Public Periscope

Redirected benefits

Other Americans may fret over retirement, but Spokane County Commissioner Kate McCaslin is keeping a 1996 campaign pledge not to accept pension contributions from the county. Some of the money saved will go to McCaslin’s assistant and former campaign manager, Laura Reinhardt, who recently received a $156 monthly raise. … McCaslin said the raise, approved by the human resources director on her recommendation, was possible because money for McCaslin’s pension is still in the budget. In arguing for the raise, the commissioner called Reinhardt “overqualified” and worth “more than any salary we can provide.”

… Reinhardt’s two longer-serving colleagues declined to comment, but courthouse rumblings suggest they feel slighted. Both still earn more than Reinhardt, although she will pass one of them in July. … McCaslin suggested those two assistants take up their concerns with their bosses, Commissioners John Roskelley and Phil Harris. “What I did had to do with Laura” and is no reflection on the others, McCaslin said. … Roskelley said there’s no money for more raises.

Above par

An anonymous donor is writing a check for $800 so the Washington Junior Golf Association can have its regional championship at the city’s Downriver Golf Course. The donation was spurred by recent publicity about WJGA having to pay to use the course for the first time in its 20-some-year history.

Speedsters will have to try Montana

Indiana Avenue near the Spokane Valley Mall no longer is a free zone for speeders. Mall builders agreed last week to meet a list of conditions for turning the four-lane road over to Spokane County. … The agreement means the county will start plowing the road when it snows and county sheriff’s deputies can enforce the speed limit there.

Of war and remembrance

Know a service member from Washington state killed during World War II? The state Department of Veterans Affairs would like to hear from you. It is finalizing the list of such residents to be placed on a memorial in Olympia. The names will be engraved on the monument once sponsors raise the $600,000 construction costs. … Because it’s easier to put the names on correctly during construction than to change or add them later, the department would like some help from family members and friends who lost service members in World War II. Information on who can be included on the monument is available by calling (800) 562-2308. The deadline is Jan. 30.

A message from the GPO

As an entity that never claims to be perfect, we are careful about criticizing the mistakes of others. Still, county Republicans should be chided for misspelling the name of county GOP Chairman Bill Hyslop in a recent release proclaiming their early support for county sheriff candidate Mark Sterk. … According to the release, the announcement was made by someone named Hysolp. At least they were consistent, using that inventive spelling five times.

Farewell, see you later, bye

Speaking of unusual things in print, editors of the city of Spokane’s newsletter for employees must be chagrined about offering felicitations that were a bit premature. The winter 1997 edition of City News wished fond farewells to departing employees, among them Terry Clegg, code enforcement officer. … The warm send-off debuted before Clegg was fired on Nov. 6 for harassing a female employee. He appealed to the Civil Service Commission but later dropped it.

, DataTimes MEMO: “Public Periscope” is published weekly and is compiled by Jim Camden from staff reports. You can contact us by mail c/o The Spokesman-Review, Box 2160, Spokane 99210, by fax at (509) 459-5482 or by e-mail at jimc@spokesman.com.

This sidebar appeared with the story: Hot topics Thursday: Alan Durning, director of Northwest Environmental Watch and author of “The Car and the City,” will discuss ways to improve cities and ease congestion at the Citizens League of Greater Spokane meeting, 11:30 a.m., WSU-Joint Center for Higher Education, 668 N. Riverpoint. $15 for lunch; call for reservations, 326-1129.

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