Spokane County elections

Commission

The three-member commission is responsible for a $400 million annual budget, 2,000 county employees, and policies affecting issues as varied as tax rates, garbage dumps, law enforcement and public parks.

Term: Four years.

Annual pay: $93,000 plus a $7,142 auto allowance.

The race

This matchup features a three-term incumbent and perhaps his most vocal critic.

Neighborhood activist Bonnie Mager won the Democratic nomination in a tough, three-way primary, arguing she’s the best choice to restore integrity to the Spokane County Commission. But she now goes head to head against the popular and well-financed Phil Harris, a U.S. Air Force Vietnam War veteran who would become the second-longest-serving county commissioner if re-elected.

Harris, a Republican stalwart who has drawn heavy support from the construction and development industry, campaigns as a man of the people who gets things done.

Mager says she would bring needed grassroots change and integrity to the office, and she criticizes that fact that three of Harris’ sons have joined the county’s payroll since he was first elected.

Although the person elected will serve the district making up the southwest part of the county, all county voters – including those who live in cities – can make a choice in the race.

Republican Phil Harris, 70, of Nine Mile Falls: He promises he won’t change if given another term. Considers increased number of sheriff’s deputies, an aggressive street-paving program and various economic development projects as his greatest accomplishments. Accuses Mager of being anti-growth.

Democrat Bonnie Mager, 55, who lives near Cheney: She is critical of county planning practices that she blames for urban sprawl. Promises more open government and better relations with cities.

On leave from her position as director of the Neighborhood Alliance of Spokane County, she also advocates broadcasting more county meetings.

Assessor

The assessor leads an office of 56 employees and is charged with placing values on the more than 200,000 parcels of land in the county, plus other related duties.

Term: Four years.

Annual pay: $77,000.

The race

After winning a nasty GOP primary, incumbent Ralph Baker’s quest for his first full term isn’t over.

He faces Democrat Judy Personett, chairwoman of the Washington state Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission, in the general election.

Baker, a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel, won a close fight in the Republican primary over Spokane City Councilman Brad Stark. While the ugliness of that battle has gone, many of the same issues remain.

Republican Ralph Baker, 53, of rural Spokane: He points to modernized operations, greater efficiency and accountability for the taxpayers and to an improved Web site as a way the public is better served. Says staff is much better equipped because of the new technology. Served as chief deputy assessor for two years before he was appointed to the top spot in 2005 after the early retirement of Duane Sommers.

Democrat Judy Personett, 65, of Nine Mile Falls: She’s critical of Baker for decisions that she says reflects poor customer service, including the move of many assessor staff members to a nearby office building where the public can’t meet with them. Says she would work to make staff assessors available to meet face to face to customers who have valuation questions on their property. Stresses her experience as a nursing administrator at Veterans Administration hospitals and at the Spokane County Jail, where she was nurse manager from 1999 to 2003.

Auditor

This person is responsible for elections and the county’s bookkeeping, including maintaining records such as deeds, marriage licenses and vehicle licenses. Oversees a staff of more than 50.

Term: Four years.

Annual pay: $77,000.

The race

The race for county auditor pits two-term incumbent Vicky Dalton against political newcomer Mike Volz, who currently serves as finance manager of the county treasurer’s office.

At issue in the campaign is Spokane County’s switch to an all-mail voting system, which most counties in the state now use. Dalton pushed heavily for the voter-endorsed change last year. Volz opposes it, arguing voters should be given a chance to decide whether to restore polling stations.

Neither faced a primary opponent.

Democrat Vicky Dalton, 45, of Spokane Valley: She points to improvements in customer service and technological upgrades within the Auditor’s Office during her tenure. Argues that most voters already were voting by mail with absentee ballots when she began pushing for the current all-vote-by-mail system. She worked in the Auditor’s Office for 10 years before being elected to the top spot in 1998.

Republican Mike Volz, 41, who lives north of Spokane: An accountant who joined the county Treasurer’s Office in 1999, he’s making his first run for public office. He wants a second advisory vote on the vote-by-mail issue, and he promises to post county monthly financial reports on the Auditor’s Office Web site.

Prosecutor

The chief law enforcement officer in the county is in charge of 74 attorneys who make charging decisions for all felony cases in Spokane County and all misdemeanors except for those filed inside Spokane city limits. The office has about 70 support staff and a budget of about $9.4 million.

Term: Four years.

Annual Pay: $115,000.

The race

After winning unopposed four years ago, Spokane County Prosecutor Steve Tucker is facing Democratic challenger Bob Caruso following a string of controversial cases involving law enforcement officers.

