Author: jxindivisible

Ballot Turn-in deadline next Tuesday

Opening Note: As always, anything underlined in this email is a link to more information, some of which are analyses I’ve previously published. 

I expect that most of the readers of The High Ground (these emails) have already filled out the ballot they received and either deposited it in one of the Drop Boxes (which saves the county the cost of postage) or dropped it in the mail (at no direct cost to the voter). If you haven’t voted, please do so. I encourage you to touch base with people you know and remind them to vote, too. 

The Republican blare machine fueled by uber-wealthy (mostly) real estate interests has spent a record amount of money flooding the airwaves, our mailboxes, social media, and phone lines with vile misinformation and distortion this election season, all in the hope of stirring up fear and loathing to stimulate a certain kind of voter turnout. It is a carefully honed tactic. Don’t let them succeed. Vote and encourage your friends to do the same. 

Shout Out to the investigative journalism of RANGE Media

Luke Baumgarten and Aaron Hedge each published an article yesterday (Thursday, November 2) that is well worth your time to read. Aaron’s article, How to spot an ad paid for by special interest groups, is a terrific guide to the garbage that is filling up your mailbox. Luke’s article, More than anywhere in Washington state, private wealth is fueling candidates in Spokane, reveals the jaw-dropping concentration of money brought to bear on this year’s City of Spokane municipal elections. Luke has worked through mountains of publicly available, but hard to navigate, Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)data to present a startling picture of this year’s “independent” expenditures. Please click on each of those articles, read them, share them, and sign up for a paid subscription to RANGE. (You can read RANGE for free, but they deserve our support.)

One must wonder why the City of Spokane has become such a target. Consider that Spokane is the seat of power of the Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers political machine, the machine of the two remaining Republican U.S. Representatives from Washington State (the other is Dan Newhouse, just west of us). Is all this money and organization brought to bear on our local election the result of a lingering grudge? Is this payback from the McMorris Rodgers machine for the audacity of Lisa Brown in challenging CMR for her congressional seat in 2018? 

We are facing another winter—and, once again, the Woodward administration is careening into winter without an adequate plan to provide emergency shelter. Woodward, who, ran for mayor on the issue of homelessness in 2019, is a month past the September 30 legal deadline to publish a plan for emergency warming, cooling, and safe air shelters for next year—yet another example of what happens when you hire a newscaster with scant administrative experience to run a city. See Erin Sellers’ excellent article on this issue, also at RANGE Media. Let’s elect a mayor, Lisa Brown, who has abundant experience in administration. 

Below, for convenience, I have pasted the same voting recommendations I’ve sent out before. Here’s the link to the list of some of the positive (and negative) voting guides I consulted.

Vote! and 

Keep to the High Ground,

Jerry

Ballot Measures:

Here is an excellent RANGE Media piece on both these measures

City of Spokane Proposition 1 NO (link)

Spokane County Measure 1 NO (link)

Spokane County Recommendations 2023

City of Spokane

Mayor: Lisa Brown Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 10.8.2023

Spokane City Council 

President: Betsy WilkersonVoters Guide  Spokesman Review 10.11.2023

District 1: Lindsey Shaw  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.29.2023

District 2: Paul Dillon Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.25.2023

District 3: Kitty Klitzke Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.18.2023

Cheney City Council

Position 2: Rebecca Long  Voters Guide Spokesman Review 10.10.2023

Position 6: Jacquelyn Belock  Voters Guide Spokesman Review 10.10.2023

City of Liberty Lake

Mayor: Cris Kaminskas  Voters Guide

Liberty Lake City Council

Position 1: Linda M Ball  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.15.2023

Position 3: Dan Dunne   Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 8.25.2023

Position 4: Travis Scott  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 10.10.2023

Position 5:     Annie Kurtz Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.21.2023

Position 6: Michael Hamblet  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.20.2023

Position 7: Teresa Tapao-Hunt  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.12.2023

Spokane Valley City Council

Position 6: Tim Hattenburg  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 2023  Spokesman Review 6.4.23  Spokesman Review 9.17.2023

Spokane Valley Fire Department

Commissioner #5: George Orr  Voters Guide  

Spokane County Water District 

Commissioner #3:  Mary Wissink Voters Guide

School Board Recommendations:

School board races are particularly fraught—and often challenging to research. The recommendations listed below for many of the school board contests in eastern Washington were assembled from a variety of sources by public school advocates led by Petra Hoy. (The municipal candidates recommended below are almost entirely in agreement with the Progressive Voters Guide. They are presented again as a bonus.)

SPOKANE COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD RACES

Central Valley School District 

Director, District 1: Cindy McMullen  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.11.2023

Director, District 3: Debra L Long  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.24.2023

Director, District 4: Keith Clark  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.20.2023

Cheney School District

Director, District 2:   Elizabeth Winer  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 10.9.2023

Director, District 3:  Henry C. Browne Jr.  Voters Guide  

Director District 4:  John Boerger Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.29.2023

Director District 5:  Mitch Swenson  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.30.2023

Mead School Board 

District 2:  Denny Denholm Voters Guide Spokesman Review 9.10.2023  Spokesman Review 9.28.2023

District 3: Jaime Stacy Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.18.2023

District 4:  David Knaggs Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.10.2023

Spokane School Board District 81

Director Position 5:  Mike Wiser  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 2023 Spokesman Review 9.26.2023

Nine Mile Fall School District

Director Position 3:  Kirsten Foose  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.23.2023

Medical Lake School District

District 2:  Alexis Alexander  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 10.6.2023

District 3:  Laura Elliot Parsons  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 10.4.2023

District 4:  Ron Cooper Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.26.2023

Deer Park School District

District 5  Eric Keller  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.22.2023

STEVENS COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD RACES

MARY WALKER SD 207

District 3 Jim Cannon Voters Guide

KETTLE FALLS SD 212

Director At Large #4  Thomas (Chip) Johnson  Voters Guide

[District 3 Write-in candidate Debbie Stewart, recommended by a respected reader of The High Ground who is familiar with the race.]

