Public Periscope
Plenty of time to see the candidates
Candidates for Spokane’s new chief executive spot, the Arnold Schwarzenegger of mayors, may be coming to a television screen or podium near you. Debates and forums fill the candidates’ calendars, starting with Wednesday, when the League of Women Voters will host a debate in the City Council chambers at 7:30 p.m. that will be broadcast several times before the primary on Cable Channel 5 … On Friday, the Spokane chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People will have mayoral and congressional candidates at a forum moderated by former KXLY-TV news anchor Marianne Mishima. It starts at 7 p.m. at the East Central Community Center, 500 S. Stone … On Sept. 13, there’s a noon luncheon sponsored by the Inland Northwest Business Alliance, starting at 11 a.m. at the Steam Plant Grill, 159 S. Lincoln. Call 747-4930 for information about reservations.
But wait, there’s more. KSPS-TV will air a debate at 6 p.m. Sept. 17, and KREM-TV will broadcast its debate on Sept. 18, at a time to be determined on election eve. Both will be taped earlier, so Mayor John Talbott won’t have to choose between debating his rivals on KREM and attending that night’s council meeting … We know of at least one other televised debate that was in the works until Talbott changed his mind about participating. He said he felt there already were enough debates before the primary.
Summer reruns
Republican gubernatorial candidate John Carlson apparently liked the reception to his Spokane call for a crackdown on meth labs so much that he decided to repeat it last week in Tacoma. Carlson said meth crimes should be a strike under the “Three Strikes” law during the state convention, and again during an early August visit to Spokane … That second meth call to arms was issued in front of a dilapidated house that once served as a meth lab. Last week, he held an anti-meth news conference with a former addict who suffered brain damage.
One thing about running the same play, though. The defense adjusts. After Wednesday’s press conference, Democratic Gov. Gary Locke’s re-election campaign released statements from prosecutors and police praising Locke for increasing penalties for manufacturing meth … They also listed the increases in spending to fight meth crimes, and initiatives by the state’s National Guard to work with local cops on drug enforcement.
A primary debut
Mailboxes around the state soon will be filled with the first-ever state primary voters guide. Washington has sent voters a guide for the general election for years, but this is the first time the state has funded a primary edition. The 48-page guide offers insights into some of the candidates you never see and seldom hear about … It also features six pictures of killer whales frolicking off the San Juans. We should all have so much fun on Election Day.
Bus route
It’s not a candidate appearance, but it is political. The American Association of Retired Persons will be bringing its Voter Express Bus to Spokane on Thursday. It’s trying to mobilize voters on issues such as Medicare, prescription drugs and Social Security … The colorful campaign vehicle will be at the Spokane Community College parking lot, off Mission and Greene, from 7 to 11 a.m.