Proposal Would Change City Government Strong Mayor Would Be President To Council’s Congress

The city-county charter died at the polls, but a second move to change the face of Spokane city government is alive and well.

Attorney Steve Eugster is pushing a strong-mayor initiative that asks residents to toss out the city manager in favor of a mayor who serves as the city’s top administrator.

“I really want to have a strong mayor in this town because somebody has to be the focal point for the political will of the people,” Eugster said.

“We need a person who has power.”

The proposed charter amendment could go to voters as early as next November.

Voters countywide turned down a move to consolidate city and county governments during this month’s general election. But city voters favored the proposal, signaling their willingness to change the way their leaders do business, Eugster said.

“City voters were willing to take a risk to create a new form of government, a more effective form of government,” he said.

City Manager Roger Crum, who admits a professional bias against the strong-mayor form of government, said he wasn’t thrilled to see the initiative resurface.

His staff spent three years waiting for consolidation to play out, he said. “Now, they have something new hanging over their heads.”

Eugster introduced a strong-mayor ballot initiative two years ago but delayed gathering signatures while the county debated consolidation.

The latest initiative is slightly different from the first.

Most importantly, Eugster said, the measure requires that the mayor earns at least $80,000 and not a penny less than the highest-paid city employee. That mandate ensures the mayor is the leader who is “leading good people.”

The initiative calls for doing away with the city manager, leaving the mayor responsible for appointing department heads. The mayor also could appoint a chief administrator to oversee day-to-day operations.

A seven-member council would include five members elected by district and two elected at-large. The mayor could veto council decisions, but the council could override the veto with five votes.

The strong-mayor system operates similarly to the federal government, with the mayor as president, the council as Congress, Eugster said. Voters unhappy with the city’s direction could vote the mayor out of office.

“The mayor has to set a goal and stick to it,” he said. “The mayor has to lead the show.”

Mayor Jack Geraghty, who supported consolidation, said he had not seen Eugster’s latest petition, but he tended to favor such a change.

“What you’re doing is making the city manager elective, which would give voters more control,” he said. “It would make administration more responsive to the people.”

But Catherine Tuck Parrish of the International City County Management Association, said a city manager government is more accountable to the public.

Voters have to wait four years to turn out a mayor who displeases them, she said. “If the manager isn’t doing a good job, (voters) just have to convince the council. So each time the council meets, the manager must prove him or herself a manager.”

The council will consider Eugster’s ballot title near the first of the year. After that, he plans to begin gathering signatures.

The measure needs at least 7,071 votes to qualify for a special election in November 1996. Otherwise, the measure would go on the November 1997 ballot.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Graphic: Proposed strong-mayor initiative