BENTON COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD RACES

Kennewick School District 17

Director 3 Michael Connors Voters Guide

Director 5  Lisa Peppard  Voters Guide

Richland School District 400

Director No. 3  Chelsie Beck  Voters Guide

Director Nol 4   Katrina Waters Voters Guide

Director No. 5  Jill Oldson  Voters Guide

CHELAN COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD RACES

MANSON SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 19

Director District #2  Aurora Flores  Voters Guide

YAKIMA COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD RACES

WAPATO SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 207

Director, District 3  Maria Antonia R. Erickson  Voters Guide

Another good negative indicator

You know those nasty mailers that have been fluttering into your mailbox over the last few weeks? Be sure to read the “Paid for by ___” line in the small print at the bottom of each mailer—a disclosure required by law in Washington State. If it says “Paid for by the Spokane Good Governance Alliance” consider the source when judging the contents. 

The ‘Good Governance Alliance’ makes a mockery of its own name by fielding misleading attack ads in the form of TV spots, mailers, door hangers, robocalls, and text messages flooding the City of Spokane voters’ mailboxes. Ninety-nine percent of vendors paid to produce this flood are located outside the City of Spokane, a preponderance of which are based in Phoenix AZ and Washington D.C. Based on reporting to date ‘Good Governance’ has spent almost a million dollars on “Independent Expenditures” with outside firms this election cycle. You can cruise the list of expenditures here. 

The so-called “Spokane Good Government Alliance” is awash in cash from a small number of monied interests. To date this year the ‘Good Governance’ political committee reports to the Public Disclosure Commission having raised donations of $1,412,521.00, almost four times what it raised in any prior municipal election cycle since it was formed in 2019. All of this money is destined to be spent either on misleading ads attacking progressive candidates or in support of all the recognizably Republican candidates for city offices. This is big bucks talking: the entire 1.4M was raised from just forty-eight unique business and individual donors—an average donation of nearly $30,000. You can cruise the list of contributors here. (Currently there are 73 rows of contributions, but many of the biggest donors wrote multiple checks.)

Who are these people? 

The single biggest contributor to “Spokane Good Government” is Gee Automotive Companies with $225,000. That’s 16% of the total. That 225K is, by itself, more than any one of the City of Spokane City Council candidates has raised this election cycle. Gee Automotive is a privately held company that doesn’t even have a presence in the City of Spokane, and yet the Gee family sees fit to use its profits to put a huge thumb on the scales of the City of Spokane municipal election. 

Next up is Larry Stone at $175,000, which is just a fraction of the amount Mr. Stone has spent this election cycle trying to keep Mayor Nadine Woodward in office, flip the City Council, and protect his investment in the TRAC homeless shelter building. Mr. Stone has contributed an additional $115,000 to “Clean and Safe Spokane”, nearly a third of that political committee’s total war chest, to promote City of Spokane Proposition 1. Prop 1 is the ballot measure that would outlaw camping in nearly two thirds of the City of Spokane, force the unsheltered homeless further into neighborhoods (and, perhaps worth noting, into Stone’s TRAC Shelter—if there were room…). Moreover Prop 1 would likely commit to City to an expensive legal battle. That total of more than a quarter of a million dollars Mr. Stone also spent an undisclosed amount producing “Curing a Broken Spokane”.

An obscure entity with an office in the Washington Trust Building, the “FJ Contribution Company I LLC”, contributed the next largest amount to “Spokane Good Government”, at $160,000. A quick search of that peculiar name reveals that one of the contacts for “FJ” is Alvin J. Wolff, Jr.. Alvin Wolff is the elder statesman of the Wolff Company, a real estate empire that owns and operates 30,000 rental units nationwide. In the 2019 election cycle the Wolff family poured significant resources in support of then mayoral candidate Nadine Woodward and a slate of Republican candidates for the nominally non-partisan seats on the City of Spokane City Council. The Wolffs gained some probably unwelcome notoriety in a Spokesman article that year. One cannot help but wonder if the “FJ Contribution Company I LLC” was established to shield some Wolff contributions to the “Spokane Good Government Alliance” in 2023. (Alvin J. Wolff, Jr. also directly contributed to $30,000 to the “Alliance”.)

The 2023 municipal election cycle is on track to set another new record for the amount of money raised and spent by “independent” political action committees. A common theme of the overwhelming expenditures on the Republican side of the ledger is real estate ownership, sales, leasing, and rental firms protecting their fat profits and wealth. (This election cycle just the three contributors to the “Spokane Good Government Alliance” mentioned in this post, Gee Automotive, Larry Stone, and the Wolff family, totaling $590,000, without considering any other monies gathered, already nearly reaches the record total independent expenditures of the 2019 cycle of $690K.) 

