LeRoy Shearer of Spokane to fill a position reserved for city folks. Confirmation by commissioners is expected.
But there are more spots available for the civic minded. The Solid Waste Advisory Committee is looking for two people willing to talk trash with local officials. The Board of Equalization has one spot for someone willing to sit in on hearings about assessed valuations of property… Call the commissioners office at 456-2265.
“Public Periscope,” published every Monday, is compiled by Jim Camden from staff reports. If you have a question about local government, growth or development, we’d like to help you find an answer. You can write us at Box 2160, Spokane 99210. Or you can leave us a message by calling Cityline at 458-8800 on a Touch-Tone phone and pressing 9120. Cityline is a free service, but normal long-distance charges apply to calls outside the Spokane area. xxxx Hot topic Tuesday: Rep. George Nethercutt will discuss the first three months of Congress and answer questions from constituents. 7 p.m., North Central High School, 1600 N. Howard.