Public Periscope

Not as suspicious as it seems

Several people have wondered about the easy access that certain candidates had to the area where ballots were being counted on election night. County Commissioner Phil Harris, in the midst of a tight race with Democrat Kathy Reid, clipped on a staff badge and breezed into the processing area, said one election watcher … Shortly after that, Harris’ margin of victory got bigger. Was something untoward happening? Wasn’t that illegal? the watcher wondered … The answer to both questions, said County Auditor Bill Donahue, is no. State law requires the vote-counting process to be open, but secure. Anyone from the public who asks can watch, but only specially designated people can handle the ballots.

To add ballots to the computerized counting process would be difficult, said Donahue, who noted he was in the room while Harris was there … Someone would have to arrive with prepunched ballots and try to slip them in. The staff would notice.

The real reason the vote turned in Harris’ favor at that particular time can be more easily explained by geography. At the time when Harris was in the counting area, the Valley precincts were being counted. They are always some of the last to come in, and Valley voters tend to vote Republican.

One bit of advice

With the elections over, we offer one last political item before Periscope reverts back to its kinder, gentler, noncampaign demeanor. It’s a suggestion to Democratic legislative candidate Craig Peterson, or any other novice campaigner … The campaign ad that ran on CNN after 8 p.m. last Tuesday was a bad buy, no matter how cheap the price. The polls were closed … If you bought a different time slot, ask for a refund.

Standing corrected

As if it’s not bad enough that public employees rarely get the credit they deserve, Public Periscope misspelled the name of the honoree in its recent attempt at back-patting. The beyond-the-call-of-duty employee in Spokane County’s personnel department is Debbie Wilkinson … We appreciate her nice card and apologize for the mistake.

Word games

The English language is ever evolving, and journalists should keep track of trends and changes. Still, a local reporter was surprised by the strength of the objection when he used the term “day-care center” during an interview with the local Head Start director … Patt Earley insisted that the proper term is childcare center. “We’re not managing time, we’re caring for children” … OK. But the industry apparently hasn’t gotten the message. The Yellow Pages lists 31 businesses in Spokane that call themselves day-care centers.

We’re working on his reasoning

Speaking at a rally for a child-care center (see how quickly we learn?) that would be subsidized with tax money, state Rep. Jeff Gombosky said it should be obvious why he supports such proposals: “Because my child has to go through life with a long Polish last name, I have to do what I can to make sure he grows up in the strongest community possible.”