The “Spokane Good Government Alliance” is a perfect example of a name suggesting lofty ideals bankrolled by just forty-eight donors. These contributions likely feel like a pocket change investment for them, with a great return on investment if their preferred candidates were to retain the mayorship and achieve a City Council majority. Don’t let a small number of wealthy people buy these contests. Pay attention to “Paid for by ___” line on the mailers and in the TV ads you’re fed by these people, understand what they are selling—and vote accordingly.

Keep to the high ground,

Jerry

P.S. For more detail on the “independent” expenditures in the City of Spokane City Council races check out Emry Dinman’s excellent article in the Spokesman entitled Many claims in Spokane City Council election ads are misleading. The “Spokane Good Government Alliance” features rather prominently—as it should.

Do your homework, fill out your ballot, and turn it in this weekend!

In my opinion the best positive voting guide is the progressivevotersguide.orgpublished by FUSE Washington. It provides reasoned recommendations for most of what might appear on your ballot anywhere in Spokane County (where I have studied it carefully) and beyond. Its limitation is that it doesn’t extend to recommendations for every small town and school board election, some of which, especially school boards, have highly contested and important races. Following my High Ground sign-off below I once again share the expanded recommendations of Petra Hoy.

NEGATIVE Voting Guides

There are three voting guides covering Spokane County that serve well to point out people for whom you probably do NOT want to cast a vote. All three might be useful for you to explore as you contemplate your choices. 

ONE: The Spokane GOP endorsements (aka those of the Spokane County Republican Party) found here: https://www.spokanegop.com/ are a good NEGATIVE guide. Last December the SpokaneGOP took a hard right turnand promptly went itself off the rails. The endorsement committee of the SpokaneGOP is now led by Rob Linebarger, notable for his extremism cloaked in his particular conception of Christianity. Consider this quote from the endorsement webpage stating the SpokaneGOP’s Mission:

“to promote good government by Getting Republicans Elected at all levels, Support them, and Hold Them Accountable” once elected. The first step in this Mission is the process to either recruit, evaluate, and vett [sic] quality candidates who are challenging or running for an open seat or engage incumbents, evaluate their performance, and determine if further support is deserved.

Whoa! We support you and you will adhere to party ideology or we will replace you! That is a level of authoritarian-speak worthy of the Inquisition, not an American political party, especially one that elsewhere professes a “Big Tent” inclusiveness.

TWO: We Believe We Vote found here: https://webelievewevote.com/ . We Believe We Vote has a new director who has declared WBWV is a “ministry” (see “Notes” here), not a political PAC. As a result WBWV no longer reports to the Public Disclosure Commission, its donors are not named, and it insists that donors may claim an income tax deduction. Be sure to check out the “Core Beliefs and Position” under the “ABOUT” tab and click “VIEW SURVEY RESPONSES” for those candidates who filled out the survey. 

THREE: The Family Policy Institute of Washington Action (FPIWAction)’s recommendations for school board candidates available hereare also useful as a NEGATIVE guide. (For POSITIVE recommendations see below.) FPIW “is holding forums around the state to inform parents on what is really happening the Washington Education system.” These are called “Crises in Education Forums”. On the FPIW website a little digging will take you to a resource guide under “Education” that spells out “Inappropriate School Library Books” and a how-to guide to get them banned; the imagined horrors of Comprehensive Sex Education (CSE); and Resources on “Gender Theory”, including a guide written by Christopher Rufo. As a bonus, take note that FPIW recently acquired a new Executive Director, Pastor Brian Noble, who stepped down from his chairmanship of the SpokaneGOP to join FPIW. 

Do your homework, fill out your ballots, and turn them in. 

Keep to the high ground,

Jerry

Expanded Recommendations:

School board races are particularly fraught—and often challenging to research. The recommendations listed below for many of the school board contests in eastern Washington were assembled from a variety of sources by public school advocates led by Petra Hoy. (The municipal candidates recommended below are almost entirely in agreement with the Progressive Voters Guide. They are presented again as a bonus.)

Spokane County Candidates 2023

City of Spokane

Mayor: Lisa Brown Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 10.8.2023

Spokane City Council 

President: Betsy WilkersonVoters Guide  Spokesman Review 10.11.2023

District 1: Lindsey Shaw  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.29.2023

District 2: Paul Dillon Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.25.2023

District 3: Kitty Klitzke Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.18.2023

Cheney City Council

Position 2: Rebecca Long  Voters Guide Spokesman Review 10.10.2023

Position 6: Jacquelyn Belock  Voters Guide Spokesman Review 10.10.2023

City of Liberty Lake

Mayor: Cris Kaminskas  Voters Guide

Liberty Lake City Council

Position 1: Linda M Ball  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.15.2023

Position 3: Dan Dunne   Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 8.25.2023

Position 4: Travis Scott  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 10.10.2023

Position 5:     Annie Kurtz Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.21.2023

Position 6: Michael Hamblet  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.20.2023

Position 7: Teresa Tapao-Hunt  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.12.2023

Spokane Valley City Council

Position 6: Tim Hattenburg  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 2023  Spokesman Review 6.4.23  Spokesman Review 9.17.2023

Spokane Valley Fire Department

Commissioner #5: George Orr  Voters Guide  

Spokane County Water District 

Commissioner #3:  Mary Wissink Voters Guide

SPOKANE COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD RACES

Central Valley School District 

Director, District 1: Cindy McMullen  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.11.2023

Director, District 3: Debra L Long  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.24.2023

Director, District 4: Keith Clark  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.20.2023

Cheney School District

Director, District 2:   Elizabeth Winer  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 10.9.2023

