Letters To The Editor

Wed., Jan. 28, 1998

SPOKANE MATTERS

Sabotage not among mayor’s duties

I am absolutely appalled that our new mayor, John Talbott, is attempting to sabotage the River Park Square redevelopment project. Although I did not vote for Talbott, I took him at his word when he said in your paper that he would not oppose the agreed upon and approved downtown development project.

After reading Talbott’s letter to HUD, and given the fact that our City Council members were not made aware of this letter until well after it was sent, I can only interpret Talbott’s actions as hypocrisy, written in a self serving, underhanded way.

I fully support the retail redevelopment of downtown Spokane and approve of the City Council’s plan and majority actions. Talbott should honor his word and focus on the future, rather than the past. Strong downtown retail activity will bring jobs and revenue to our growing city, and bring people to Spokane, rather than make us travel away to other cities.

Finally, as a figurehead, Talbott needs to represent the majority viewpoint of our elected City Council first, and his personal opinion second. He represents all of us. Kellee Daugherty Spokane

Talbott doing what he thinks is best

I was incensed when I read the two diatribes in the Jan. 19 Spokesman-Review regarding Mayor John Talbott, one by editor Chris Peck, the other by Opinion editor John Webster. Both are nothing but malicious slander.

Talbott is our mayor because he was so elected by a majority vote. He is striving to do everything he possibly can that he considers best for all of Spokane. The City Council should do the same.

Talbott’s proposal for an internal auditor should be approved. Perhaps that would expose the nepotism that has been rampant in City Hall. It is not only that there are excess employees with consequent excess salaries, but all these people eventually are retired on the public payroll. An internal auditor would be money well spent.

Talbott, the majority of Spokane citizens appreciate your unselfish efforts and wish you the best of luck. Helen Rishel Spokane

We need growth but not by a nose

I was reminded of Pinocchio the other day, as I read the story of how Mayor John Talbott wanted to go to Washington, D.C., and talk to Department of Housing and Urban Development officials about the city’s request for a loan to help finance the River Park Square downtown redevelopment project.

Several days later, when he insisted he didn’t want to derail the project, I thought I saw his nose grow.

As Talbott grows into his role as mayor, I think he will find that the electorate who put him in office did so because they thought he had the city’s best interest at heart and the makings of an honest leader. Geppetto believed Pinocchio would see that being true to one’s self was what made him a man. I hope Talbott realizes that supporting what is good for Spokane will make him a good mayor.

The River Park Square project is good for Spokane. Elita Jones Spokane

Does mayor prefer dead downtown?

I have lived in Spokane for 10 years and I still become amazed at the shortsightedness of so many of the electorate. Year after year, we are presented with new and exciting proposals, most of which are defeated due to a fear factor that defies reason.

My husband and I worked on the last campaign to approve the Arena. Why it took several attempts to have that wonderful facility built confounds me.

Then there was the opportunity for the Pacific Science Center. After its rejection, we are left with huge repair problems and no outside assistance.

Now, the fear factor has elected a man who, while assuming the title of mayor, acts secretly in writing a letter to HUD about a project that will enhance and preserve our centerpiece, downtown.

Talbott has another agenda - he is beholden to David Sabey. This is evidenced by his unwillingness to tell the people what he did and the rapid response and “assistance” provided by the Sabey lobby.

I am appalled. What does he want, a dead downtown with another hole in the ground for years to come? Christine M. Weaver Spokane

Sabey influence not needed, welcome

I am increasingly disturbed by David Sabey’s blatant greed, with his obvious attempts to derail the River Park Square redevelopment project for personal gain.

As a citizen of Spokane, I strongly believe that this project is necessary to revitalize the downtown area. I am further disappointed in Mayor John Talbott’s lack of support for a project so important to the health of our community.

I hope Sabey will concern himself with the affairs of the community in which he lives and that Talbott will concern himself with what is best for Spokane - without undue and questionable influences. Tami L. Newcomb-Johnson Spokane

Good that we have independent mayor

Ah, the Mighty Quacks are falling. I am speaking of the clique called the City Council.

The front page article of Jan. 17 told of the council’s paranoid reaction to Mayor John Talbott writing a letter regarding the HUD loan for the River Park Square project. Their paranoia tells me one thing: Spokane has a mayor who was not only elected by we the people of Spokane, but he also acts for the people of Spokane. I, for one, am extremely delighted.

Way to go, Talbott! The quacks are running scared. Thank you for being an independent thinker. Tami Wagner Spokane

Unbiased assessment needed

An awful lot of defamation of character is going on, and you all know that’s wrong. Editor Chris Peck is an honorable man and so is Mayor John Talbott. Can we get past that?

What we need are for unbiased financial reporters (assuming there are any) to actually investigate the situation and report their findings. Or maybe an unbiased committee could be appointed to look into the matter and make expert recommendations.

I disagree with Peck’s opinion. He seemed to focus on fear when it’s the roots of that fear that need to be addressed. Are we going to have to pay $90 million for a failed project? Is it realistic to think downtown, here, now, can be revitalized? I think not. But I remain open to argument.

