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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Editorial: Cheers to bar-city deal; may it serve downtown

From the reactions aired this week on both sides of the bargaining table, six months of negotiations between city officials and an alliance of bar owners has paid off surprisingly well.

The result, if all the optimism is well-founded, would be a balanced blend of economic vitality, energetic night life and civic order.

It didn’t look that promising last December when the newly formed Spokane Alliance of Bars and Restaurants was sharply critical of the city’s methods in keeping watering-hole conviviality from deteriorating into vagrancy and mayhem. Authorities used their regulatory powers as a club, coercing certain wining and dining businesses into entering “good neighbor agreements,” the bar organization alleged. The city, they charged, was not evenhanded, leaving some establishments at a competitive disadvantage against others.

Discussions began in what the alliance’s lawyer now describes as “a pretty contentious debate.”

A city like Spokane wants and needs a lively after-hours environment in its core. There are out-of-town visitors here for business, pleasure and convention activity. Let’s give them an opportunity to nourish our economy. There are downtown residents whose neighborhood is at the heart of this issue. Let’s let them enjoy it as well as protect it.

Those opportunities are problematical, though, if the potential for unruliness and crime that is a byproduct of uncontrolled drinking goes unchecked.

The city wanted to deal effectively with establishments that let things get out of hand. The owners wanted consistent and fair treatment as they went about a legal business.

The discussions have produced a tentative compromise that features an independent dispute-resolution process that is intended to resolve differences without having to resort to license-revocation steps.

Alliance lawyer Jerry Davis and Spokane Mayor Mary Verner are both optimistic the arrangement will be a success, assuming the City Council approves it.

At this point, it’s all theoretical, however. Adopting an ordinance and achieving its purposes are two different things. Assuming the council signs off, the next step is to monitor the results closely and be prepared to return to the issue if necessary. The quality of life in downtown Spokane deserves more than theoretical solutions.

To respond to this editorial online, go to www.spokesman.com and click on Opinion under the Topics menu.