Director, District 3:  Henry C. Browne Jr.  Voters Guide  

Director District 4:  John Boerger Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.29.2023

Director District 5:  Mitch Swenson  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.30.2023

Mead School Board 

District 2:  Denny Denholm Voters Guide Spokesman Review 9.10.2023  Spokesman Review 9.28.2023

District 3: Jaime Stacy Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.18.2023

District 4:  David Knaggs Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.10.2023

Spokane School Board District 81

Director Position 5:  Mike Wiser  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 2023 Spokesman Review 9.26.2023

Nine Mile Fall School District

Director Position 3:  Kirsten Foose  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.23.2023

Medical Lake School District

District 2:  Alexis Alexander  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 10.6.2023

District 3:  Laura Elliot Parsons  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 10.4.2023

District 4:  Ron Cooper Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.26.2023

Deer Park School District

District 5  Eric Keller  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.22.2023

STEVENS COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD RACES

MARY WALKER SD 207

District 3 Jim Cannon Voters Guide

KETTLE FALLS SD 212

Director At Large #4  Thomas (Chip) Johnson  Voters Guide

[District 3 Write-in candidate Debbie Stewart, recommended by a respected reader of The High Ground who is familiar with the race.]

BENTON COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD RACES

Kennewick School District 17

Director 3 Michael Connors Voters Guide

Director 5  Lisa Peppard  Voters Guide

Richland School District 400

Director No. 3  Chelsie Beck  Voters Guide

Director Nol 4   Katrina Waters Voters Guide

Director No. 5  Jill Oldson  Voters Guide

CHELAN COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD RACES

MANSON SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 19

Director District #2  Aurora Flores  Voters Guide

YAKIMA COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD RACES

WAPATO SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 207

Director, District 3  Maria Antonia R. Erickson  Voters Guide

A Calm, Reasoned Voice in an School Board Electoral Storm

This is worth sharing. The letter was sent to me from several friends on the same day.

Musings on the CVSD School Board Election

Anny Case – October 20, 2023

Remember what our community was like before COVID? We loved our schools; in fact, many of you purchased your homes because you wanted your children to attend CVSD schools. Remember watching your children shine in the marching band? Tirelessly rehearse for a school musical? Remember your little ones over-the-moon excited for a field trip, a class party, or a science project?

As an education professor, I had heard about Central Valley School District’s reputation for academic quality, excellent teaching, and a strong, supportive community. But it wasn’t until my niece came to live with us her senior year and attended CVHS that I realized how special CVSD really is. The school administration, staff, and teachers welcomed us with open arms. We discovered high standards coupled with appropriate flexibility and expansive curricular and extracurricular opportunities. While finishing high school, my niece got licensed as an EMT after taking classes at  Spokane Valley Tech,  and her participation in CVHS’ school musical literally changed her life. Of course, our schools have never been perfect — problems abound in any public school system. But they were — and still are — pretty amazing.

Then  COVID and the culture wars came to town. Acrimony replaced compromise. Fear snuffed out optimism. Misinformation from all sides flooded in. Individually and collectively, we went through the wringer.  (Oh yeah — and the controversy over comprehensive sex education. Who could forget that?)

We are now at another crossroads.  We have, I believe,  six genuinely good people running for the Central Valley School Board. I am convinced that each one cares deeply about education, our children, and our community. Each one has a track record of unselfish service. In this way, we’re very fortunate.

It’s good to have fresh ideas and turnover in public service and I admire Barker, Brooks, and Jerdon for answering the call from their people to enter the race. I also admire Clark, Long, and McMullen for staying engaged — I wouldn’t have blamed them a bit for stepping down after enduring several of the most difficult years in education. People I know and love — and whom I will continue to love and respect — have lined up on both sides.

After studying, observing, discussing, and discerning, I am in strong support of Clark, Long, and McMullen. Here’s why.  I would like school boards to remain the last bastion of political civility, consensus, and compromise — an institution where community members of a variety of persuasions can come together, wrestle with challenges, and practice tolerance. Groups supporting Barker, Brooks, and Jerdon, however, have a very different vision. “Citizens for CVSD Transparency,’’ the organization affiliated with Barker, Brooks, and Jerdon,  is comprised of  a small group of passionate, well-intended individuals who were highly distraught by COVID, scared about exaggerated threats to their children’s safety and well-being, and fed by right-wing media’s relentless obsession with “woke agendas.” During COVID, they were angry about mask and vaccine mandates. In 2021, Rob Linebarger, who shows up on public disclosure documents as a regular contributor to Citizens for CVSD Transparency, went so far as to file a legal petition to recall Clark, Long, and McMullen. Based on frivolous claims, the suit was thrown out of court and he was sanctioned — but only after the district spent tens of thousands of dollars to set the record straight. The stated goal of Citizens for CVSD Transparency was to “elect new school board members to replace current members opposed to our values.” And here we are.

Although the school board technically is — and should remain — non-partisan, it’s interesting to consider how official endorsements have lined up. Republicans of Spokane County (the mainstream Republican group that broke off from the Spokane County Republican Party when it was taken over by ultraconservative Republicans), local leaders,  including Mary Kuney and  our past and current county sheriffs, Ozzie Knezovich and John Nowels, as well as the 4th district Democrats, and Cris Kaminskas (Liberty Lake Mayor) all support Clark, Long, and McMullen. The organizations for educators and staff representing CVSD employees endorse them, as do past CVSD superintendents. In other words, people who have a long history working with the current school board advocate for them staying on another term — not because they agree with every position the board has taken, but because they know they can work with them. They also recognize how Barker, Brooks, and Jerdon sometimes misrepresent and oversimplify how the school board operates, how school budgets work,  the role of parental involvement, and the process for policy setting. They also know that CVSD is made up of thousands of families with many different opinions on hot button issues. The ability and desire for peacemaking is paramount.