There are very good reasons people shop at malls rather than downtown. There’s plenty of parking. You’re protected from the weather and there’s an atmosphere of safety and light. You can take your kids there and not be afraid, if they disappear for 10 minutes, that they’ve been snatched by a child molester or frightened by some roughneck.

Can a downtown development surmount those obstacles? I think not, but I’m prepared to listen. Greg H. Simpson Pullman

Talbott’s action cause for anger, worry

I am livid with what Mayor John Talbott is trying to do to the downtown project. I hoped when he became mayor that he would elect to take the high road. What will our city be if we let it fall into any more disrepair? With this turn of events, David Sabey must be happy.

I am a heartsick and discouraged citizen. Sally L. Overholser Spokane

SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION

Bond will upgrade all Spokane schools

I was pleased to read Doug Clark’s Jan. 15 column endorsing renovation of Lewis and Clark High School and supporting School District 81’s Feb. 3 bond issue. As a parent and LC graduate, I strongly support this effort.

However, refurbishing Lewis and Clark High School is only part of the investment in the future addressed by this bond issue election. The bond will provide funding for much-needed improvements throughout District 81. For example, Brown Elementary, built in 1914, will be replaced. Rogers High School’s old gymnasium will be replaced and the auditorium and counseling office will be updated. Shadle and Ferris high schools will have their auditorium lighting and sound systems upgraded. Science rooms will be renovated at Rogers, North Central, Shadle and Ferris high schools.

In all, bond election funds will replace or modernize 360,000 square feet of instructional space, most of which was built before 1915. These funds will provide 35,000 square feet of instructional space and improved electrical, communication and security systems in all schools.

The bond issue concerns far more than an effort to preserve a beautiful and significant structure. It concerns the future, not the past. Only by preparing our children for the challenges of the next century can we reasonably expect they will achieve their full potential. By voting yes, we will ensure our children’s success will be a genuine reflection of their hard work and dedication, limited only by the breadth of their imagination and the strength of their courage. John C. Etter Spokane

Vote to keep Wilson school an asset

My children attend Wilson Elementary School. If the Feb. 3 District 81 facility improvement bond passes, their school will be able to replace a 25-year-old “temporary” annex.

This annex was put up after a fire destroyed the southeast wing of the original building. It still has the original burlap walls and carpet. The plywood siding has holes in it. The windows won’t open and there are problems with the heating and cooling systems.

The new wing will be architecturally compatible with the 1927 main building and will provide more classroom space than the annex presently has. The annex is not connected to the main building; the new wing would be, making the school much safer for our children and their teachers. Additionally, the library will be expanded and will be functional for community uses as well as for student use.

Wilson School has been the neighborhood school for more than 70 years. It is one of only a few remaining historic school buildings left in our city. Voting yes on Feb. 3 will mean this wonderful and historic school will be ready for another 70 years of use by our children. Elizabeth Godlewski Spokane

LC a treasure worth preserving

Doug Clark’s Jan. 15 column on saving Lewis and Clark High School was all too truthful. The idea of getting 26,000 people in Spokane to vote in a positive direction is frightening.

I went to Lewis and Clark High School during the Kennedy administration - when it was cool to eat in the cafeteria and “buff” meant you had a crew cut.

There is a sacred mystique that stays with all the graduates of this school. Many people feel as I do, that the ground the building stands on is hallowed and revered. I talked to people at the Jan. 13 bond rally who still show up at their reunions and used to swim in the pool before it closed in 1930. I venture to say there isn’t a public high school anywhere in our country where the love, emotions and fond feelings equal that which we LC grads still carry with us for the legendary teachers and the building itself.

Since leaving LC, I have made my living as a builder, renovating many historical landmarks in our area. If ever there was a solid, classy structure worth saving, it is LC. There is no alternative except renovation of the structure and grounds. I hope enough people who agree will get out and vote yes for the bond levy on Feb. 3. Chris M. Kopczynski Spokane

Computer savvy essential for all

In “Fund more computers? Just vote no” (Letters, Jan 25), Eric S. Fugitt urges voters to reject efforts to make computers and the Internet available to our children in school. He claims such efforts will not accomplish anything and that we have been deluded into thinking that our children cannot live without computers.

Fugitt is correct that computers will not make your child a better student or better able to read and think. He is correct that parents must take an active role in their children’s education. However, obtaining computers for our school system is nonetheless critical for the future of our children.

The purpose of public education is to provide our children with the tools they need to function in our society. Like it or not, computers are becoming ubiquitous in every aspect of modern life.

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to obtain work that doesn’t require basic knowledge of computers. By the time today’s children enter the work force, it will be next to impossible to find adequate employment that doesn’t involve computers on some level.

Since many families cannot provide access to computers for their children at home (regardless of how actively they might be involved in their child’s education), it is incumbent on the school system to fill in the gap.

I suggest that the school system needs to add computer literacy to the curriculum as soon as possible, as it has become as fundamental to our society as the ability to read and write. Kyle Gosselin-Harris Spokane