Challenger Bumps Back Powers And Talbott To Square Off Nov. 7

Political newcomer John Powers will take on incumbent John Talbott in the race to be Spokane’s strong mayor.

Powers, a bankruptcy attorney, won the primary by a wide margin, beating Talbott, state Sen. Jim West and dark horse candidate Robert Kroboth.

Powers captured 40.4 percent of the vote, while Talbott trailed with 31.7 percent. West had 26.1 percent and Kroboth rounded out the field with 1.6 percent. Some absentee ballots will be counted later.

At a victory celebration that spilled out of Steam Plant Square onto Lincoln Street and featured a crowd singing Irish folk songs, Powers attributed his success to his army of supporters.

“It’s very much evident here tonight,” Powers said. “We have hundreds of volunteer supporters, many, many of which I didn’t know when I started the campaign.”

Talbott was subdued as he spent Tuesday night at his Indian Trail home, saying he was ready to focus on the Nov. 7 general election.

“It’s just a primary,” Talbott said. “There’s a general election to come. We’ve got work to do.”

Powers and Talbott had several tense exchanges in the final week of the campaign. After one debate, they argued near a doorway and the mayor bumped into Powers as he tried to leave.

The loss was a bitter blow for West, who has far more political experience than his rivals.

West tried to make the best of it, saying he was happy to return to the Senate.

“I’m not downbeat at all,” West said. “I’m encouraged. A lot of people out there said they would rather see me in the state Senate.”

West also pointed to the $135,000 in contributions raised by Powers, far more than West’s $94,000 and the $36,000 raised by Talbott.

“We got outspent by a lot of money,” West said.

The strong mayor system of government, which was approved by voter initiative last November, does away with the city manager and makes the mayor the chief executive of the city.

Powers’ overwhelming victory was a surprise to many, given that he trailed Talbott in virtually every poll.

Powers, however, said his own tracking polls indicated that he had strong support. Plus, he said, “we’ve done 10,000 phone calls since the middle of July.”

November’s race will likely focus on Talbott’s record as mayor, and particularly his actions as part of this year’s City Council majority.

Under Talbott, the majority has aggressively re-examined the controversial River Park Square garage deal while frequently sparring with the council’s minority.

Talbott has said City Hall is more open and accountable since his election, and dismisses the council’s squabbles as part of a healthy process.

Powers, however, argued that the only changes at City Hall concern which of the city’s power groups is pulling the strings. He said his strong performance Tuesday shows that Spokane is looking for a return to civility in government.

Powers has never run for office before and said he was biding his time before seeking elected office.

From the outset, Powers received strong support from the legal community and professionals, and he quickly built a massive lead in fund raising.

That manifested itself in a blitz of advertising that helped him secure name recognition. By the primary, he went into debt, spending more than he raised.

Powers also benefitted from his apparent independence, claiming that he alone had the ability to reunite the city.

Despite his lack of political experience, Powers says his background as a bankruptcy attorney at Paine Hamblen Coffin Brooke & Miller will help him solve the River Park Square dispute.

Talbott was slow to start his campaign, banking on his familiarity among voters. While he trailed Powers and West badly in fund raising, he ran with an almost serene confidence that his supporters would see him through the primary.

A 29-year Air Force veteran, Talbott retired to Spokane in 1990. He quickly became involved in local politics, running unsuccessfully in 1991 and 1993 before he unseated incumbent Jack Geraghty.

While West launched his campaign with a flourish, hosting a May breakfast attended by 450 people, it never seemed to catch fire.