Kroboth Mounted Campaign Because Eugster Did Not

He is tall, gregarious and mad as hell.

Robert Kroboth is running for mayor, and has one main plank in his platform: his intense distaste for River Park Square, the Cowles family that has developed the project and any of their various properties.

As a show of his antipathy for all things Cowles, Kroboth has proudly refused to be interviewed by The Spokesman-Review or KHQ-TV, both owned by Cowles Publishing. As a result, profiling the candidate is somewhat of a challenge.

Not impossible, however. Through public appearances and interviews in other media, Kroboth has revealed some clues about himself.

He’s 66 years old, a Spokane native and a North Central High School graduate. He has a granddaughter and a bad back. He worked as a debt collector, but is now retired.

A familiar and friendly presence at City Hall, Kroboth appears at council meetings with a cardboard box full of papers and computer discs.

Kroboth entered the mayor’s race because Steve Eugster did not. A firm believer in Eugster’s damn-the-torpedoes style, Kroboth begged Eugster to run. When the councilman did not, Kroboth paid his $1,090 filing fee and entered the race himself.

Kroboth has not served on a city board or commission, nor has he much of a profile in the city’s business or philanthropy communities - but he does have convictions.

On Spokane’s most explosive issue - the River Park Square garage controversy - Kroboth is an absolutist. He embraces the city’s lawsuit against the mall developer and if elected, said he would pursue it vigorously.

“I will fight,” he said at a debate before the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce. “ I can’t go for any arbitration or any settlement. I think it will go beyond the Washington Supreme Court and to the federal courts.”

On the other issues he is less precise. He has not outlined how he would boost Spokane’s economy or fix its streets. He wants to shut down the Waste-to-Energy Plant, and open a landfill, but hasn’t said where. He’s opposed to fluoridating Spokane’s drinking water.

To some, Kroboth’s protest candidacy is a sign of Spokane’s unease with the status quo.

“Mr. Kroboth has some courage in putting up the money required to enter the race,” said David Bray, a supporter of Mayor John Talbott. “That alone is a statement of discontent and frustration.”