Public Periscope

With non-friends like these

Chester “Ben” Duncan, the new Spokane County director of human resources, and Commission Chairman Phil Harris may be members of the same Rotary Club and Air Force retirees. But they are not friends, Harris says … Duncan, hired last week for about $60,000 a year, originally was rejected for the job because his educational background in social work didn’t meet the minimum job requirement. A second search - by Public Works Director Dennis Scott, businessman Larry Stanley and civic activist Karen Robideaux - named him the top candidate. Stanley and Robideaux may or may not be friends of Harris, but they were contributors to his 1994 campaign, according to state Public Disclosure Commission records … In any event, Duncan may have a different view of their relationship. County employees heard him describing Harris as a friend.

Who turned down the lights?

The city budget’s gain may be Washington Water Power’s loss. Among the small savings proposed as the city of Spokane tries to cut its budget are less money for street lighting in downtown and fewer new street lights in neighborhoods … The city Transportation Department will dim downtown lights at 10:30 p.m. weekdays and 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, rather than leaving them burning full strength until dawn. The savings is estimated at $4,000 … More stop lights will go to a flashing mode earlier and no new street lights will be installed in residential areas. That last item alone would save $55,000 in 1996.

Let’s talk real money

Tired of all that noise coming out of Washington, D.C., about balancing the budget? Think you can cut twice as much in half the time? Here’s your chance … The Center for Community Economic Research has a site on the Internet that allows the cybernetically connected to cut programs and raise taxes to their heart’s content. When you’re done, the computer program runs the numbers and reveals how much the deficit would be if Congress had the brains to do things your way … The National Budget Solution can be found by asking for “federal budget deficit” with most search engines - those devices that scour the Internet for a specific topic. Or ask for http:/ /garnet.berkeley.edu:3333/budget/budget.html … In upcoming columns, we’ll offer more sites and home pages on the Internet that appeal to the politically inclined.

We can hear those remotes clicking

Residents of Airway Heights and Fairchild Air Force Base are being cut in on Washington state’s answer to C-Span. TVW, which provides coverage of state government deliberations, now is available on Fibervision’s Channel 11 … The programming is available around the clock, seven days a week. When the Legislature convenes in January, it will be broadcast gavel to gavel. TVW President Denny Heck calls this “a chance for people to find out more about state government deliberations and make their minds up for themselves” … Because the footage is unedited, it occasionally can be more than they ever wanted to know.

Getting involved

The city of Spokane still is looking to fill five vacancies on the Spokane Arts Commission and two vacancies on the Human Services Advisory Board. Spokane residents can apply for either, although the city is looking for “citizens with diverse backgrounds” for the human services slots. Applicants have until Dec. 1 to pick up forms at the mayor’s office, 5th floor, City Hall.

, 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 TouchTone phone, the press 9120 to leave a message. or send e-mail to jimc@spokesman.com.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Compiled by Jim Camden Staff writer