Newcomers’ perspective very welcome
Like some of you out there, I’ve felt discouraged these past two weeks. Just as we seemed to be gaining civic momentum in Spokane, the mess with Jim West unfolded.
But two newcomers to Spokane cheered me up this week.
Melanie Powell is a 35-year-old woman struggling out of poverty. Dave Radcliffe, 54, is an upper-middle-class professional. They both moved to Spokane within the past year. They don’t know each other, but they share one thing in common: They love it here.
I met Melanie when she job-shadowed me Wednesday as part of her Life Skills women’s program, sponsored by the Community Colleges of Spokane. Melanie has always dreamed of being a writer, but bad breaks waylaid her dream.
Severe epilepsy, under control now thanks to major surgery, made her too dependent on family. In December, in a bid for more independence, she left central Alabama for a job in Wyoming in the hospitality trade. Her 12-year-old son stayed behind in the loving care of Melanie’s parents.
But then Melanie met a guy on the Greyhound bus. She detoured with him to Spokane. Not a wise detour. Ultimately, Melanie sought refuge in the YWCA’s shelter for women and learned about programs in Spokane that empower women in poverty.
Melanie is on public assistance. She lives with two other women in the West Central area in subsidized housing. She plans to get a job soon and continue with community college classes.
She’s impressed with Washington state’s minimum wage – $7.35 an hour. Alabama has no minimum-wage law. Melanie feels healthier here. She dropped from a size 16 to a size 4 and walked in Bloomsday.
She’s in awe of the willingness of people to help newcomers. “At first, I thought Spokane was a small city, because everyone knows everyone,” she said.
Dave Radcliffe is also a newcomer, though he’s lived here before. He was a leader in student-life programs at Gonzaga University in the ‘70s, a go-getter destined to succeed. From 1987 to 2001, he was president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Convention and Visitors Bureau. He is now a consultant who helps municipalities throughout the country. We chatted Wednesday by phone, because Dave was in Telluride, Colo., on business.
He and his wife, Sallie, moved to Spokane last Labor Day. Sallie was vice president of communications for a convention-industry company. She commuted to her Las Vegas office for a couple of months before taking early retirement so she could enjoy her new home. The couple traded a 2,400-square-foot townhouse in central Phoenix for a 5,000-square-foot home with a soothing view of the Little Spokane River.
Dave loves Spokane’s slower pace. He was driving toward downtown one day when he realized everyone was observing the speed limit. In Phoenix, if you do that “you get blown off the road.”
Dave also appreciates the friendliness. In Phoenix, he said, “People are engrossed in their own lives, and it’s almost unacceptable to be nice. We were here two days and had visits from several neighbors.”
Some might think that Spokane needs more educated, professional newcomers like Dave and Sallie, who add to the tax base, and fewer newcomers like Melanie who depend on taxpayer-funded services. But I disagree. Spokane’s civic core is strengthened when people with means help those without means. Both benefit and learn from these relationships across socioeconomic lines.
Dave, who makes his living advising municipalities, offered some free advice to Spokane as its struggles through this latest crisis.
“The community will recover and be stronger because of it,” he said. “Be patient. Help other leaders pro-actively address the situation. Have the big picture in mind as you move ahead.”
The big picture. After listening to the enthusiasm of these Spokane newcomers, I glimpsed it once again.