Northeast Spokane gets a representative on the Transit Authority as the city council shuffles board appointments

Northeast Spokane’s conservative representatives on Monday got something they’ve been asking for all year: a voting seat on the Spokane Transit Authority, which operates the region’s transit system.

Both of the district’s members, council members Michael Cathcart and Jonathan Bingle, nearly voted against the appointment though. They expressed frustrations with an accompanying shift in which members lead the council’s committees, where proposed legislation is first considered, as the initial proposal would have stripped Cathcart of the two members’ only leadership role.

Unanimous support was only salvaged after a series of last-minute concessions that took council members by surprise, including Councilwoman Lili Navarrete offering to give up her position leading a committee largely focused on downtown issues to Bingle, which the council accepted.

Councilman Zack Zappone also attempted to offer Cathcart a largely symbolic position as council president pro tem. Cathcart turned down that offer, suggesting that Council President Betsy Wilkerson needed a lieutenant who was more closely aligned. Zappone made a final motion to replace himself with Cathcart on a committee that helps guide council rules, which was approved.

The attempts at conciliation at the dais did not stop Bingle from flinging barbs at Zappone, saying that Zappone’s actions Monday did not match his previous rhetoric and rejecting that Zappone cared about equal representation for the city’s three districts.

While most of these assignments haven’t drawn significant public scrutiny – if few members of the public attend the city’s weekly council meetings, far fewer attend their afternoon committees or various boards – several of them could have real impacts on policy and personnel, particularly when it comes to the Transit Authority.

The city of Spokane has four of nine voting seats on that board; on Jan. 22, the City Council’s liberal majority voted to give two positions to Northwest Spokane representatives, one to a south Spokane representative and the last seat to Wilkerson, who was elected citywide. Neither of northeast Spokane’s representatives were given a seat.

But Wilkerson and Councilman Paul Dillon on Friday recommended replacing Wilkerson with Councilman Michael Cathcart on that board.

“I have served there for a number of years, and I think part of being a council member is the opportunity to serve in other spaces, to expand their knowledge and to have a different voice in the community,” Wilkerson said in a brief interview.

Wilkerson added that she believed that replacing her voice with a more conservative one was unlikely to cause serious consternation for the council majority.

If that became an issue, she said, the council could reconsider board appointments.

There are three reliably conservative members on that board from the county and Spokane Valley, and two moderate swing votes, so there are cases where every vote could count if the city’s majority wants to advance its agenda in the Transit Authority, like with stalled progressives’ proposals to get rid of fares for bus rides or during the ongoing search for a replacement CEO. Earlier this year, Zappone argued that Cathcart and Bingle were unlikely to vote with the other city representatives.

Wilkerson and Dillon also recommended replacing Wilkerson with Bingle on the Spokane Regional Transportation Council, another multijurisdiction body, which leads planning for road building and other transportation across the county.

“I’m much happier about that,” Bingle said, though he now argues that his district should have two seats instead of Northwest Spokane.

“If you’re going to have two from one district, it would make sense to be from ours since we have the highest ridership and highest need,” he added. “But I am certainly thankful that we are at least going to be represented.”

Cathcart was also demoted from the only monthly committee that one of the conservative members led, the Finance and Administration Committee, which he has chaired this year; he will still serve as vice chair, however. Cathcart was also removed as vice chair of the Public Safety and Community Health Committee.

The committees are the first venue for the full council to consider new laws, typically aligning with the theme of the committee, and are a time for city agencies to present information to the council. A new law criminalizing behaviors will typically be first presented at the Public Safety and Community Health Committee, for instance, and it is also a venue for the police chief to provide presentations.

Zappone will chair the Public Safety and Community Health Committee, replacing Dillon. Bingle will now chair the Urban Experience Committee, replacing Zappone. Councilwoman Kitty Klitzke will chair the Public Infrastructure, Environment and Sustainability Committee, replacing Wilkerson. Dillon will chair the Finance and Administration Committee, replacing Cathcart.

Finally, Dillon will also replace Zappone as council president pro tem, a primarily symbolic role, though he may lead meetings during Wilkerson’s absence.