Supposedly Turned Off Voters Come Through Again
Hey, wait a minute. Don’t we keep hearing that Americans have lost faith in their public schools? That a frantic search is on for alternatives such as vouchers, charter schools, home schooling?
If so, what explains the comfortable success of bond and levy issues in the Mead School District and several others around the region Tuesday? What explains the sweeping and lopsided support similar measures received in Spokane, Central Valley and other districts a month ago?
Several of the approval votes were over 70 percent, some in the 80s. Mead’s bond passed by a 2-1 margin Tuesday and its levy by 3-1 while attracting a record voter turnout. Could it be the disenchantment theory has been exaggerated?
Wild, wild West
As chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee and therefore a principal custodian of the Washington state treasury, Spokane Sen. Jim West is commonly acknowledged to be the community’s most powerful lawmaker.
The temper tantrum West threw over two unfavorable ads run last week by the Building Industries Association of Washington is unbefitting the role of influence and prestige his reputation suggests.
There’s no reason to doubt West’s explanation that what association director Tom McCabe contends was a death threat was intended only in a figurative and political sense.
But to distribute phone and e-mail messages calling McCabe a “son of a bitch” and suggesting either he or Spokane Home Builders Director Al Haslebacher is “the stupidest man in the world,” raises questions about judgment and maturity.
Were it not for a long list of other area lawmakers who sustained long public service careers without sacrificing their poise and dignity, West’s outburst might be enough to make some of us rethink our opposition to term limits.
How do readers feel about the episode?
Different slant on parking
In a talk at First Presbyterian Church last week, part of the downtown church’s series of monthly luncheon speech programs called City Forum, architect-developer Ron Wells shared his thoughts about what a livable city should look like.
One idea, mentioned in passing, was the return of diagonal, as opposed to parallel, parking downtown. How would that concept be received by the motoring public?
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