Upcoming election

All seven seats on the Spokane Valley City Council will be up for re-election this November, but the big task for Valley voters in the approaching primary will be to pare down a six-way race for the Position 6 seat being vacated by Mike Flanigan. The election will be held Sept. 20. On the ballot, voters will find 15 contested primary races for positions in the Valley, including those for seats on the Council and local school, fire and water district boards.

All seven council seats are up for re-election. But of those, only three are contested.

During the Nov. 8 general election, Jennie Willardson will challenge incumbent Steve Taylor for Position 2, and Howard Herman will challenge Mike DeVleming for Position 3.

The four candidates with the most votes in the general election will receive four-year terms, with the others facing re-election after two years in order to stagger the terms.

Some speculate, however, that unchallenged incumbents Dick Denenny, Richard Munson, Gary Schimmels and Diana Wilhite will have a better shot at the longer terms. Their names will appear on the ballot without opposing candidates, making them likely to receive more votes than those in contested races.

The voters guide on the following pages covers only the Valley races where there are three or more candidates running and at least one candidate will be eliminated during the primary. Two-way races will be covered in depth after the primary.

The information that follows was provided by the candidates in the form of a questionnaire sent to them by The Spokesman-Review. Responses have been edited for clarity and length.

Information on campaign funds comes from reports filed with the state’s Public Disclosure Commission and the candidates themselves. The totals include all reported loans, contribution and in-kind goods or services given to a campaign.

Anyone can review the reports by visiting www.pdc.wa.gov. To see reports organized by name, click “view the reports” on the left. Then select “search for and view reports.” On the page that appears, click “show choices” in the “filer name” category for a list of all candidates and political groups in the state. Pick the desired candidate and click “OK” then “send query” to view his or her financial reports.

A search of court documents at Spokane County district and superior courts shows no recent felony convictions among the 15 candidates.

Council candidate John Kallas is finishing two years of probation for a negligent driving conviction in 2003, reduced from driving under the influence.

Kallas said his years in law enforcement and his service to the community should outweigh a single mistake.

Candidate Dale Strom was accused of child molestation in 1991 and exonerated a year later.

Strom said the charge was baseless and followed a bitter custody dispute with his ex-wife, who made the accusation. A jury agreed and acquitted Strom after just 45 minutes of deliberation, according to a letter written by Strom’s attorney.

Later, Strom testified before state legislators in favor of changing how sexual abuse allegations are handled.

“An allegation like that will teach you all about false accusations and prepare you for politics,” Strom said.

Other Valley races include a three-way contest for the District 3 seat on the East Valley School Board.

In the general election, Wayne Stewart and Rodger Trainor will run for the District 5 seat.

Three-way races are also present for fire commissioner at Fire Protection District 8 and a position at East Spokane Water District 1.

Additional information about all of the candidates is available on the Spokane County Elections Web site. To access lists of candidates by office and an online voters guide assembled by the county, visit http://votespokane.org.

Also, the Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce will give residents the chance to meet Position 6 City Council candidates in person at a forum Tuesday at 6 p.m. It will be held at the Church of the Nazarene at 20th Avenue and Sullivan Road.

After the primary, the League of Women Voters will hold a candidate forum at 7 p.m., Oct. 13, in the meeting room of the Spokane Valley Library.