On the other side, Barker, Brooks, and Jerdon are endorsed by Citizens for CVSD Transparency, the Spokane County GOP and the Family Policy Institute of Washington. While these groups may share some values with the larger CVSD community around safeguarding children and maintaining parental influence in schools, they also represent some extreme positions and individuals that concern me. For example, the Family Policy Institute has direct connections to Matt Shea, a local politician and pastor who was expelled from the Republican Party for his link to domestic terrorism. On his own re-election website, it states “Matt Shea was the co-founder of the Washington Family Foundation, which later merged with the Family Policy Institute of Washington.” Moreover, when she was in the midst of her sex ed campaign, Barker was a guest on Matt Shea’s podcast and spoke at a gathering hosted by him where Shea introduced her as a “great patriot and a good friend.” Strangely, Barker put out a video denying any connection to Matt Shea. Perhaps she didn’t fully realize who he was and what he stands for. If so, she should explain that.

I am very confident that Barker, Brooks, and Jerdon would vigorously advocate for like minded families. However, given the company they have kept and things I heard them say at the League of Women Voters candidate forum, I am worried about tactics they might use. ( I don’t, however, think they would espouse violence and I doubt Brooks’ unwise statement about “civil war” was intended to be taken literally.) While I admire and respect Barker’s tireless advocacy to adopt sex ed policy and curriculum consistent with values and preferences held by herself and others, I was dismayed at the exaggeration, fear mongering, and inaccuracies swirling through that campaign. I’m also concerned that they speak about  “what parents want” as though “parents” in our community are one, unified group. I wonder if they would be willing to negotiate and compromise when one group of parents, for example, may want  comprehensive sex education (and there are many who do) and another parental group is adamantly opposed. They’re all parents who love their children! But instead of recognizing this reality, I feel that Barker, Brooks, and Jerdon have set up a false conflict between “parents” (meaning them and their allies) and the school board (because the board has a history of trying to build consensus among diverse swaths of the CVSD community).  

In short,  in the face of hotly contested opinions among good people, I strongly believe in the principle of “moderate and unify.”  I have seen Clark, Long, and McMullen do so repeatedly. It’s already hard enough to lead a public school system, teach and work in a school, and be a student in today’s complex and contentious world. It doesn’t seem wise to replace three members of the board (who represent different strands in  our community) with a block of three new, inexperienced directors (who represent one segment of our community and who have shared histories with groups and individuals further to the right than mainstream Republicans). Moreover,  if we learn from other communities who have tried similar experiments, it could lead to chaos and conflict and push out good, competent people working in the district.

It is a blank check–send it back to the drawing board

If you live in Spokane County you will receive a ballot with (at least) one ballot measure: Measure 1, asking the voters to approve an increase in county-wide sales tax to be used for any of a wide range of purposes related to policing, incarceration, criminal justice, and “behavioral health”. (Note: this is NOT City of Spokane’s Proposition 1—Prop 1 relates to criminalizing homelessness within the city.)

Measure 1 is written to sound as though it would provide money for Spokane County and city governments within the county for efforts to improve criminal justice and behavioral health systems, but those are just among the efforts that could be funded. In failing to clearly state what portions of the new tax revenues would go to what purpose Measure 1 constitutes a blank check. The enabling legislation for Measure 1, Resolution No. 22-0824, was passed on December 13, 2022, solely by Spokane County Commissioners Al French and Josh Kerns—just eighteen days before the Spokane County Board of County Commissioners was expanded to five members from three. Commissioner Kuney was out of town. Nonetheless, within the three commissioner system, two commissioners constitutes a quorum for business. Here is the complete text of Resolution No. 22-0824 as originally passed by French and Kerns:

In the matter of calling an Election within Spokane County to be held on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, and submitting to Electors a Proposition to impose a Two-Tenths of One Percent (0.2%) Sales and Use Tax equal throughout Spokane County, as authorized by RCW 82.14.450, the proceeds to be used by the County, Cities and Towns within Spokane County for Criminal Justice, Public Safety, and Behavioral Health purposes.

Notice that, as passed, there is no mention whatsoever of building a new county jail or remodeling the old one. Nine different local organizations petitioned the Superior Court of Spokane County to require that the ballot language of Measure 1 acknowledge that money from this new sales tax would be, at least in part, spent on “building and improving jails or correctional facilities”. On Tuesday, August 29th, Superior Court Judge Tony Hazel ruled in favor of the petitioners. That’s what it took to overcome the original obfuscatory language of French and Kerns.

So that fixes it, right? Not so fast. A huge amount of ink and electrons has been spilled on how various people and officials imagine the proceeds of this new tax will be used, but Measure 1’s only specifics are these, quoted directly from the Measure 1 language we voters are asked to approve. (See the whole text copied at the bottom of this post.):

…to be used by the County and Cities and Towns within Spokane County for criminal justice, public safety, and behavioral health purposes, including building and improving jails or correctional facilities

How much will be spent on a new jail? How much on a remodel of the current jail? How much on hiring more police or providing them with equipment (covered under “public safety”)? How much will be left over to spend on all the non-jail, non-police, criminal justice and “behavioral health” purposes? Measure 1 is silent. Measure 1 is a blank check to be filled in later by what are often the out-of-sight, out-of-mind majority votes of the County Commissioners and majority votes of the various municipal entities that will (by state law, RCW 82.14.450) receive 40% of the proceeds. 

