District 2 challenger facing an uphill fight

Appointed Spokane City Councilwoman Mary Verner wants to turn her sizeable lead on primary election night into a full four-year term on the South Side’s District 2 council seat.

She took 59 percent of the vote in the September balloting over two challengers – Dallas Hawkins, who got 26 percent, and Jeffrey D. Bierman, at 15 percent.

Verner, 49, was appointed early in 2004 from a list of 27 applicants – including Hawkins – for the position left vacant when Dennis Hession became council president.

Hawkins, 53, an independent insurance agent, faces an uphill race in the Nov. 8 general election, but the likelihood of a much higher turnout next month gives him hope of overtaking Verner.

Hawkins is running as a conservative business candidate who takes a positive view of what’s going on in Spokane. “I want to see Spokane continue to flower and evolve,” he told a recent campaign forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters.

Verner, an attorney and executive director of the Upper Columbia United Tribes, emphasizes the importance of trust in government as well as her resume in education, civic affairs and agency management. She agreed the city is doing well. “It’s the city government that has challenges,” she said.

A persistent city budget crisis has both candidates talking about ways to bring stability to city funding.

Verner supported putting a property tax increase before voters on Nov. 8, and said she intends to cast her ballot in favor of it. “Otherwise, we have to continue to make drastic cuts in city services,” she said.

The city is facing a $6 million shortfall for 2006, and the proposal would raise an additional $3.3 million for the general fund, while costing homeowners $48 a year on a $150,000 home in each of the next two years.

Hawkins is taking a similar position on the tax proposal. “It’s not my favorite way to do things,” Hawkins said, but the city needs the two years of additional taxes to buy time to find other solutions to a weak budget. He said he supports the measure as part of the mayor’s three-prong funding package, including an increase in the city utility tax from 17 percent to 20 percent and nearly $2 million in health care givebacks from employee labor groups. The City Council has authority to raise the utility tax.

Verner has been a critic of Mayor Jim West, who faces a recall election on Dec. 6 for using his office and city computer to pursue relationships with young men.

Verner voted in favor of a resolution calling for the mayor’s resignation and said she will vote in favor of recall.

Hawkins is trying to avoid offending West’s supporters on the South Side, which is the heart of the mayor’s former legislative district, without getting crosswise with widespread public outrage at West’s behavior.

He did not sign the recall petition and will not say how he intends to vote on the recall. He said he would not have voted for the council resolution calling for West to step down.

“I respect and believe the voters will make the right decision,” he said. “I don’t want to be Jim West’s judge and jury.” However, Hawkins said West’s use of e-mail to make sexual advances toward a city commission appointee was “inappropriate.”

Hawkins said he and Verner agree on some major issues – the need for economic strength, public safety and strong neighborhoods.

But he pointed out that Verner opposed creating a voluntary economic forecasting council, a measure Hawkins supports. Hawkins also supports a mayoral proposal, still in draft stages, to hire a turnaround specialist to reorganize city government.

Verner said the forecasting council proposal was not well designed. “We’ve been creating an awful lot of boards and commissions lately,” she said.

Verner also is skeptical of the turnaround specialist idea, especially since it could cost up to $2 million. Verner said the city should try to get free cost-saving suggestions from employees and labor groups.

Hawkins opposed a domestic partner benefits ordinance, which Verner supported. The measure would extend city benefits to unmarried partners of city employees, but only if unions include the extension in their labor contracts. Verner said it is part of an effort to limit city spending for total employee benefits by offering a menu of choices.

Hawkins said that because of its potential costs, the domestic partners ordinance sent a wrong message to the public when the city is facing financial crisis.

Hawkins said new restrictions on the demolition of historic buildings downtown and in historic districts undermine private property rights. Verner favored the restrictions measure because it prevents older buildings from being torn down simply to create surface parking lots.