Many, But Not All, Support Mccaslin About Training Trip

Tue., May 12, 1998

Doug Floyd Interactive Editor

When Spokane County Commissioner Kate McCaslin questioned the wisdom of 130 Spokane community members traveling at federal expense to an emergency training session in Virginia, her colleague, Commissioner John Roskelley, had second thoughts about the trip.

Hang in there, advises at least one of his constituents.

“I called and left a message to Roskelley not to be intimidated toward moving ahead on that trip,” said Orval Janssen, Spokane.

Janssen thinks McCaslin herself ought to go, too.

“With the fringe groups we have in the area, I think it’s very valuable and I think she’s not doing our community the service that needs to be done if she holds back and doesn’t go or if she keeps other people from going, too,” said Janssen. “Everybody should be going to get the information that’s needed to deal with these kind of fringe groups and the outside chance that something of that nature would happen and that kind of expertise would be needed to deal with it.”

Janssen is one of several Bagpipes readers who challenge McCaslin’s reasoning but they are outnumbered by her supporters.

“I totally agree with Kate McCaslin on the FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) funds,” said Spokane City Councilwoman Cherie Rodgers. “Taxpayer money is taxpayer money, wherever it comes from.”

Rodgers said she also questions FEMA’s use of federal disaster money “year after year” to restore golf courses built in flood plains, seemingly a reference to Spokane County’s Hangman Valley Golf Course.

There isn’t enough space in one column to represent fairly the volume of comments on this issue, so the conversation will be resumed on Thursday. Meanwhile, here are some other readers’ observations:

“This lady should be in a national office,” said Peter C. Dolina of Veradale. “She is consistent in opposing waste and that is what I call integrity in politics.”

“I just want to thank Kate McCaslin for keeping an eye on what’s going on in not only our local politics but nationwide and showing us some of the foolish ways they spend our tax dollar,” said Dee Servoss, Spokane.

“Any chance we can clone her?” asks Jim Shamp of Cheney.

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