Measure 1 is a provocative action by two conservative county commissioners in the waning days of the three member commission. It was intentionally vague in its first incarnation and it remains vague in its litigated form. Vote NO on Measure 1—and ask the Commissioners to go back to the drawing board and provide us with a proposal that specifies how the money will be apportioned between punitive and smart justice alternatives. Then, and only then, will I consider voting in favor.

Keep to the high ground,

Jerry

P.S. The “Explanatory Statement” in the voters guide (click it to read) makes it sound as though Commissioners French and Kerns had spent a great deal of time parsing out a variety of details to put in Measure 1. Why, one might ask, did they decide to apportion 60% of the proceeds to Spokane County and 40% (on a per capita basis) to the cities and towns of Spokane County? Why are certain motor vehicle purchases and leases exempt from the new tax? It turns out that all of that detail comes right out of the Revised Code of Washington, i.e. Washington State law, passed by the legislature and signed by the Governor in times past. Click RCW 82.14.450 to see the actual law that governs sales and use tax ballot measures that can be used by county governments in Washington State to raise money. Note that the RCW specifies that such ballot measures “must clearly state the purposes for which the proposed sales and use tax will be used”. It is fair to argue that French and Kerns’ Measure 1, even as modified by litigation, should fail based on the lack of such a “clear statement” alone.

Here’s the amended Measure 1 text, right out of the Voters’ Guide

[I’ve added relevant hyperlinks to basic documents. The hyperlinks are underlined.]:

Measure No. 1
Spokane County
Two-Tenths of One Percent Sales and Use Tax for Criminal Justice, Public Safety, Correctional Infrastructure, and Behavioral Health Purposes

The Board of County Commissioners adopted Resolution No. 22-0824concerning a sales and use tax increase pursuant to RCW 82.14.450.

If approved the County may impose an additional 0.2% county-wide sales and use tax, commencing April 1, 2024, and terminating December 31, 2054, to be used by the County and Cities and Towns within Spokane County for criminal justice, public safety, and behavioral health purposes, including building and improving jails or correctional facilities as provided in Resolution No. 22-0824.

Should this measure be approved?

CVSD as an example of a broader extremist push

Last Monday evening, October 16th, the League of Women Voters held a student- moderated candidate forum for six candidates for three positions on the Central Valley School District (CVSD) Board of Directors. The forum was held atUniversity High School in Spokane Valley. The coverage in the Spokesman by Elena Perry was published the next day. It requires careful reading—and some background the article does not provide. The three culture war crusaders trying to gain majority control of the five member CVSDBoard presented themselves with varying degrees of moderation. Since the three already have an ally on the Board, Pam Orebaugh, a win by any two of them would produce a 3-2 majority and likely usher in a period of ongoing school board upheaval like that in Richland, Washington, and West Bonner County, Idaho. 

The three incumbent CVSD Directors, Debra Long, Keith Clark, and Cindy McMullen, have selflessly served CVSD long, well, and successfully. Serving as a School Board Director is an unpaid position traditionally undertaken by civic-minded individuals with a background and particular interest in education—not ideological culture warriors. 

The contest between incumbent Debra Long and challenger Stephanie Jerdon for the District 3 CVSD seat illustrates the hard right turn the SpokaneGOP took last December. Debra Long, a life-long Republican, was appointed as a Legislative District 4C leader in the Spokane County GOP in 2022. She served as the elected chair of the Republicans of Spokane County, a separate but related group of Republicans, from 2021-2023—and she now serves as vice chair of the same organization. In spite of that level of dedication and involvement in local Republican politics, Debra Long was replaced as 4C District leader by a Citizens 4 Liberty candidate in the SpokaneGOP’s purge of moderates last December. Her position was one of a number of casualties in the extremist makeover based on Steve Bannon’s “Precinct Strategy”. (See Rob Linebarger and the CVSD for more on Citizens 4 Liberty.)

This fall for the November election the SpokaneGOP endorsed all three challengers to the incumbents on the CVSD Board of Directors. Notably, the SpokaneGOP’s endorsement committee is led by Rob Linebarger. In the 2021 elections Linebarger was a conspicuous ally of Pam Orebaugh in that year’s attempt to take over the CVSD Board. Since 2021 Linebarger has doggedly pursued an effort to have a petition approved to gather signatures for a recall election of the incumbent Directors Long, Clark, and McMullen from the CVSD Board. His prime accusation: the incumbents followed state mandates during the Covid pandemic. The Spokane County Superior Court Judge was not impressed. Linebarger’s legal efforts have cost the Central Valley School District more than a hundred thousand dollars and vast amounts of time and effort. Now, while continuing his bogus legal efforts, Linebarger is behind the SpokaneGOP’s endorsement of the three challengers. 

All three of the challengers received support from “Citizens for CVSD Transparency”, an issue PAC that arose during the Covid pandemic and is supported by Linebarger.

Pay attention to the school board elections on your ballot. The integrity of the public schools depends on your attention and your vote. 

