John Roskelley is not a politician. He will look you square in the eye, shake your hand with a grip strengthened on the world’s tallest peaks and tell you what he thinks, straight out.

Roskelley is not a politician, but he is running for Spokane County commissioner. He has a few qualities that might bring honor to the title - for a change. Discipline made him a successful small businessman and one of the world’s top mountain climbers. Commitment to the community led this longtime Valley resident to service on the county Planning Commission, the county Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, the Friends of the Centennial Trail and more. Thoughtfulness, of a type that sees down the road a piece, makes him a believer in disciplined budgeting, in preventing juvenile crime as well as locking up violent thugs and in making growth sustainable by planning adequate infrastructure.

His opponent, Martin Burnette, is an insurance salesman who moved back to Spokane two years ago. Burnette’s resume claims involvement in the Lilac Festival, but the festival’s executive said Burnette took no responsibilities and did not even participate in the parade.

Roskelley would bring a thinking, questioning presence to the board of commissioners. Even folks who dislike his commitment to environmental quality may appreciate the need for a member who’ll at least raise such concerns in the board’s deliberations.

We endorse him.

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