Caruso, 68, became a lawyer seven years ago after turning over his carpeting business to his sons.

His own political party has refused to endorse him, but Caruso continues to campaign aggressively, calling into question several of Tucker’s recent decisions to either waive prosecution of public employees or delay making decisions on two high-profile investigations.

Tucker, 56, dismisses much of Caruso’s criticism, focusing instead on his own experience, which includes eight years as the elected prosecutor and 10 years as a deputy prosecutor.

Tucker says his 11 years as a Washington State Patrol trooper help give him the necessary background on what law enforcement officers go through on the job. Caruso argues that Tucker has been too willing to give law enforcement officers a pass when they do wrong and doesn’t spend enough time in the office dealing with the issues.

Republican Steven J. Tucker, 56, of Spokane Valley: Wants to continue what he says is a proven record. He said the experience level of his deputy prosecutors has gone from about 5½ years in 1998 to about 12½ years now.

Democrat Robert E. Caruso, 68, of Spokane: Says he wants to bring integrity back to the prosecutor’s office and call grand juries to investigate two recent cases in which suspects died in law enforcement custody. He said he hopes to retain many of the deputy prosecutors on staff if elected.

Sheriff

The top law enforcement official in the county is in charge of 535 employees, including deputies who enforce traffic laws and investigate crimes, plus a jail that can hold more than 675 prisoners awaiting trial or serving sentences. The department has a budget of almost $30 million.

Term: Four years.

Annual pay: $105,000.

The race

Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich went from a virtual unknown to an easy winner in September’s Republican primary. His Democratic challenger, James Flavel, was unopposed in his primary and now is looking for a way to knock out Knezovich.

The advantage in money – which translates into campaign yard signs, billboards and commercials – clearly belongs to Knezovich, who spent about $71,000 before the primary. He also has endorsements from labor unions who represent his employees, plus many of the advantages and few of the disadvantages of incumbency.

A 10-year veteran of the department, Knezovich did a stint as president of the deputies union before he was named sheriff this spring by Spokane County commissioners. He beat Spokane Valley police Chief Cal Walker by running as the outsider trying to change the status quo, noting that Walker had been a key part of predecessor Mark Sterk’s leadership team and that Sterk had picked Walker as his replacement.

Flavel said he hasn’t raised or spent anything other than the $1,050 of his own money for his filing fee. He’s seeking votes mainly via his Web site, where he has turns on a camera most nights and has “chats” with anyone who clicks in.

He says his experience as an Idaho State Police officer in the Panhandle in the 1970s will translate well into the job of Spokane County’s top cop, and the business experience he’s amassed since then would be a bonus. He operates three computer dating services based in the Valley.

Republican Ozzie Knezovich, 43, of Reardan: Wants to increase community involvement with law enforcement, promising to support Sheriff’s Community Oriented Policing Effort, or SCOPE, add to the sexual assault unit, and ease jail overcrowding.

Democrat James Flavel, 59, of Spokane Valley: Promises to be frugal while being aggressive against drug abuse, establishing strict monitoring of sex offenders, and working with schools.

Treasurer

The county treasurer serves two important roles: tax collector and banker for local governments.

The office billed Spokane County residents for $376 million in property taxes this year. The winner will run an office with a $2 million budget and about 30 employees

Term: Four years.

Annual pay: $77,000.

The race

The two men who want to lead the county Treasurer’s Office already have.

Democrat Skip Chilberg served 10 years as the county’s top tax collector starting in 1983.

His opponent, Republican Bob Wrigley, is chief deputy treasurer who has been in charge of the office frequently in the past few years because of health problems of his boss, Treasurer Linda Wolverton.

Neither candidate faced a primary opponent.

Democrat Skip Chilberg, 62, who lives near Deer Park: Says Wrigley has served the office well but the treasurer should be someone with broader experience and perspective to best represent taxpayers. Chilberg served six years in the administration of Idaho Gov. Cecil Andrus, including 2½ as the state budget director. He was elected Spokane County commissioner in 1992 and left the office after two years to accept a gubernatorial appointment to the Eastern Washington Growth Management Hearings Board.

Republican Bob Wrigley, 53, of Nine Mile Falls: Points to his office leadership during Wolverton’s absences and to numerous endorsements, including from Wolverton, a Democrat.

Wrigley, who unlike Chilberg is a certified public accountant, has worked in the treasurer’s office since 1997 and in the No. 2 slot since 1999. Says he would work to increase technology in the office while maintaining a high level of customer service for folks not comfortable with automation.