With the departure of its longtime president, Randy McGlenn, the East Central Neighborhood Council is getting a new president. So far, the only nominee to lead the neighborhood, which is the site of the homeless encampment Camp Hope, is developer Larry Stone. Stone doesn't live in East Central, but is the owner and developer of Playfair Commerce Park as well as the owner of the building that houses the Trent Resource and Assistance Center, a homeless shelter leased by the city. In 2019, Stone spent $100,000 to produce a "Seattle is Dying"-style video called "Curing Spokane" that called out problems with crime and visible drug use in Spokane, and amplified concerns being voiced by some business owners at the time. As a business and property owner in East Central, Stone has regularly participated in the neighborhood council's meetings (to be nominated, someone needs to have attended at least three of the past five consecutive meetings). The neighborhood council will accept any more board nominations at its November meeting before a December vote. (SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL)
(FISCALLY) CONSERVATIVE
During the 2019 election campaign, Spokane mayoral candidate Nadine Woodward touted her predecessor's conservative and balanced budgeting as "the best gift that our mayor has just given our next mayor." But now that Woodward is mayor, it's the Spokane City Council — typically seen as more progressive — that has been demanding more cautious budgets, arguing that the Woodward administration has been using one-time money to obscure ongoing budget gaps. At the Oct. 17 council meeting, however, the council passed a resolution outlining what kind of budget they wanted to see from the mayor before Nov. 1: Cut the city's general fund expenses by 10 percent and establish a hiring freeze for some positions. If one-time COVID grant money is used to fill ongoing expenses, the council declared, the city should first outline a plan to make cuts when that money is spent. "The administration has not yet identified where all the funding is going to come from for some of the issues that are going to come down the pike next year," Council member Michael Cathcart, a conservative said, adding, "I feel like we are just heading to a cliff." The resolution passed 6-1 — with only Council member Jonathan Bingle opposed. (DANIEL WALTERS)
FOR THE DOGS
Spokane will keep looking for a replacement to the unofficial South Hill dog park that was lost as construction started on a new middle school. The Spokane Park Board rejected a proposal to locate a new 7-acre fenced dog park in Lincoln Park at its Monday meeting, with two members in favor and six opposed. "This doesn't mean that we're done with the dog park hunt," said Jennifer Ogden, the board president. "We need to keep looking." The vote came after dozens of residents weighed in on three proposals at community meetings in recent weeks. Many voiced opposition to the three possible sites, which included Lincoln and Underhill parks, and near Hazel Creek behind Ferris High School. Some talked about choosing children over dogs, while others worried about habitat for wild turkeys, deer, and other native prairie plants and birds. (SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL) ♦
