Mayor John Powers, John Talbott

Thu., Nov. 2, 2000

By Oliver Staley olivers@spokesman.com

The two men running for strong mayor - incumbent Mayor John Talbott and political rookie John Powers - talk about many things as they campaign: fighting poverty, recruiting new business and fixing streets.

But the undercurrent of the race is a continuing debate about how Talbott and the City Council majority have performed, particularly in their quest to re-examine the city’s controversial River Park Square garage deal.

Talbott says he has brought a new spirit of openness to City Hall, and it includes ending what he calls special deals made behind closed doors for the city’s elite.

The city has been reinvigorated by its new leadership, Talbott says, and its employees are eager to move forward.

Powers argues the city is no more open than it was under Talbott’s predecessors.

Under Talbott, the power base behind city government has simply moved from one faction to another, he said.

Powers also points out that city employees have endorsed him, not Talbott, an indication that their morale is suffering under the numerous upheavals brought by the council majority.

If elected, Powers said he would move to end the River Park Square dispute by initiating mediation between the city and the developer - an affiliate of Cowles Publishing, which also owns The Spokesman-Review.

Talbott said he favors mediation, but only in order to reach an equitable solution.

The city’s lawsuit against the developer is necessary to bring it to the bargaining table, he says.

The strong mayor position was created by voters last November, putting an end to the 40-year-old system where a city manager ran the day-to-day affairs of the city with policy direction from the council.

Under the strong mayor system, the council will pass laws and approve the city budget, but the mayor will hire most city employees and actually run the city. For his trouble, he’ll be paid $109,000, a $77,000-a-year raise over what Talbott is currently paid.

For Powers, it will mean a pay cut. A bankruptcy attorney, Powers is a partner in Spokane’s largest law firm, Paine, Hamblen, Coffin, Brooke & Miller.

Originally from Wisconsin, Powers ran a small insurance business before coming to Spokane in 1980 to attend Gonzaga Law School.

Talbott is a Spokane native who spent most of his working career elsewhere, first as an enlisted man, then an officer in the Air Force. He retired after 29 years in 1982, then joined the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, before retiring to Spokane.

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