Bloglander

Mayor David Condon has drawn his first challenger with Shar Lichty, an organizer with the Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane.

Lichty, who is 48 and has lived in Spokane for nearly a decade, says she decided to run after state Rep. Marcus Riccelli, D-Spokane, declined to run against Condon. She says she’s running because “Spokane deserves a mayor that listens to everyday people.”

“I don’t think we’ve had that mayor in the last three mayors,” she says.

In particular, she faults Condon for not bargaining more aggressively with the Spokane Police Guild over police reform, and she says he’s been too cozy with large businesses.

In the past, Lichty has campaigned on behalf of statewide referendums to grant same-sex couples domestic partnerships and later full marriages. Lichty has never held elected office, and she says that Spokane City Council’s progressive wing reflects her values.

To date, Condon has raised nearly $244,000 for his reelection campaign. But Lichty is unphased by the mayor’s war chest.

“Oh, I’ll let him run that big money campaign,” she says. “And I will run a grassroots campaign because that’s what I know how to do.”