Editorial: Keep pressure on election winners
After the confetti is swept away and yard signs are removed (deadline is Nov. 14), the public tends to disengage from politics. But if you were moved by particular issues, it’s wise to remind election winners that you’re still watching.
On the statewide initiatives, voters said they wanted background checks on private gun sales. The Legislature, which failed to act when it had the chance, should give Initiative 594 a wide berth. The opposition is organized and full-throated, but lawmakers should respect the voters’ wishes. Clarifying “transfer” and other terms is fine. But any change that defeats the intent is not.
If voters had wanted significant legislative tinkering, they would have approved Initiative 591.
Voters showed surprising skepticism about Initiative 1351, which looked like a shoo-in after early polling. The final results are not in yet, but it looks like the initiative will fail. The “yes” side had the easier, feel-good message: smaller class sizes. But voters responded to the projected price tag and uncertainty about how to raise the necessary billions of dollars when the Legislature already faces the task of fully funding basic education.
Nonetheless, lawmakers have already committed to smaller class sizes, particularly through third grade and in at-risk schools. Voters – with backup from the state Supreme Court – should make sure that effort remains on the legislative front-burner.
The “Blueprint for Reform” was on the lips of all candidates in the races for Spokane County District Court, prosecutor’s office and Sheriff’s Office. But criminal justice reform proponents Mary Lou Johnson and Breean Beggs lost their races. The Blueprint singled out District Court as an institution that must embrace change, yet it looks like seven of the eight incumbent judges were re-elected.
So it’s imperative for the public to keep up the pressure to ensure that criminal justice leaders don’t ease back into their comfort zones.
Also, voters eagerly embraced the city’s street maintenance levy and the park bond, proving once again they will invest in the community if government devises smart financing, includes specific project lists with deadlines and, as it has with the existing street levy, fulfills its commitments.
The city has announced the first two years of street projects, which can be found at spokanecity.org. But you can weigh in on projects you’d like to see completed in future years. Similarly, the public can still comment on the Riverfront Park master plan by visiting riverfrontparkmasterplan.org or attending Park Board meetings.
Finally, with Oregon, Alaska and the District of Columbia joining Colorado and Washington in adopting recreational marijuana initiatives, Congress should do the obvious: reclassify marijuana so it is not treated as a narcotic. Letting the change in D.C. law stand would be a good first step.