Disincorporation drive ends

Groups seeking to have Spokane Valley voters decide whether to get rid of the city they created earlier this decade are giving up their drive to put disincorporation on the ballot. Susan Scott of Friends of Spokane Valley said this morning that her organization and Citizens for Disincorporation are not giving up entirely, but shifting their focus to back challengers to incumbent City Council members on the November ballot. But she acknowledged that the petition drive is over. “We ran out of time,” Scott said. “We’re backing the candidates in favor of a change in the government we have.” That will include Brenda Grassel, who is running against Councilwoman and former Mayor Diana Wilhite and state Sen. Bob McCaslin, who is running against Mayor Rich Munson, she said. Dick Behm of the Spokane Valley Business Association, which was fighting the disincorporation, announced the drive was over in a press release that called for both sides to join in a campaign to create a positive image for the city. The group will continue to distribute its “We (heart) Spokane Valley” signs, designed to thwart disincorporation, as long as they last, Behm said.