Your Words We Asked What You Wanted To Ask The Candidates And You Responded

Civic duty propelled some. Others were drawn due to mounting concern for the health of their neighborhood, city, country or the world. Some sought the opportunity to air their views before an attentive, thoughtful assembly of their peers. Others just wanted to listen.

Twenty-seven citizens gathered at the downtown branch of the Spokane Public Library on Oct. 15 for a town hall meeting sponsored by The Spokesman-Review.

In an overwhelming political season, this was a chance for people to say what was on their minds; to think about their quality of life; to characterize the issues that truly impact them; to hear from others about what’s important. This was a chance to talk - an open forum where any topic was fair game.

Gordon Jackson, a Whitworth College communication studies professor, moderated the event. Jackson said he was attracted by the opportunity to facilitate a thoughtful discussion. “I think it’s crucial that people have an opportunity to be heard,” he said. “The newspaper clearly has a unique role in facilitating that kind of debate.”

The agenda was loose, allowing for a group-led discussion. Jackson offered few opening remarks. He told people where they could find the bathrooms. Help yourself to cookies and coffee, Jackson said.

He asked any candidates present not to participate in the discussion. This was a voters forum - not a political platform. And then the discussion began.

Spokane resident George McGrath ignited the conversation. “I believe that we should reduce the number of signatures required to get an initiative or referendum onto the ballot,” he said. Requiring a high number of petition signatures before introducing a new item for citizens to vote on is, “a stumbling block that hinders you and me from making our wishes known to the elected representatives.”

One person challenged McGrath, saying that ballots are already crowded and difficult to understand.

Others crinkled their faces or rubbed their chins, apparently gathering their thoughts or deciphering which topic they wanted to broach. Slowly their hands went up. Still others sat quietly, taking notes or listening intently.

Eric Gilbert, 18, showed up for the town hall meeting because he figured there wouldn’t be many young people there. “I’m concerned about misinformation and the focus on the emotional side of politics,” he said. “It frustrates me because emotion distorts the core of the discussion.”

The topics varied from welfare to health care reform. From public mistrust of politicians to the need for alternative party candidates. From crime to environmental protection.

One man just wanted to know why people don’t talk to each other in the grocery store anymore.

Katie Mosher came to hear the citizen commentary in order to write an extra-credit paper for her political science class. Like Gilbert, Mosher is a student at Spokane Falls Community College. Mosher said she’s concerned about the future. “But mostly I was just keeping notes. A lot of the things they were talking about are things I don’t know anything about.”

An issue of concern to Dick Adams was the real estate tax structure.

Dan Allison introduced another complex topic. He chose to write down his points beforehand and waited until the meeting was almost over to present them. Allison’s concern surrounded the Davis-Bacon Act, a law regulating the prevailing wage, or the hourly rate paid to construction workers laboring on government-funded projects. He thinks the law determines that an unnecessarily high amount of money is spent on public construction projects. “I would like to know how our politicians can justify this to the American taxpaying public,” Allison said.

Although at least one former Spokane City Council candidate attended the town hall meeting, no current candidates showed up. But one participant, Pat Carbaugh from Airway Heights, said that he may run for city council in the future. “I’m a trouble-shooter,” he said. Carbaugh recently started a chimney restoration business and thinks that 20 years “under a hard hat,” as well as six years as a single dad, offer him a unique perspective and a keen sense for problem-solving.

Carbaugh was drawn to the town hall meeting out of “the spirit of public interest.”

Carbaugh’s interest lies in empowering communities to solve their own problems. “Everybody wants to run to the state or the feds for help,” he said. “But it’s the communities that need to find ways to turn people loose and teach them how to participate.” Disappointed that more people didn’t come to talk about important issues, Carbaugh thinks that jobs or family responsibilities prevent many devoted citizens from working to improve their neighborhoods, schools or government.

“The point was that ordinary people say what was on their minds,” Jackson said after the meeting. “And I think we got the kind of honest feedback that we wanted.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: File illustration

MEMO: The Spokesman-Review encourages constructive community dialogue and wants to get your voice into the newspaper. You can contact Elana Ashanti Jefferson by writing to 999 W. Riverside, Spokane, WA, 99201.

This sidebar appeared with the story: “I’m interested in how much awareness there is of the plight of small business. Increasingly that’s where our jobs are going to come from. And if we are going to relay on small businesses than we need to be better informed about what makes them tick. I’m also concerned about the air quality. The gentleman sitting next to me was interested in water quality. This isn’t a problem we can solve without getting involved with our neighbors. We can’t solve problems in isolation.” Holly O’Connell

“Unions are a large factor in the cost of government. They are of no value to the taxpayer. They increase cost, reduce efficiency and stifle productivity. Do we want to waste valuable resources this way?” Wayne Lythgoe

“I follow politics very, very closely. I read a lot of the laws. I follow legislation very closely. I see what’s happening in our state and I have some real concerns. There have been so many laws passed in Olympia and in Washington, D.C. that I just don’t think are in the best interest of the people.” Joanne McCann

“I like the fact that it was a meeting where the candidates weren’t there. You don’t get very good answers from candidates. They change the subject. There are very few opportunities to ask candidates question and have a real discussion with them about the issues. I’m not in favor of campaigning with sound bites.” Richard Brown

“I have a daughter who has asthma, so grass field burning concerns me more and more. I think that the farmers can grow other kinds of grass.” Jan Tenold

“I’ve lived here a long time. I retired a while ago, but my job had to do with private industry and protecting the aquifer. The water that we drink came from that aquifer. We all just kind of take it for granted. The Spokesman-Review reported that North Idaho is running out of money to protect the aquifer, and we know that the water we’re drinking comes from North Idaho. So I think we’ve got a realy problem.” Lonnie Roe

“Campaign finance and government reform are important issues to me. I want to get a sense of leadership from the people in office. They tend to be a little more honest at the state level, because there’s not as much at stake. They’re willing to deal with issues more bluntly.” Eric Gilbert