Valley official won’t seek re-election

After four years on the City Council and serving as Spokane Valley’s first mayor, Mike DeVleming has said he will not seek re-election this fall.

“Most all of what I’ve wanted to accomplish, I’ve been able to,” DeVleming said Thursday.

“There’s some good folks out there who should be doing this, and I wanted to give them enough time to prepare a campaign,” he said.

Filing for local offices begins in a couple months, and an uncontested seat provides an opportunity for potential candidates who might be wary of trying to unseat an incumbent.

New responsibilities at Vera Water and Power, volunteer opportunities elsewhere in the community, and “a lot of little reasons” led DeVleming, 47, to decide against running, he said.

“Each time (you run), whether it’s the first time or the second time, you have to do a lot of soul searching,” he said over coffee a few blocks from the University City mall, where a community Christmas Tree lighting – that he started – takes place every year.

Soon after he was first elected in 2002, DeVleming was picked to be mayor by his colleagues on the council, who describe him as tenacious, assertive and passionate about the city’s future.

“It’s quite a shock,” that DeVleming isn’t running again, said Councilman Rich Munson, “Actually, I wasn’t expecting that at all.”

As mayor, DeVleming led the council as it took up the myriad tasks involved in setting up a new city.

As the new public face of Spokane Valley, some of DeVleming’s ideas were met with skepticism while others were embraced by the council and the public.

“Mike was very good at setting up events that would help create a sense of community,” said Diana Wilhite, who took over as mayor in 2004.

In addition to the Christmas tree lighting, DeVleming also organized the first mayor’s ball and set up the city’s Student Advisory Council.

“I think that he brought a different perspective” to the City Council, Wilhite said.

DeVleming was the only member with school-age children and also brought years of experience in the utility business to discussions on street maintenance and construction.

Among the ideas he championed is a method to monitor and maintain the city’s pavement systematically, which is being set up this year.

While not the flashiest work taking place at City Hall, the system is unique in the county and will help keep Spokane Valley streets in good shape for years to come, Munson said.

Though his time on the council will come to a close at the end of this year, DeVleming said he still enjoys campaigning.

He indicated he may help out with others’ campaigns and also said he’s open to the possibility of running for another state or local office in the future.

“I do see myself clearly being active in the community,” through other civic and nonprofit organizations, DeVleming said. “I’m not going away.”