Spokane’s time to shine

The shadow of Seattle has loomed large in this election, with lots of people expressing understandable concern about Spokane gravitating toward our neighbor’s traffic, high cost of living, and crime. I would argue that many of Seattle’s problems stem from a lack of preparedness for the explosive growth it’s experienced in recent years, with a lack of infrastructure and planning leading to few transit options and glaring income inequality.

Fortunately, in Spokane we have candidates running for leadership positions who have a clear vision for the city’s future that will allow it to grow in a way that will create new opportunities without destroying the many things we love about living here. Ben Stuckart and Breean Beggs have plans for transit, for treating the root causes of homelessness, for intelligent development, and for preserving the environment that makes our city “near nature, near perfect.”

Spokane has always dreamed big, and while we may currently face civic challenges on many fronts, we have the opportunity to realize those dreams and, while we’re at it, to step out of our neighbor’s shadow and the let the Lilac City show the Emerald City the way forward.

John Orcutt

Spokane