And another thing …

Shunning the ballot box. Energized citizens filled Spokane City Council chambers a couple of weeks ago. Their purpose: to implore the council to put a controversial partner benefits plan to a public vote.

A couple of years earlier the issue was fluoridation, but the request was the same. Let the people decide.

Actually, the city of Spokane has many circumstances where an election is required. Selling parkland is one example.

You would think that Spokane folks feel a populist zeal for voting. And they do. Except when there’s an election.

By the time all ballots are counted, the turnout in Tuesday’s primary election will likely be about 25 percent of registered voters. (It would be even skimpier if turnout were calculated as a percentage of all eligible voters, registered or not.)

But what if those who didn’t vote in council/commissioner/legislative/congressional races were disqualified from voting on referendums and initiatives? If you didn’t participate in the first place, you couldn’t second-guess later.

Just a thought.

The spotlight dims. Shannon Sullivan will not return to anonymity as abruptly as she emerged from it. In time, though, the woman who took Mayor Jim West at least to the verge of a recall election will be a footnote to history.

In the meantime, she demonstrated the capacity of one citizen, with few resources besides outrage and conviction, to make a difference in the community.

Andy Warhol underestimated Sullivan. She achieved not 15 minutes of fame, but more than 15 weeks. Having led a recall effort that collected about 7,000 signatures and may have forced an election, Shannon is turning the movement over to others. Her name may not be remembered in years to come, but her example should be.

A lesson in public services. Steve and Judy Meyer added an exclamation point to their years of education advocacy this week when they donated $1 million toward an endowment that should push North Idaho College to the cutting edge of technology.

The Meyers’ service to education to date would have been enough to warrant the public’s appreciation. Steve Meyer is a director on the NIC Foundation. Judy Meyer has served on the state Board of Education and now is an NIC trustee. But they went a step further by digging into their pocketbooks to underscore how important secondary education has become in North Idaho. May their generosity inspire others.