Think Twice Before Putting All Lobbyists In Same Group

Tue., April 7, 1998

Doug Floyd Interactive Editor

Critics don’t need a lot of prompting to take off on lobbyists, but state Sen. Jim West’s recent telephone threat to kill one regardless of whether he meant it literally triggered (sorry) more condemnation of lobbyists than of West.

It makes you wonder if that loathing is aimed at the likes of David and Martha Jones, Spokane residents who lobbied the Legislature for a law aimed at curtailing accidents like the one that killed their 13-year-old bicyclist son Cooper.

Or the family of Stanley Stevenson, a retired Seattle firefighter who was stabbed to death by a man who since has been found innocent by reason of insanity. Stevenson’s survivors lobbied the Legislature to enact a law giving judges more latitude to confine and treat mentally ill offenders who commit misdemeanors.

Or Project 395, a citizen lobbying group that has been working for years to get state and federal officials to make needed safety improvements to U.S. Highway 395 north of Spokane. They’re reporting some encouragement that Congress may provide the funds.

So are lobbyists really such detestable creatures as a class or are they, at times at least, concerned citizens willing to give their own time and energy to make life better for their communities?

Life-or-death decisions

Next time you read or hear one of those stories about a law-enforcement officer who shoots a suspect who turns out to be unarmed, think about Omak (Wash.) Police Officer Don Eddy Jr.’s account of last month’s tragic incident in Omak.

Eddy was wounded and his partner, Mike Marshall, killed when they confronted Juan Duarte Gonzalez at an Omak motel.

The two guns Gonzalez drew were small. Small enough, it looked to Eddy and Marshall, that they might be toys. The officers hesitated to respond to the threat with deadly force until it was too late.

Does that experience alter how those other situations should be judged?

No role for the ACLU

How best to resolve which reading material is suitable for students? Leave it to a review panel composed of parents and teachers, says James A. Nelson, Spokane, but “without any input from the ACLU and other individuals demanding adult rights for school children.”

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.