Below is a copy of an excellent Spokesman Review Guest Opinion on the topic of school board elections this fall. It is definitely worth your time in case you missed it in the Spokesman. 

Keep to the high ground,

Jerry

Protect our kids by paying attention to school board elections

By Randall B. Michaelis

Guest Opinion

Tuesday, October 17, 2023

The self-inflicted calamity we are witnessing in the West Bonner County School District and North Idaho College is moving to a district near you, courtesy of ideologically driven school board members. Our school board elections have serious consequences, which is why it is essential that level-headed citizens pay attention to the hotly contested school board races in our area. If we don’t, we will see Spokane area districts take similar paths to a crisis.

The Mead School District is at a crossroads. It already has two far-right board members and two more running this year on similar platforms. One of these board members, Michael Cannon, took the district on a wild goose chase last year rooting out the evils of critical race theory. The most disturbing part is not that CRT had never been taught in Mead nor were there plans for it to be taught. No, the most concerning aspect is that the proposal was lifted almost verbatim from far-right state and national political groups who have set their sights on taking over the public schools.

The other far-right Mead board member, BrieAnne Gray, raised over $42,000 in a successful bid for a seat on the board. How do you spend that much on a school board race? Glad you asked. Almost $30,000 went to an Arizona political strategy group specializing in running ultra-conservative candidates. Who is really in charge of the Mead board?

If Mead voters are not paying attention, they will have four far-right board members who will follow an agenda to remove anything that doesn’t fit their very conservative worldview. The board member who brought the CRT proposal claims he was just listening to concerned parents. It is more accurate to say that he was not listening to the needs of the district, but rather listening to his own far-right political agenda.

Mead isn’t the only district at a crossroads. Almost every district in the area has far-right candidates running this year. Voters should examine candidate statements carefully for code words they often use. They claim they want to rid schools of “culture wars.” That is code for they want to change the culture of the schools so that they are the only voice. NIC and West Bonner are prime examples of how they will end “culture wars” through the oppression of dissenting opinions.

“Parental rights” is another one. That sounds great until one examines just how that is playing out across the country. Far-right groups like the Moms of Liberty are pressuring board members to enact policies where a book or curriculum item can be blocked by the complaint of a single parent. Even if it is later returned to the shelves, the sheer volume of complaints means it was essentially removed from circulation. Examples of offending titles: “Whacky Wednesday” by Dr. Seuss; “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret” by Judy Blume; “The Paper Bag Princess” by Robert Munsch (“Love You Forever” author). And my favorite, “No, David!” by Spokane native David Shannon for showing a bare cartoon butt.

Watch for statements saying schools should only teach facts and not indoctrinate students. Of course, they would control which facts are taught. Florida just put forth new social studies standards containing the language, “slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.” Imagine a history teacher trying to assess students with this standard. “Class, what are the ways that slaves personally benefited from being owned by white people? Anyone? Anyone?”

Watch out for a manufactured crisis intended to emotionally incite voters and deflect from real problems. Politicians excel at this, but the governor of Florida has perfected this technique. The standards in Florida schools never included teaching about gender identity or sexual orientation in elementary grades. But state legislators passed laws to stop such teaching anyway. Based on the publicity of this legislation, many parents wrongly assumed these topics were routinely taught in elementary schools.

Candidates will often tell us they want to bring “change.” But their statements give scant information on what they will bring to the board, and a lot on what they are against. Candidates with hidden agendas will not benefit Spokane area schools.

Change can be good, but if your district is running well and you have board members who understand their role as nonpartisan public servants, then now is not the time to gamble on the kinds of changes these far-right candidates will bring.

Watch carefully. We don’t need more ideology; we need levelheaded dedicated board members. Our kids have a lot to lose.

Randall B. Michaelis lives in the Mead School District. He retired in June 2022 as dean of the School of Continuing Studies and Graduate Admissions at Whitworth University, where he was on the faculty of the School of Education at Whitworth University. He also taught elementary school and has served on both state and district curriculum committees – mostly in math and technology.

Your Ballot Is in the Mail

Ballots in Washington State for the Tuesday, November 7th, Election should appear in your mailbox by tomorrow, Saturday, October 21st, or at the latest by early next week. These are the “non-partisan” municipal and school board elections with a few ballot measures sprinkled in—just the sort of off year election that historically garners little attention and low voter turnout. Don’t let that happen this year. Thanks to Republican culture war operatives, think Christopher Rufo (anti-“CRT” and DEI) and Steve Bannon (the “Precinct Strategy”), the future of public education is at stake—as is control of many local governments.

Doing your homework, filling out your ballot, and turning it in this weekend has many advantages, including these: closer to the election deadline you won’t be wondering where you put your ballot—and the sooner you submit your ballot the fewer pesky phone calls you’ll receive urging you to vote. (The fact that your ballot was received, but NOT for whom you voted, is public knowledge.)

These odd-numbered year elections are nominally “non-partisan”, so we don’t have “Prefers _______ Party” following each candidate’s name for orientation, something some ideological candidates seek to exploit. (For example, Katey Treloar, candidate for City of Spokane City Council District 2 [South Hill], fields blue campaign signs that proclaim “supported by Democrats and Republicans” while she raises record amounts of money from Republican interest groups and the endorsing “Democrats” are never identified.]

My go-to voters’ guide is the progressivevotersguide.com powered by FUSE Washington. I encourage you to read FUSE’s well-considered recommendations. The only problem I find with The Progressive Voters Guide is that it doesn’t go all the way down ballot to those extremely important (especially this year) school board races. It also misses some important municipal races among the smaller cities and towns. (See below for recommendations in many of those local races.)

