Albi blame misplaced

Once again the Spokane Park Board is being used as a political scapegoat – this time in a finger-pointing contest over the failed land swap at Albi Stadium.

This land swap involved city-owned land – not land under Parks’ control. The land swap was initiated by City Council – not by Parks. That’s why the City Council approved this land swap, not the Park Board. As such, the responsibility for executing the swap resided with the city administration under council oversight. The Park Board simply (and eagerly) agreed to develop the land with recreational trails after acquisition. Parks had no power to swap land it did not control.

As for Parks’ oversight responsibility, why wouldn’t Parks rely on the city administration to execute a land swap initiated and approved by City Council? To suggest this is a Parks system oversight failure (as the mayor’s deflection does), is to say the Park Board should be monitoring the daily affairs of City Council and administration – an arena in which Parks has no oversight authority.

Don’t be misled by those making a political football out of Parks on this issue. This isn’t evidence of a flawed Parks system. This is simply other city officials dropping the ball.

Steve McNutt,

former Park Board member

Spokane