Letters for Oct. 26, 2023
October surprise
Voters should be wary of being manipulated right before an election with a tactic known as the “October surprise.” Political junkies are well aware of the tactic, but most voters have never heard of it.
Political campaigns, and especially independent expenditure groups, dig up or make up dirt on a candidate. They coordinate the release of it right before the election, like on the Friday before. Whether “dirt” is or isn’t true, the opposition can do little to respond because the media and post office are off duty until Monday. Voters enter their last weekend before election day with a falsehood from one side and make up their minds before seeing any response.
Four years ago the surprise was dirt dug up on the leaders of Jewels Helping Hands, connecting them to candidate Ben Stuckart. It was enough to tip the scales toward Nadine Woodward, who won by only 848 votes.
Don’t be fooled. Never take last minute campaign messages at face value. Is it true? Is it important? Does it attempt to elicit an emotional response? Anyone who tries to make you angry or afraid does not have the facts on their side. Luckily, in Washington state, since we receive ballots two weeks before election day, we can send them in immediately before last minute hit pieces come out.
So vote. Vote early. And vote smart. Don’t be fooled by the October surprise designed to fool you at the last minute. You can bet one is coming.
Tom Topping
Millwood
Cheney candidates
As I was looking at the cute flyer that City Council candidates Rebecca Long and Jacquelyn Beelock sent out to remind people of the Trunk or Treat event for Halloween this year, I can’t help but think how nice it is to have two candidates running for office who keep showing up for Cheney. It is great to find them involved in everything from the Merchants Society, to the EWU Bedrace, to the Saturday Market.
These young women are our future. They are there to represent all of us.
They don’t just pretend to want to know Cheney but are actually out at Cheney events asking questions investigating tough issues and studying the solutions they will need once elected to the important job they hope to have on our City Council.
It is encouraging to me to see this caliber of candidate run for Cheney City Council and I hope you will check out their websites and/or talk to them when you see them at Cheney functions or in local stores.
If you are the kind of person like me, who wants to know who is funding their campaigns you will also check out where the money for their campaigns are coming from by going to the Public Disclosure Commission at pdc.wa.gov. If you check them out you will see they are not financed by large donations from those who may want more than good representative government. Help Cheney move forward with new leadership elect Rebecca Long and Jacquelin Beelock for City Council in November.
Bonnie Mager
Cheney
Status quo is not good enough
Two different types of candidates are running for West Bonner County School District board trustees, Zones 1 and 5. On one hand we have current board trustees running who voted for a levy without insisting on a thorough audit. On the other hand, we have Alan Galloway and Kathy Nash running and both of them want to ensure completion of a forensic audit before a levy is on the ballot. The former are operating according to the “status quo” and the latter are passionate about having a budget all taxpayers in their zones can trust.
Nash is a trained accountant with 30-plus years of experience. School budgets and funding sources are complex and Nash is ready to help. She has already spent several years looking at the budget and questioning why approved policies and practices are not followed.
Some have questioned why people who haven’t had children in WBCSD schools would be running for the board. I think it admirable that Galloway and Nash have experience with homeschooling children and grandchildren, yet are eager to serve voluntarily to ensure the future leaders of our community receive excellent instruction and feel safe in our public schools.
Nash and Galloway support the rights of parents to raise their children and will work to ensure unwanted influences do not take away those rights. They are pro-family and pro-educational excellence.
Vote Nov. 7 for Alan Galloway, WBCSD Board Trustee Zone 1, and Kathy Nash, WBCSD Board Trustee Zone 5.
Kathryn Barlow
Spirit Lake, Idaho
Please re-elect Tim Hattenburg
Spokane Valley residents have a unique opportunity, and that is to re-elect Tim Hattenburg to Spokane Valley City Council Position 6.
Why is this a unique opportunity? Tim is not doing this for himself.
He is not self-serving as so many who seek public office are.
He is running for re-election for you, for me, for all of us who live here.
The proof is that he freely gives out his cellphone number and takes calls from his constituents. Who else running for office does that? No one else that I know of.
Tim doesn’t dictate solutions. He wants to know our ideas for improving the quality of life in our city. He listens, and as a lifelong Valley resident he cares about the concerns of his neighbors, those he knows and those he has yet to meet.
In his four years on the council, Tim has been instrumental in doubling the size of parklands in the area as well as in the development of the beautiful new library. Fiscally responsible, he has helped maintain a balanced budget. His accomplishments are many, and you can learn more about them at info@peoplefortimhattenburg.com.
Give Tim your vote this Nov. 7. As Spokane Valley residents, we need his commitment, expertise, and true family values.
Molly Ertel
Spokane Valley