Strong Mayor Plan Revived Council Will Discuss Initiative To Scrap City Manager System Of Government

Stephen Eugster has high hopes for his proposed initiative to change Spokane’s city government.

He said the switch to a strong-mayor system would bring accountability and responsibility to City Hall, and maybe even shake city residents out of their apathy.

The Spokane attorney has revived his 1996 proposal - which voters rejected - to scrap the city manager form of government in favor of a full-time mayor who would be paid at least $80,000 a year.

“A city manager system is OK if your city is just a suburb without its own character,” Eugster said.

City Council members will conduct a hearing Monday to decide whether to place the initiative on the ballot this fall.

If they decide against putting it on the ballot, Eugster would need to collect about 3,000 signatures on a petition to bring the issue to the voters.

Blaine Garvin, a political science professor at Gonzaga University, said he favors the strong-mayor system.

“But it is a mistake for people to think that it is a cure-all,” Garvin said.

“If you are going to put someone in charge, you want it to be a really good person.

“They might be more responsible to the electorate, but they might also be incompetent. That’s not usually a problem with a city manager.”

Under the current form of government, the city manager runs everyday business, managing the budget, hiring and firing department heads.

Under Eugster’s proposal, the mayor would perform the day-to-day duties, or hire someone else to do it. The mayor also would hire or fire department heads, just as the city manager can do now.

With the approval of the city council, the mayor would also hire the city clerk and city attorney.

“The point is, there is someone in control,” Eugster said. “This person actually has to go out and get votes from people.”

The mayor would be elected every four years, with a two-term limit, making the position directly responsible and accountable to voters, Eugster said.

Former Mayor David Rodgers said giving an elected official power to hire and fire department heads puts those jobs at risk every four years, potentially wrecking continuity.

“How are you going to keep top-level professional people if their job is threatened every four years?” Rodgers asked.

“Fundamentally, the ultimate control of city affairs should be in the hands of people who are there to serve, rather than people who are there to make a living,” said Rodgers, who led the fight against the initiative two years ago.

But Garvin said making the position political is an advantage.

“Decisions matter, and the electorate knows that someone is listening. You would have to do more out in the open to please the electorate,” he said.

The strong-mayor form of government is losing favor in some cities.

According to the International City-County Management Association, the city manager system is the fastest-growing form of government in the country.

The last time Spokane operated under the strong-mayor system was in 1910. It then switched to a system of five full-time commissioners who selected a mayor from among themselves. The city manager form has been in effect since 1960.

To create the most representative system, Garvin said a strong mayor should be combined with city council elections by geographic district.

An initiative that proposes election by district is already on the November ballot.

If voters approve a strong-mayor initiative in November, the strong mayor could take office Jan. 1, 2001.

Removing a strong mayor from office would require a recall election, which is difficult and has rarely been successful in Washington.

On the other hand, the city manager serves at the pleasure of the city council.

“You can get rid of a city manager any Monday evening,” Rodgers said.