Public Periscope
A little bit here, little bit there
County commissioners addressed the standard problem of too many projects and too little money with an unusual approach last week. They had $300,000 in federal funds, but it was all spoken for and the Single Parent Outreach Connection needed $10,000….Initially commissioners thought the agency, which helps single parents in the unincorporated areas with such things as job placement, would have to do without. But they were moved by volunteers who said the agency could help people get off welfare…Rather than gut another agency or reach into the general fund, they decided to subtract small amounts from other programs to come up with the money for Single Parents…And they got a round of applause - something you don’t often see at a commission meeting.
Those wild and crazy guys
Mayor Jack Geraghty’s decision to abstain from voting on a council item involving the Community Mental Health Center prompted a spate of self-deprecating remarks…Geraghty said he wouldn’t vote because he’d recently been on the board. Councilman Chris Anderson said he may do likewise, because he qualifies for admittance…”Because we’re here, we probably all belong there,” said Councilman Joel Crosby.
Oldies still goodies
The old green-on-white license plates have another year’s lease on life now that the Senate killed a bill requiring motorists to buy the newer Mount Rainier-design plates. That means owners of some 690,000 cars and trucks are spared the $7 for a new plate, and the state won’t get an extra $1.38 million pumped into a road fund…New plates would be popular with police agencies, which claim the older style, which went out of production in 1987, are getting hard to read. Another fan of the bill was 3M, the company that makes the coating that gives the plates a shine…Expect another run at the old plates next year.
Some Wisdom from the Last Best Place
The quote: “I’m thinking that next to patience, grace may be the most important virtue of a good citizen.” The speaker: Daniel Kemmis, mayor of Missoula, author of books on local government…If that sounds like better than average prose from an elected city official, maybe you want to catch Kemmis at Wednesday’s Citizens League luncheon at the Ag Trade Center. He’s the featured speaker. Tickets are $15. For reservations call 326-1129.
Speaking of speakers
Writer, teacher, speaker and activist Parker Palmer will lecture on “The Courage to Teach,” at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the COG on the Gonzaga University campus. Palmer theory: Good teaching comes from self-identity and integrity.
Getting involved
Jim Sager, owner of Quality Water Systems of Spokane, was appointed to a four-year term on the county’s Water Quality Advisory Board. County commissioners are taking applications for another board seat, for someone representing the 3rd Commissioner District. Applications are available at the courthouse, or by calling Stan Miller in county engineering, 456-3600.
Glad you asked
Question: Last week you printed the address for donations to the Pacific Science Center. Fair’s fair, what’s the address for petitions to put the center to a vote?
Answer: Call the Spokane Citizens for Access, Rides Entertainment and Science at 458-4424 or chairman Steve Corker at 326-8310 for the nearest petition location.
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This sidebar ran with story: HOT TOPICS Wednesday: City Plan Commission holds a double header on the city’s proposed annexation of 1,822 acres on the Moran Prairie, between 44th and 65th Avenues. 2 p.m. in the Council Chambers, 7 p.m. at Moran Prairie Elementary School. Thursday: Eastern Washington University Board of Trustees holds hearings on a faculty contract. 10 a.m. Louise Anderson Hall on Cheney campus and 1 p.m. at the EWU Spokane Center.
The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Compiled by Jim Camden from staff reports