Mountaineers offer peek at candidates

Conservation is a commitment, from the fields and streams to the ballot box.

People who appreciate open spaces have recognized that responsibility from Spokane County to Washington, D.C.

Tonight is an important moment for conservation-minded voters from here to there.

Most of the universe knows that presidential candidates John Kerry and George Bush will face off in a televised debate tonight at 6 on networks around the world.

Far fewer people know about tonight’s more intimate forum for Spokane County commissioner candidates to speak specifically on conservation and recreation issues.

The forum — 7 p.m. at the REI store, 1125 N. Monroe — was scheduled long before the presidential debates were announced.

The Spokane Mountaineers, which organized the forum, have deep roots here after being founded in 1915 as the Spokane Walking Club. Along the way, the Mountaineers have learned that prime places to hike or even to walk the dog can disappear almost as fast as a special interest group can write a campaign contribution check.

The rest of us can be reminded daily as we look for an open spot to throw a retrieving dummy for a dog or as we seek a quiet place to escape from traffic by foot or mountain bike.

“The forum is a follow-up to what we’ve learned from the past votes for the county Conservation Futures program — that Spokane County citizens are very interested in conservation,” said Vicki Sola of the Mountaineers’ conservation committee.

Sola was referring to the county Conservation Futures tax that has consistently been supported in advisory votes since it was enacted in 1993. The fund is used to purchase choice natural areas around the county for preservation and public use.

“Growth management and conservation have become a bigger deal in the purview of county commissioners,” Sola said.

While remaining neutral on the candidates, the club is providing voters with one more measure for an important local election.

The club sent a questionnaire to all of the commission candidates before the primary election and received answers to the 12 questions from everyone with the exception of Mark Richard.

Since the primary, Richard has come through, and the responses from all four primary winners have been posted on the Web at www.spokanemountaineers.org.

The public can listen to the candidates and get answers to more conservation and recreation questions tonight as the candidates for two commission seats — Bill Burke vs. Mark Richard and Todd Mielke vs. Linda Wolverton —have agreed to attend the forum on this busy political evening.

Burke, 52, is a Democrat and a marketing consultant.

Richard, 40, is a Republican who has worked in the real estate industry and a lobbyist for the Spokane Home Builders.

Wolverton, 55, is a Democrat and has been Spokane County treasurer for 12 years.

Mielke, 40, a former state legislator, is a Republican and government affairs consultant.

No group has graded these candidates from a conservationist point of view, so here are a few initial marks to consider from this corner before you check them out and make your own decisions:

• Mielke gets an A-plus for fund-raising and Richard gets an A as the two Republican candidates have amassed a relative king’s fortune in campaign contributions. The Democrats could possibly improve to passing grades by spending a little time panhandling at the freeway off ramp.

• Wolverton gets the only A for answering the Mountaineers questionnaire with backbone and insight. She appears to understand the reality of Washington’s growth management laws. Her answers indicate she is free to be fiscally responsible while supporting controlled growth and conservation measures to maintain the quality of life that keeps most of us in Spokane County.

• Richard gets the only F in any category, and that’s for a background and connections that make it almost impossible for him to make unencumbered decisions on the county’s myriad land-use issues.

Richard’s campaign in particular is stacked with financial contributions from area construction and real estate interests, some of which have been less than sensitive to the area’s quality of life.

A voter only has to look back to the 2000 county commissioner election when the development industry targeted its former darling, Kate McCaslin, in a scathing campaign after she voted her conscience on a few development-related issues.

“It’s all part of their intimidation and bullying game,” McCaslin told a reporter at the time. “When they can’t buy you, they try to bully you.”

This observation has nothing to do with Richard personally, but even an alter boy couldn’t be expected to be impartial in conservation issues after serving the Spokane Home Builders Association for so long.

Overall, developers and home builders have not shown much willing support or appreciation for open spaces.

That’s more than just ironic since access to open areas is so highly prized by home owners.