Proposition 1 on the Nov. 7 general election ballot in Spokane is an amendment to the city charter that would make it easier to recall an elected official for violating the city’s code of ethics.

Under the current system, the only way to do this is via a citizen-filed petition.

As Shannon Sullivan found out in the Jim West case of 2005, that’s an imposing hurdle.

After scrambling to clear the initial legal hurdles, she then had to gather 12,567 signatures in 180 days.

Meanwhile, the City Council, which was nearly unanimous in its wish to oust the mayor, was powerless to do anything about it.

If the charter is amended, the City Council could pass a resolution to recall an elected official as long as the Ethics Committee recommended such a move and the council had at least a 5-2 majority.

The five-vote minimum would protect against recalls becoming mere partisan affairs.

Currently, recalls are about the only thing the council can’t put on the ballot.

That needs to change, because the current system is too cumbersome and time-consuming.

Plus, it’s too daunting for citizens who aren’t attorneys or can’t afford to hire them.