#1. What in your education or experience qualifies you to represent Spokane Valley residents?
I have spent the last seven years, three of those as Mayor, gaining the experience and education to be an effective councilmember. My 28 years of successful business ownership has given me experience in cash flow, budgets and customer service. In addition I have worked on economic issues while serving on the executive board of the Economic Development Council and on the board of directors for Greater Spokane Inc. and the Greater Spokane Valley Chamber. I am a graduate of Leadership Spokane and hold a B.A. in History from the University of Maryland.
#2. As a City Council member, would you vote to place disincorporation before voters. Why, or why not?
I would not vote to place disincorporation on the ballot. The citizens voted for incorporation already so why do it again. Under our city government, the citizens have access to seven council members versus the three county commissioners of whom only one represents the City of Spokane Valley area. In addition the City has a balanced budget while Spokane County’ s budget is $12.4 million out of balance and the city of Spokane has a $7 million balancing problem. One of the reasons people voted to incorporate was to protect from encroachment from the City of Spokane and to insure that their tax dollars were spent in our City, not spread out over the entire county. If you love disincorporation, you’ll love annexation (by Spokane).
#3. Would you keep or overturn the Sprague-Appleway Revitalization Plan? What about letting voters decide? Do you think they would confirm the plan or scrap it?
The City, like any successful business, needs a plan to move forward. As we implement the Sprague/Appleway plan there will be changes as economic conditions and practicality dictate. Parts of the SARP may require funding levels for which bonding will be needed and that would go to a vote of the citizens. As elected officials we are charged to do the homework, making sure the plan benefits the entire city not a limited few. The purpose of the SARP is to increase the value of property along the corridor, making it more attractive to develop. The Greater Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Spokane Valley Business Association and the Auto-row car dealers all support the SARP. The majority of these land owners are also citizens of Spokane Valley.
#4. If you want to scrap the plan, how would you revitalize Sprague and reduce the number of vacant commercial buildings?
I would not scrap the plan but look for ways to enhance opportunities for the landowners along Sprague.
#5. Do you favor the city’s policy of hiring contractors whenever possible to provide municipal services? In particular, what about the city’s contract with Spokane County for police service?
As long as contracting out provides excellent services at reasonable costs I would continue to do so. The Sheriff’s Department has done a very good job so at this time I see no reason to change the manner in which we operate.
#6. The City Council passed a 6 percent telephone tax to help pay for street maintenance, but says it’s not enough. What would you like to do?
The six percent telephone tax does pay for street maintenance but there is not enough funding for doing street preservation. Street preservation is providing treatment to a road to extend its life. In general, one dollar in treatment will save eight dollars in having to entirely reconstruct the road. Before any question of raising taxes for road construction, there has to be community dialogue to determine how the citizens want to preserve the streets at current conditions, and what the costs would be to maintain streets at present levels.
#7. The city is running short of money for its program of full-width street repaving after sewer construction. What would you do?
I have asked staff to explore grant possibilities and then there is the option of using monies from our reserve fund so we may continue full width paving.
#8. Spokane Valley’s best-paid employee, City Manager Dave Mercier, will earn $166,102 this year. Are city officials paid too much, too little, just enough?
Mr Mercier’s contract was negotiated and approved by all council members. The salaries for city officials are determined by education, experience and market rates. The annual pay of most of the department heads for Spokane Valley is actually lower than the state average according to data compiled by the Association of Washington Cities.
#9. Would you prefer an elected mayor instead of an appointed city manager to control the city’s day-to-day affairs, as in Spokane? How about a Spokane-style ward system for the City Council?
Even an elected Mayor may end up hiring a city administrator who has the professional credentials so there would be no cost savings. And an elected Mayor would require a much higher salary then the $10,800 our appointed Mayor currently receives. In the State of Washington, the preponderance of cities over 25,000 population have a council/manager form of government while in the United States it is the preferred form of government for cities over 10,000. A ward system has both advantages and disadvantages that need to be discussed by the community.
#10. Should Spokane Valley build a new City Hall at the University City Shopping Center, buy the building it now rents or do something else? Should it continue paying rent?
The Council needs to evaluate the cost of leasing the current facility versus buying or building a new city hall. There needs to be an evaluation of the benefits of owning an asset versus continuing to rent. If we should determine that there is greater benefit to buying/building a city hall, we would go to a vote of the citizens as to whether THEY would want us to proceed with this project. However in these current economic times, it is prudent to continue in our present location which is why we recently signed a three year lease.
#11. What are the city’s best accomplishments?
The City’s best accomplishments are:
● Having a balanced budget with a “rainy day” reserve of $5.4 million plus avoiding any personnel layoffs or cutting of service hours;
● Receiving $9.9 million federal funds to replace Barker Bridge;
● Securing $800,000 in state funding to build Discovery Playground, a benefit to children of all ages and abilities;
● Obtaining $300,000 in state park funds to purchase park land for the Greenacres neighborhood;
● $2.1 million in stimulus funding to repave Sprague Avenue;
● Securing Federal funding through STA to improve the intersections of Evergreen, MacDonald and Bowdish with concrete paving. |
