Public Periscope
Upward mobility
Francine Boxer has a new title and new responsibilities at the Spokane County Courthouse. The county’s chief administrative officer will be promoted to chief executive officer on Jan. 1. … Among other things, the promotion means all county department heads will report to Boxer. In the past, several have reported directly to the Board of County Commissioners. … The new title also comes with a $3,500-per-year raise, meaning Boxer will earn about $90,000 next year.
“Francine has done an outstanding job as the county administrator and proven herself an exceptional manager with exemplary management and leadership skills,” county commissioners said in an e-mail message to county department heads. Boxer is a 25-year employee of Spokane County who began her career as an administrative assistant in District Court at the bottom of the county’s pay scale.
He’s sure of the difference
Leave it to Spokane County Commissioner Phil Harris to shake up a meeting. He generated groans last week as county officials debated moving the medical examiner’s office into new digs near Holy Family Hospital. … Gary Fuher, county facilities manager, was telling commissioners that one nearby medical building being considered for the medical examiner’s office already is filled, almost exclusively with ophthalmologists and optometrists. Not so, Harris insisted. “It’s not all eye doctors. I know because my urologist is in there, and he sure don’t look at my eyes.”
Paging would-be pages
The upcoming session of the state Legislature once again gives high school students a chance to watch government up close and personal by serving as pages. The session starts Jan. 8, so the time to apply is now. … Each page must be at least 14 years old but younger than 17, have permission from his or her school and parents or legal guardian and be sponsored by a member of the House or Senate. Pages spend a week in Olympia, with housing and a meal allowance provided. … Interested teens may contact their state representative or senator or check out details on the Legislature’s Web site at www.leg.wa.gov/house/hadm/pageprog.htm.
Tough assessment
One longtime Democratic activist - who will be nameless here for his own protection - may have summed up the frustrations of many party members as he watched Vice President Al Gore giving his presidential concession speech Wednesday night. … It was classy, it was touching, it was gracious, he agreed. “It was the best speech he gave in the whole campaign.”
Here we go again
Those who are glad the 2000 presidential campaign finally is over probably don’t want to read this. But on Wednesday afternoon - when it was assumed Gore would concede and George W. Bush would claim victory, but before that actually happened - the newspaper got a press release that might be the first of the 2004 campaign. … It came from Lyndon LaRouche, who runs for the White House every four years, so no one will be surprised if he runs next time. The press release uses a term that’s a little hard to decipher, calling LaRouche the “former Democratic presidential pre-candidate.” But we’re thinking a former pre-candidate is a candidate.
Rumor of the week
George W. Bush has about 6,000 jobs to fill in his new administration, which suggests that at least a few of them will go to people we’ve heard of. Early speculation suggested that U.S. Rep. Jennifer Dunn of Bellevue, a state co-chairwoman of the Bush campaign, and soon-to-be former U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton are the most likely “names” from Washington state. … But some prognosticators doubt now that Dunn will be pulled out of the closely divided House of Representatives. Gorton has been suggested for everything from interior or energy secretary to solicitor general. There’s even some speculation about how easily he could be confirmed for a U.S. Supreme Court seat - but there aren’t any openings there.