Public Periscope

Two ways of looking at it

Washington State University President Sam Smith seems to have two explanations, depending on the person with whom he is speaking, for the 19 or so university employees who have filed discrimination complaints with state and federal agencies. … Addressing the complaints with The Spokesman-Review last month, Smith said: “The important thing is we have WSU employees who are concerned. For whatever reason, they’re coming forward. Our process (for handling discrimination complaints) is not working the way we would like it to work. It’s incumbent on us now to get the process in there that works.” … But discussing the situation with the Stevens Point, Wis., Journal recently, Smith took a decidedly lighter view: “We’ve gone through a series of budget cuts over the last five years and we’ve had to reorganize and lay off significant numbers of people. When you do that, you get a lot of angry people. … You get sued, and often the suit will include discrimination. Some complaints are from five years ago; they just all filed the same time.” … Leslie Liddle-Stamper, one of the complainants and head of the WSU union, was incredulous at the change in Smith’s tone, estimating that fewer than four of the complaints are layoff-related.

Save us a Stingray with handlebar streamers

Budget woes or not, Spokane County is about to add to its pool of government vehicles. Commissioner Steve Hasson is asking staffers to pull a few “funky” bicycles from the next Sheriff’s Department auction. Paint them orange, scatter them around the courthouse and leave them unlocked, he said. … He wants county workers running short errands by pedaling rather than driving. The public could use the bikes, too. He got the idea from Portland, Missoula and other cities where volunteers repair donated bikes and leave them in bike racks for anyone to use.

Not just whistling ‘Dixie’

Bet you didn’t know Sunday was Confederate Memorial Day in Yakima. And if you did, do you know why? The day was set aside to mark the dedication of a new headstone and a memorial service at nearby Fort Simcoe Historic Park, which holds the gravesite of one Ruffin Thomson. He was an officer in the Confederate Marine Corps - a fairly rare breed because the South had only 57 Marine officers. After the Civil War, Thomson traveled north and west and became a clerk at the Yakama Indian Reservation, where he died and was buried. … His name was misspelled on the old headstone and the year of his death was listed incorrectly. The Sons of Confederate Veterans chipped in to put up a new marker.

State Board of Education opening

The state Board of Education will elect four positions this fall, including a representative for all private schools. The governing boards of all state-approved kindergarten through grade 12 private schools will choose their board member in October. Candidates for the four-year term must must file from Sept. 1 to Sept. 16 with the state superintendent’s office, Old Capitol Building, P.O. Box 47200, Olympia 98504. The board member must be a state resident; once elected, he or she cannot work for any school, educational district or the superintendent’s office or serve on any school board.

‘Meeting in a Box’ correction

Those wishing to acquire the “Meeting in a Box” presentation on the state’s Growth Management Act process in Spokane County should call 456-2205. “Public Periscope” incorrectly reported the phone number last week, giving instead the direct line to the county commissioners office. … Sorry for the confusion.

, DataTimes MEMO: “Public Periscope,” published Mondays, is compiled by Jim Camden from staff reports. If you’ve got a question about local government, growth or development, we’d like to help you find an answer. You can write us c/o The Spokesman-Review, Box 2160, Spokane 99210. Or send e-mail to jimc@spokesman.com, send a fax to (509) 459-5482 or call Cityline at 458-8800 on a Touch-Tone phone, then press 9120 to leave a message.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Compiled by Jim Camden from staff reports