Ballot Measures

I will vote NO on the City of Spokane’s Proposition 1 for reasons I detailed here. Proposition 1 pretends to “protect children” by establishing an unworkable anti-camping law based on a 1000 radius from “any public or private school, public park, playground, or licensed child care facility”. Those radii cover more than 60% of ground area of the city, guaranteeing an expensive court battle paid for with our tax dollars. Furthermore, neither potential homeless campers nor the police charged with enforcement will have any clarity on the boundaries. 

I will also vote NO on Spokane County’s Measure 1. Measure 1 was put on the ballot as a last ditch effort by County Commissioners Al French and Josh Kerns a month before the Commission expanded from three to five members. Measure 1 pretends to raise money for a broad range of criminal justice efforts—but, since the specifics are slim, the likelihood is that the majority of the money will go to doubling the capacity of the County jail. Note that nearly all of the people incarcerated in the county jail system are people accused of crimes and unable to make bail, not convicted criminals serving court ordered sentences. On that observation alone it seems that the money would be better spent on bail reform and efforts to speed up the court system. Measure 1 increases the sales tax, a notably regressive tax (putting the greater burden on those who can least afford it), without clearly delineating how the money will be spent. Vote NO. Later, I will gladly support a tax to fund a clearer plan. Measure 1 is a blank check. I’m reminded of “If you build it, they will come [they will fill it]” when contemplating additional jail cells. 

School Boards

School board races are particularly fraught—and often challenging to research. The recommendations listed below for many of the school board contests in eastern Washington were assembled from a variety of sources by public school advocates led by Petra Hoy. Much effort was made to screen out candidates whose rhetoric and endorsements suggested sentiments derived from the right wing culture war issues of “liberal indoctrination”, “CRT”, “DEI”, book bans, so-called “parental rights”, anti-sex ed, and opposition to the state level Covid pandemic rules. Much of this encapsulates the agenda of “Moms For Liberty”, a right wing astroturf group designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Keep to the high ground,

Jerry

Spokane County Candidates 2023

City of Spokane

Mayor: Lisa Brown Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 10.8.2023

Spokane City Council 

President: Betsy WilkersonVoters Guide  Spokesman Review 10.11.2023

District 1: Lindsey Shaw  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.29.2023

District 2: Paul Dillon Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.25.2023

District 3: Kitty Klitzke Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.18.2023

Cheney City Council

Position 2: Rebecca Long  Voters Guide Spokesman Review 10.10.2023

Position 6: Jacquelyn Belock  Voters Guide Spokesman Review 10.10.2023

City of Liberty Lake

Mayor: Cris Kaminskas  Voters Guide

Liberty Lake City Council

Position 1: Linda M Ball  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.15.2023

Position 3: Dan Dunne   Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 8.25.2023

Position 4: Travis Scott  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 10.10.2023

Position 5:  Annie Kurtz Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.21.2023

Position 6: Michael Hamblet  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.20.2023

Position 7: Teresa Tapao-Hunt  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.12.2023

Spokane Valley City Council

Position 6: Tim Hattenburg  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 2023  Spokesman Review 6.4.23  Spokesman Review 9.17.2023

Spokane Valley Fire Department

Commissioner #5: George Orr  Voters Guide  

Spokane County Water District 

Commissioner #3:  Mary Wissink Voters Guide

SPOKANE COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD RACES

Central Valley School District 

Director, District 1: Cindy McMullen  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.11.2023

Director, District 3: Debra L Long  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.24.2023

Director, District 4: Keith Clark  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.20.2023

Cheney School District

Director, District 2:   Elizabeth Winer  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 10.9.2023

Director, District 3:  Henry C. Browne Jr.  Voters Guide  

Director District 4:  John Boerger Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.29.2023

Director District 5:  Mitch Swenson  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.30.2023

Mead School Board 

District 2:  Denny Denholm Voters Guide Spokesman Review 9.10.2023  Spokesman Review 9.28.2023

District 3: Jaime Stacy Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.18.2023

District 4:  David Knaggs Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.10.2023

Spokane School Board District 81

Director Position 5:  Mike Wiser  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 2023 Spokesman Review 9.26.2023

Nine Mile Falls School District

Director Position 3:  Kirsten Foose  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.23.2023

Medical Lake School District

District 2:  Alexis Alexander  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 10.6.2023

District 3:  Laura Elliot Parsons  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 10.4.2023

District 4:  Ron Cooper Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.26.2023

Deer Park School District

District 5  Eric Keller  Voters Guide  Spokesman Review 9.22.2023

STEVENS COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD RACES

MARY WALKER SD 207

District 3 Jim Cannon Voters Guide

KETTLE FALLS SD 212

Director At Large #4  Thomas (Chip) Johnson  Voters Guide

BENTON COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD RACES

Kennewick School District 17

Director 3 Michael Connors Voters Guide

Director 5  Lisa Peppard  Voters Guide

Richland School District 400

Director No. 3  Chelsie Beck  Voters Guide

Director Nol 4   Katrina Waters Voters Guide

Director No. 5  Jill Oldson  Voters Guide

CHELAN COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD RACES

MANSON SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 19

Director District #2  Aurora Flores  Voters Guide

YAKIMA COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD RACES

WAPATO SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 207

Director, District 3  Maria Antonia R. Erickson  Voters Guide