Stratton’s a leader for Spokane

Since her appointment to the Spokane City Council last September, Karen Stratton has been a vocal champion of civil service principles and fairness in government hiring.

Ever since Alexander Hamilton established a meritocracy for hiring and evaluating employees in government service when he served as our first U. S. Treasury secretary, most all levels of government now utilize what is now termed “civil service.” The city of Spokane’s civil service program ensures that government jobs go to those most qualified for the position, and not just to those with connections in City Hall.

Too often, the current city executives have tried to undermine the city’s civil service system by converting classified positions into exempt positions, circumventing standards set to maintain meaningful job qualifications and a transparent hiring process. Not only did Stratton call out the practice publicly last fall, she stopped “sham” exempt positions by requiring executives to justify their changes to current classified jobs, and to secure council consent for new exempt positions.

Stratton had the guts to challenge these unfair practices and to exercise her exceptional knowledge of City Hall workings. Karen’s kind of leadership benefits all citizens of Spokane because hiring the most qualified persons for city jobs ensures the best service to citizens of Spokane.

We need to keep Karen Stratton on the City Council. She is a voice for fairness and transparency in city government.

Diane Crow

Spokane