Public Periscope

When a public meeting isn’t

Whitworth College journalism students who tried to see Spokane County commissioners in action Tuesday learned a lesson about public meetings: Sometimes the public doesn’t include everyone.

Under state law, the routine meeting the students wanted to attend was open to the public. But commission staff told the students the room was too small to hold everyone.

Students say they were told to leave; staffers contend they only said that if the students stayed, they’d have to stand in the lobby and listen through the open door of the adjacent meeting room.

“We spent the time to drive down there, we prepared for this (meeting) and then they told us, ‘Sorry, come back later,”’ said sophomore Crystal Steed.

Commissioners didn’t know the students were coming and didn’t know they’d been turned away until after the meeting. Otherwise, “we would have accommodated them some way,” said Commissioner Phil Harris.

Let barking dogs lie

Commissioner John Roskelley learned last week the hard way that sometimes it’s better to let barking - er, sleeping - dogs lie.

Roskelley read a tongue-in-cheek proposed resolution Tuesday, labeling fellow Commissioner Kate McCaslin’s pet dog a “dangerous” animal. Seems McCaslin sometimes brings her dog to work and lets the creature yap at Roskelley. In reading the resolution, Roskelley, a Democrat, said the Republican’s pet must “hate men.”

But when he called for a vote on the measure, Republican Phil Harris balked, then offered his own resolution declaring Roskelley a “dangerous environmentalist.”

McCaslin abstained from voting due to a conflict of interest.

Cutting costs

Washington taxpayers will save about $65,000, thanks to government workers who suggested better and cheaper ways of doing things during the last quarter of 1997. Two common-sense suggestions came from Spokane area workers: Arlen Ely at the state Corrections Department suggested agencies get envelopes and boxes for Priority Mail from the post office, where they are free. Susan Hanson suggested the state Department of Social and Health Services request on its forms that clients use the agency’s toll-free line only when necessary to avoid a toll call.

Spring cleaning

The nonprofit group Friends of the Centennial Trail is organizing a cleanup of the popular trail from 9 a.m. until noon on Saturday. Anyone interested in volunteering should call 624-7188 for more information and an assignment.

Out and about

Sticking to his campaign promise to keep in touch with residents, Mayor John Talbott will be moving his office to each of three Spokane area community centers once a month. … The mayor plans to be in the Northeast Community Center the first Wednesday of each month, the East Central Community Center on the second Wednesday and the West Central Community Center on the fourth Wednesday. Although it doesn’t fit that schedule, look for the mayor at the Northeast Community Center this Wednesday.

Opportunities to serve

Spokane County commissioners are looking for three teens and one adult to serve on the Chase Youth Commission. Deadline for applying is April 30. For more information, call 456-5722.