Voters Asked To Set Agenda For This Fall’s Election Races

Voters in Denver are electing a mayor today. Some voters, that is.

The campaign has been so mud-stained that pollsters expect the turnout to suffer.

Let’s hope candidates for county commissioner and three City Council seats on the ballot in Spokane this fall (many hopefuls already are developing their strategies) will treat us to a more upbeat, more substantive campaign.

Better yet, let’s not just hope. Let’s do something about it.

How would you like to turn the table on the politicians? How would you like to set the agenda for those races and hold the candidates accountable for addressing it?

Here’s the plan: You decide what kind of candidates you’re looking for. What issues they should address. What philosophies they should embrace. What qualities they should possess.

Then call, write or send a fax or e-mail to me at “Bagpipes,” and I’ll pass as many of your thoughts along as I can in coming weeks, starting Thursday. If the response is heavy enough, we’ll make space for it.

As the candidates declare themselves, they’ll be told what you and other readers consider important. And they’ll get a chance to speak to those issues.

Oh, I know - summer is coming. The kids will be out of school soon. The garden calls. So does the golf course.

Who wants to think about politics now? Who wants to talk about civic affairs when boating and barbecues beckon?

Last week, I asked “Bagpipes” readers for their thoughts on three issues. One of them: What are you looking for in the candidates who run for Spokane City Council and Spokane County commissioner next fall?

One caller said, in effect, candidates should respect the people and listen to what they have to say.

That’s OK, as far as it goes. But frankly, I’m hoping for something a little more concrete than that. Planning? Parks? Potholes? What matters to you?

The information at the end of this column explains how to submit your suggestions. The more specific the better.

And the sooner voters claim their right to set the agenda and insist that candidates give them issue-focused answers, the less likely it is that Spokane will have the kind of mud-fest that is reaching its messy conclusion today in Denver.

, DataTimes MEMO: “Bagpipes” appears Tuesdays and Thursdays. To respond to issues raised on Tuesdays: call 458-8800, category 9881, from a Touch-Tone phone; or send a fax to 459-5098 or e-mail to celh27b@prodigy.com. Representative replies appear Thursdays. You also can leave Doug Floyd a message at 459-5577, extension 5466.