Slim Win For Strong Mayor Final Ballot Count Pushes Charter Change Into Books

Spokane will elect a new type of chief executive next year, one who will lead a new form of city government in the next century.

Proposition 2, the city charter change that scraps the appointed city manager system in favor of an elected strong mayor, passed by 29 votes in Wednesday’s final tally of ballots.

A request for a recount is possible, but “chances are less than even,” said former Mayor David Rodgers, an opponent of the measure.

Taking office at the beginning of 2001, the new mayor will have wide authority to hire and fire the people who administer city government.

“The message is that a majority of the people in this community feel we need renewal,” said city Councilman-elect Steve Eugster, an attorney who wrote the charter change.

“I’m convinced for the first time we will have truly professional management.”

Mayor John Talbott said the City Council’s task will be “to prepare the city for change in 2001.”

“We have to put a structure in place that will allow the new mayor to do his job and the council to do its job,” he said.

City Attorney Jim Sloane said the change in government presents a host of challenges to his office.

“I have a number of ideas concerning the way we can make the transition in the most efficient and effective manner, so it is as smooth as possible,” Sloane said.

The narrow margin of victory means the city has something to prove to all the voters, Talbott said.

“It means we better be listening to what the people say on both sides.”

Talbott’s job disappears at the end of next year. The new mayor and a council president, who will run council meetings, will be elected at large in a special city election next fall.

Although state law sets municipal elections for odd-numbered years, the ballot measure specifically calls for an election in 2000. Eugster said that was done to avoid a long delay.

“We cannot have the city without leadership,” he said.

Talbott said he probably won’t decide whether he will run for either position until next July.

Eugster said he will “think about” running for mayor next year. But the council’s first job is to hire a city manager, he said.

“Any person worth their salt would jump at the chance to be part of a new government in this city in the year 2000,” he said. One who does a good job has a chance of being kept on as the new mayor’s top administrator, he added.

Other council members aren’t so sure.

“It has created a cloud over the city,” Councilman Rob Higgins said. “It has made it difficult to recruit a new city manager.”

Higgins opposed the ballot measure but said now that it has passed, “we will have to learn to work with it.”

Talbott said he is satisfied with Acting City Manager Pete Fortin, and wants to talk about Fortin’s plans for the transition to the new government.

Fortin has said he’s willing to stay through the transition. He was not available for comment Wednesday.

The city manager is the only person who can be hired or fired by the council under the current form of government. But Councilwoman Cherie Rodgers predicted that other top staff members will leave now that the ballot measure has passed.

“We have a lot of senior people on staff here,” she said. “I think they aren’t sure what this kind of system is going to mean. They will either retire or just move on to something different.”

Although the margin of victory is minuscule - about five one-hundredths of a percent - there will be no recount unless opponents are willing to put up some $2,700 to cover the costs. The challengers would get the money back only if the recount changed the results.

Rodgers, a co-chairman of a group that opposed the ballot measure, said he knew of no one offering to risk that money.

“In these days of machine counts, it’s unlikely that that many votes would turn around,” Rodgers said.

The measure see-sawed between passage and failure as absentee ballots were counted. Prior to Wednesday’s tally, it was trailing by 41 votes.

“It’s like a football game,” said Dale Stedman, another opponent. “We had a good middle of the game. But it’s the end of the game that counts.”

This sidebar appeared with the story: AT A GLANCE Changes to charter

Here are some of the changes to the Spokane city charter as a result of voter approval of a strong-mayor form of government:

The city manager position will be eliminated when the strong mayor takes office.

The City Council will still have seven members. Instead of the mayor, a council president will preside over meetings.

The mayor will be paid at least $80,000 a year, or the same as the salary earned by the highest-paid department head. The mayor is currently paid $36,000.

The mayor can hire a chief administrative officer, who can be paid up to 110 percent of the salary of the next-highest-paid employee other than the mayor.

The mayor will have power to veto ordinances approved by the council, but the veto can be overturned by a majority plus one of the council.

The mayor will be able to fire department heads, including the police and fire chiefs and the city attorney, without consulting the City Council. Appointments will require council approval.

Annual salaries for City Council members will remain at $18,000; the council president will earn $22,500.

The mayor normally will serve a four-year term. However, if the first strong mayor is elected in a special election in November 2000 as expected, the first term will be just three years, putting the election back on a regular track.