Public Periscope

Making a name

Even if George Marlton is Spokane County commissioner for just a few months, his name will be seen by generations of bus riders - at least if they pause to read the small print. … As with all public buildings, Spokane Transit Authority’s downtown bus station will have a bronze plaque naming all STA board members, from the time the station was proposed until it opened last month. The $1,422 plaque isn’t quite ready. Seems the order couldn’t be placed until June, when it was known who would replace Skip Chilberg on the county commission and STA board … Marlton, Chilberg’s replacement, wasn’t around to make any decisions regarding the station and will be out of office if he loses the November election. “Put it (Marlton’s name) on with Velcro. That way we can change it if we need to,” Cheney Mayor Al Ogden suggested at one point.

Party time

A third political party can be something like Mark Twain’s description of the weather - everyone talks about it but no one does anything about it. Not so this week…The Patriot Party of Washington is having an organizing meeting in Spokane on Wednesday evening. The party believes in such laudable goals as individual responsibility, government accountability, free enterprise and full participation in government. It draws from a wide spectrum of disaffected voters, from former supporters of Ross Perot to the liberals who backed New Alliance presidential candidate Lenora Fulani..It even has a candidate in the nonpartisan City Council races, Steve Thompson. Meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at VFW Post 51, 300 W. Mission.

Partial kudos

State Sen. John Moyer was named legislator of the year for health care by the American Legislative Exchange Council. The group was grateful he “played a key role in defeating Washington’s socialized health care law”…Strangely enough, the press release announcing the award made no mention of the fact that Moyer also played a key role in passing that nasty legislation just a year earlier.

On the road

Trying to decide whether to endorse the idea of a consolidated city and county government, the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce sent a task force on a fact-finding mission. The seven-person group in search of government left Sunday for Indianapolis, where such a “unigov” has existed for 25 years…Then it’s on to Charlotte, N.C., which like Spokane, is contemplating such a switch…Chamber officials said they want to hear the yeas and nays of such a structure.

Freebie of the week

The state Department of Natural Resources is offering some new maps of state forests, including one that shows the trails in Little Pend Oreille Forest and the Narcisse Block east of Colville. It shows some 75 miles of trails in the area, folds neatly into a pack, and - best of all - it’s free…Call DNR Photo and Map Sales at (360) 902-1234, write P.O. Box 47031, Olympia 98504-7031, or stop by the department’s Colville office.

, DataTimes MEMO: Public Periscope, published Mondays, is compiled by Jim Camden from staff reports. If you have a question about government, growth or development, we’d like to help find an answer. Write us c/o The Spokesman-Review, Box 2160, Spokane 99210. Or call Cityline at 458-8800 on a touch-tone phone, then press 9120 to leave a message. Or send E-mail to jimc@spokesman.com.

This sidebar appeared with the story: HOT TOPICS Wednesday: The City Plan Commission is so intent on getting comments on the Indian Trail Neighborhood Plan it will have two hearings, in two different places: 3 p.m. on the second floor at City Hall and 7 p.m. at Woodridge Elementary School. Friday: County commissioner candidates will show their stuff, then answer questions at a Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce breakfast forum, 7:30 a.m., 1020 W. Riverside; $1 for coffee and doughnuts.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Compiled by Jim Camden from staff reports.