Letters for Wednesday, Jan.. 28

Support East Valley schools bond

I’ve been part of the East Valley community for the past 24 years. My three children have attended East Valley School District for the past 21 years, so I’ve spent a great deal of time personally attending events within EVSD’s existing buildings. As a result, I’ve witnessed first-hand how critical it is for the upcoming EVSD bond to pass and allow EVSD to replace their aging and antiquated high school and middle school and provide necessary infrastructure and safety upgrades district wide.

I suppose I have a unique perspective on this because I’ve spent the past 24 years working as an electrical engineer. As part of my profession, I’ve had the opportunity to help design the replacement and upgrade of numerous elementary schools, middle schools and high schools for most of the school districts within Spokane and the surrounding communities. Through my professional experience, I’ve performed analysis for numerous existing schools to help local school districts determine if their schools are in need of replacement and/or repair. Based upon my professional experience, as well as my personal knowledge regarding the existing condition of EVSD schools, I’ve never seen a school district that has a greater basic fundamental need than EVSD to pass a bond and support the essential educational needs of their students.

Please join me in voting “yes” for the EVSD bond on Feb. 10. Now is the time to pass this bond and support the crucial educational needs of our students and community for generations to come.

Brandon Enevold

Spokane

Our minimum wage and salary laws are killing businesses

In the first half of 2025 alone 2,000 restaurants in our state closed. With an assumed average of 10 employees per restaurant that is 20,000 jobs lost along with many owners’ life savings. A recent article from a Seattle newspaper noted that many small businesses in Seattle are failing as well.

Our current state minimum wage is $17.13 per hour, and it is now $21.30 in Seattle. Both are tied to the CPI, which means they will continue to increase every year. The overtime exempt salary threshold is now over $80,000! This has caused many businesses to drop salaried employees to hourly wage rates.

Have you eaten out lately? Were you surprised by the cost of the meal? And were you unhappy about the slow service? Well, if you were in favor of raising the minimum wage rate don’t blame the restaurant. Look in the mirror.

And of course, now the same people who stated everyone needs a living wage are coming back saying, “Oh my! Prices have gone up so high we need to raise the minimum much further!” And the cycle begins anew.

Capitalism and the law of supply and demand do actually work. When we prop up one side of the equation the other side suffers. Starter jobs cooking fries and waiting tables at MacDonald’s are not meant to enable a person to buy a home. They teach work ethic and lead to better paying jobs.

Hal Dixon

Spokane

National Center for Atmospheric Research funding

The failure to preserve funding for the National Center for Atmospheric Research in the recent appropriations package has left Eastern Washington – not to mention the rest of the U.S. – more vulnerable than ever to extreme weather events. NCAR’s collaborative, groundbreaking work on the complex web of our planet’s systems – atmosphere, land, ocean and sun – is critical for our understanding of and response to climate change. Last month, unheard of 80-plus mph winds downed trees and powerlines across the Palouse, damaging homes and leaving thousands of households, including mine, without power. Clearly, the impacts of climate degradation are escalating. Remember Malden in 2020?

We can’t leave our ability to predict and be proactive about windstorms and wildfires at or below the present level. Please support a separate bill for NCAR funding or one that includes it as a line item. Dissolving the NCAR is like tossing all precaution to the winds.

William Engels

Pullman

Congress, health care and fiscal discipline

In his recent letter regarding Rep. Baumgartner and the state of health care in the 5th Congressional District, Randall Ulberg’s is correct: the OBBBA is a disaster for health care. Mr. Baumgartner ignores the CBO projections: the OBBBA will increase the federal deficit by nearly $2 trillion over five years. Our medical infrastructure is the cost of this “fiscal discipline.”

If a “spanking” is what the congressman means by “discipline” then that is what our local hospitals will get. The combined net deficit for hospitals in the CD5 is projected to be $90.5 million in 2026. In Spokane, the hurt is real. Providence Sacred Heart faces a $42.5 million deficit. Deaconess, a $24 million shortfall. These gaps are driven by Medicaid redeterminations and the expiration of ACA subsidies.

However, I disagree that Mr. Ulberg’s preferred candidate is the only viable option for better representation. In 2024 in Spokane County, his choice lost to Baumgartner by over 15 points. Other Democrats on that ticket received more total votes in their race. Voters have other options as other strong and viable candidates have announced they are running.

Filing week is not until May. I find it offensive to suggest voters shouldn’t have a choice because one campaign has already declared themselves the “best” option. Democracy is about citizens voting for the candidate of their own choosing. Anointing a candidate prematurely undermines the accountability we demand and are not receiving from Rep. Baumgartner.

Linda Gunshefski

Walla Walla

Baumgartner’s expression of concern

I about fell out of my chair when I read that Michael Baumgartner is “disturbed” by the killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis by Border Patrol agents. He has even called for a congressional investigation of the shooting. This is very different from his statement concerning the earlier ICE killing of Renee Good. Concerning that shooting, Baumgartner said that “from what I’ve seen, it looks like a justified killing.” This even though Ms. Good was unarmed and was clearly driving away from the shooter according to video footage examined by the New York Times.

For those who despair that nothing will ever shake the GOP’s craven vassalage to Donald Trump. Baumgartner’s little rebellion should offer encouragement to continue protesting against Trump and the GOP. Please continue calling and writing Baumgartner’s office. Although it may appear no one is listening, I’m sure someone in the office is tallying the views expressed. Continue attending the demonstrations and prayer services such as those held at Gonzaga and at St. John’s Cathedral on Friday. And continue sending critical letters about Baumgartner’s support for Trump’s policies to the Spokesman Review.

Although the 5th Congressional District leans Republican, it is rated only R+5 by the Cook Political Report. This is well within the margin of Democratic overperformance in recent gubernatorial and special congressional elections. If Baumgartner and incumbents in similar districts become more afraid of their own constituents than they are of Donald Trump, we may see the beginning of the end of our national nightmare.

Donald D. Lamp

Spokane

No response from Hill

The primary role of a Washington House of Representative member is to represent their constituents by crafting, debating and voting on state laws and the biennial budget. As a representative and as we always hear in campaigns, the primary role is to represent by listening to the community they represent as well as being transparent.

Rep. Natasha Hill is the representative for the 3rd Legislative District, but who does she represent? After multiple emails to her, I have yet to get a response. Of the four districts in and around Spokane, I have heard from 11 of 12 of the legislators with the only one that has been silent being Rep. Hill.

Rep. Hill sponsored HB 2489, which would overturn the progress Spokane has made since it changed course in October 2025 when it began using compassionate enforcement to move people off sidewalks and out of danger, and toward shelter, treatment and stabilization. The results were immediate. Of the 21 commercial properties I manage for my employer, all saw an immediate sense of being safer and healthier. We were able to roll back our private security and lease out a vacant building because of the work of our City Council. HB2489 would prevent Spokane from maintaining what is currently working.

Please reach out to Rep. Hill and her fellow co-sponsor Rep. Ormsby to tell them to not interfere with our city’s progress of becoming healthier and safer.

Chud Wendle

Coeur d’Alene