Public Periscope

Nothin’ to lose at the polls

Talk about ways to pay for desperately needed street repairs prompted Spokane City Councilman Mike Brewer to utter a phrase that made his colleagues shudder: “There’s still the B-and-O tax option” … “Spoken like a true lame duck,” Mayor Jack Geraghty quipped. “Nine months and four days,” said Brewer … Brewer has made it clear he has no intention of seeking a third term when his expires in December. Geraghty, on the other hand, won’t say whether he plans to run for a second term.

If he won’t say, we can assume

County Commissioner Kate McCaslin must think Geraghty will run again - and again - and again. When the commissioners and the council sat down last week to discuss mutual issues of concern, talk turned to a hallowed topic: the future of the much-discussed North Spokane freeway and whether it could solve the area’s traffic problems … Some, like McCaslin, think the freeway idea is past its prime and told the mayor so. “In 20 years, when Jack stands up to cut the ribbon, the next day it’ll be clogged,” she said. “The window closed. The opportunity is gone.”

No stomach for it

When state Sen. Bob McCaslin says he’s hungry, he means it. Senate lawmakers reconvened from a short lunch recess last week to break up budget negotiations, only to find themselves one senator short. That’s because McCaslin opted to retreat to his office for lunch rather than choke something down quickly in the capitol’s Senate cafeteria … “I don’t like using the Senate (cafeteria),” the Spokane Valley Republican said. “You have to rush up and down to eat, and I’ve been there and I’ve done that and I’m sick of it” … Martin Flynn, a staff director for the Senate Republican caucus, had to call McCaslin at his office to ask him to return. About 20 minutes later, McCaslin returned to the floor to help Republicans pass their budget by two votes.

Some cold facts

Apparently, Spokane likes its entertainment on ice … Six of 11 sold-out events at the Spokane Arena during 1996 involved skaters. Four of the sell-outs were Spokane Chiefs hockey games. The other two were figure-skating exhibitions … Other tidbits from the arena’s newly released annual report:

Neil Diamond’s August concert was the best-attended event, selling 12,211 tickets.

The top-grossing event was Wizard of Oz on Ice, which sold 33,362 tickets for five shows. G&B Select-A-Seat reported $530,000 in sales.

The biggest professional sporting event was the WSU/UCLA men’s basketball game, which 11,251 watched.

High school basketball apparently attracts the hungriest fans. The best days for concession sales came during the B tournament last March.

All told, folks paid $9.3 million to attend arena events last year, generating $441,000 in admission taxes for the city of Spokane.

Or Prince Creek for short.

Periscope offers the following compromise in the debate over whether a certain stream should be known as Latah or Hangman creek: “The Creek Formerly Known as Latah.”

Or maybe they could say ‘Do it right’

County officials recently adopted the following mission statement: “Spokane County Government is dedicated to excellence, by upholding the public trust with responsive, cost-effective, customer-driven services, that enhance and protect the quality of life for all citizens.”

, DataTimes MEMO: Public Periscope, published Mondays, is compiled by Jim Camden from staff reports.

This sidebar appeared with the story: HOT TOPICS Tuesday: Jet Skiers and canoeists will debate whether power boats should be allowed on free-flowing stretches of the Spokane River during the county commissioners meeting. 5 p.m., Public Works Hearing Room, 1026 W. Broadway.

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