Spokane Councilwoman Lili Navarrete’s resignation effective June 30

Spokane City Councilwoman Lili Navarrete will resign effective June 30, she announced Monday.

“With great sadness and heavy consideration, I have decided to resign as a Council Member for District 2, where it has been an honor to represent my beloved district,” Navarrete wrote in a prepared statement.

“I am proud of my contributions as a Council Member, such as introducing the ordinance concerning the Human Rights and Basic Dignity of Individuals Experiencing Homelessness and the Language Access Ordinance,” she continued. “I have strived to bring diversity and inclusion to the workplace, and I hope my efforts have positively impacted the City Council and its employees.”

During her time on the council, Navarrete has shepherded an ordinance to encourage the recruiting of more multilingual city employees, worked on a slate of reforms to increase employment and housing rights for the homeless ultimately whittled down to the hiring protection dubbed “Ban the Address.” Most recently, she introduced legislation meant to prevent federal immigration officers from warrantless raids in city parks.

The Spokesman-Review reported her pending resignation on Thursday, but at the time Navarrete said she had not yet finalized some of the details of when she would step down.

Navarrete already announced in March that she would not run for a new term, citing health concerns. Alejandro Barrientos, chief operating officer at SCAFCO Steel Stud Company, and Kate Telis, a former deputy prosecutor from New Mexico, have both filed to run for the seat.

Navarrete’s resignation opens the door to a short-term appointment to fill her seat ahead of the election, however. That term would last until the November election is certified, at which point the candidate who won the election would be immediately sworn in. Recent appointments, including Navarrete’s own in January 2023, have attracted upwards of 20 applicants.