NEWS | ELECTION 2013
District 3
70%
on Do-It-Yourself
Sprinkler Systems You can save up to 50% by doing your own sprinkler system! PLUS, by bringing in this coupon between now and June 29th, you can save another 20% on sprinkler parts! Check out our FREE instructional DVD today. Or ask about our referral list of select local contractors to do it for you!
Now Carrying
Lil’ Tex
Traeger Pellet
BBQ Grills Starting at $265! traegergrills.com
Sprinkler Supply • Ponds • Stove • Fireplace • Landscape • Lighting
www.AutoRain.com Coeur d’Alene 208-667-3943 • Lewiston 208-798-3115 N. Spokane 509-847-0060 • Spokane 509-326-4440 • Veradale 509-928-5403 Owned and Headquartered in Spokane Since 1952. 100% of profits Stay Local, Creating Local Jobs.
Candace Mumm
Kelly Cruz
Curt Fackler
“tipping the scales,” continued... McMorris Rodgers and for Mary Verner in her re-election bid against Condon. Mumm is backed by Stuckart, local labor unions and prominent regional Democrats. When it comes to paying for cops, she likens the city’s situation to a family looking to “clip coupons.” “But we can’t clip coupons anymore to pay for police and fire,” she says. “It doesn’t mean we’re not going to find efficiencies, but we also have a responsibility to the citizens to put all the options out there.” She says she’ll look to the Spokane Regional Criminal Justice Commission, tasked with analyzing the local criminal justice system, for money-saving recommendations. She’s open to a levy. When asked for specifics, she says she’s waiting to see revenue forecasts in the mayor’s budget, expected Aug. 1. (The administration has warned council members to expect a budget shortfall, but is so far avoiding specifics.) Two other candidates in the race have fewer high-profile supporters and less cash on hand, but say they’re better for the job for precisely those reasons: They don’t owe anyone anything. Kelly Cruz, 53, former chair of the West Central Neighborhood Council and a founding member of the West Central Association of Business, says he’d support cutting fire department manager positions and City Hall salaries of $100,000 or more to pay for more officers. “Don’t expect to come to the taxpayers and small business folks asking them to pay 100 percent,” Cruz says. “City Hall has got to share a little bit of the pain with the rest of us.” He’s critical of a $16 million pedestrian bridge planned for the University District. While funding for the project would come in part
THE EAGLE HAS LANDED AT WASHINGTON TRUST BANK Get your official EWU Alumni Association Credit and Debit Card — only at Washington Trust Bank. Visit watrust.com/ewuaa for more information.
14 INLANDER JULY 25, 2013
Michael Cannon
from state and federal sources, Cruz says future maintenance costs could come at the expense of public safety. Curt Fackler, 57, former chair of the Spokane County Republican Party, agrees public safety is a top priority, but focuses his talking points on statewide issues. He pushes for more transparency in government, like public negotiations between the city and the police guild, and says changes to state sales tax laws could bring new income to the city. He proposes a two-tiered pay scale for cops and firefighters to pay new hires less in order to save money. “We made these agreements when the economy was good,” he says of current contracts. “We’re in a different world now.”
T
he other council primary could also tip the scales. Jon Snyder, 44, is a pedestrian, bike and public transportation-focused first-term council member representing the South Hill and downtown, and he has drawn two challengers for his seat. Another in the block of three liberal council members, Snyder says decisions about how Spokane is developed in the future will soon come before the council, and his focus on smart, mixed-use development makes him the best candidate. Public safety is a major concern, but Snyder says it’s naive to think more Send comments to officers can be paid with editor@inlander.com. existing city funds. “That’s a really easy thing to say when you’re outside the council,” he says. “It’s an easy thing to say until they actually try to come up with specifics.” Snyder sits on council committees, including
letters