Spin Control: Picking one picture to represent a Spokane district can be difficult

While most controversies in Olympia this session are over things like the budget, a proposed millionaire’s tax or possible restrictions on sheriffs, there is a much smaller one that may hit closer to the heart of some Spokane residents.

It involves the choice of a photo to represent central Spokane’s 3rd Legislative District in the display of pictures on the walls of Lt. Gov. Denny Heck’s lobby.

The walls hold a color photograph from each of the state’s 49 districts, arranged in numerical order, with a brief description of the cities, towns or counties inside that district’s boundaries.

They’re hung high on the lobby wall, so it’s possible a visitor can miss them if he or she concentrates on other displays in the office, like the model for the newly commissioned statue of Billie Frank Jr., which will replace the statue of Marcus Whitman as one of the state’s offerings to the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall.

Some shots are iconic, some are artistic.

Spokane’s 4th District photo is an artsy lake shot. The 6th District is represented by a snowy view of the airport. The 7th District photo features a rustic ranch image. The 9th District shows the Palouse in bloom.

Only the 3rd District photo has generated any criticism, primarily from Marcus Riccelli, the Democrat who has represented the district for more than a dozen years, first in the House and now in the Senate.

The district, which reaches from Hillyard to much of the South Hill below 29th Avenue, has some of the city’s most iconic vistas: Riverfront Park, Gonzaga University campus, the Spokane Falls, the Davenport Hotel.

The photo is a shot of Manito Park’s Duncan Gardens. Great, you might say. The flowers are always so beautiful in the summer.

The photo, however, was taken in early spring or late fall, and the beds are empty. Riccelli has voiced – shall we say disappointment? – to displaying the gardens, and by extension the district, in a less than optimum light.

“It has become a running thing” between himself and the lieutenant governor, Riccelli said recently. “We’ve had a pretty good back and forth.”

For most senators, there might be scant opportunity to voice such – might we say disagreement? – as the lieutenant governor’s office is on the floor below the Senate floor and its leadership offices. But Riccelli is the Democratic floor leader and Heck presides over the Senate when it’s in session, so the two meet on a regular basis to go over the plans for upcoming votes and other action when senators are in the chamber.

Plus Riccelli and Heck are in the running for the biggest Gonzaga basketball fan in the domed Legislative Building, so they often see each other on game nights.

Over time, Riccelli’s – should we say strong opinion? – became known to Heck’s staff, who tried to ameliorate the situation by adding colorful stickers of flowers to strategic spots in the photo. Didn’t help, although it does make the photo stand out a bit more, so it might have been counterproductive.

“He whines about the photo several times a week,” said Heck, who adds he didn’t choose the photo. It was taken and selected by legislative staff, which is many times bigger than his, he added.

“I am innocent, innocent, innocent,” Heck insisted. He’s a huge fan of Spokane, his wife is a native Spokanite and he has a 4-by-6-foot GU banner in his personal office, he added.

The photo display overall is enormously popular with members of the general public, who like to pick out the photo from their district, he said. He’s also not sure how long the display has graced the lobby’s walls: “It was here when I got here.”

Riccelli said he knows there are other photos on walls in legislative office buildings that would be a better representation of the 3rd. His – let’s just say lobbying – could soon bear fruit. Heck said he has asked the archives for three possible replacement pictures from Spokane’s 3rd District. He’ll pick one for the wall – possibly one of Gonzaga, if available.

The other two he plans to give to Riccelli to hang in the senator’s office.