Back to Valley incorporation cover

Blogging Incorporation

Blogging the Valley

Wednesday, April 24, 2002

 
Ready, willing and able
Hey, if no one else wants the job, James Turner will be mayor of the new city in the Valley. I asked him this afternoon if he knew of anyone who would make a good mayor. ''No. No one,'' he said while buying strawberries at the fruit stand at Argonne and Sprague. ''Wait a minute. I think I'm running for it. But you probably have to be old to be mayor, huh? Kind of like being president?
Nope. You don't have to be old to run for office. That's a fact.

Unanimous support, sort of...
First the good news, for incorporation supporters. All 10 people I talked with this afternoon in the Valley favor incorporation. The bad news? Only two of them are eligible to vote in the May 21 election. Of the eight Valley Fire employees I talked with at a training exercise, only one lives within the boundaries of the proposed city. Cooper Kennett, who's lived in the Valley since 1965, echoed the sentiments of his seven co-workers: ''I'm for it. The city intends to annex the area to the west, and that's a funding base for us,'' he said. ''With incorporation, you can decide in this area what kinds of services you want.'' Of the other seven firefighters, three live in the city of Spokane, two live near Liberty Lake, one lives in Otis Orchards and one lives in Northwood.

More good news for incorporation
Rob Phillips, 19, who staffs the Farm Fresh Fruit stand at Argonne and Sprague for his father Rick, said he thinks incorporation will mean lower taxes for the Valley. That's a message the incorporation proponents have been trying to get across. Darn it, though. Rob lives on the South Hill, so doesn't get to vote.

OK, so I'm no Ansel Adams
I was driving north on Dishman-Mica, approaching Sprague, when I saw the Valley Yes sign, with the old truck in the background advertising a hauling business. No, it doesn't have much to do with incorporation, but it says something about the character of the Valley, don't you think?
posted by Ken Sands 4:49 PM

Monday, April 22, 2002

 
Common themes
Today's reason why incorporation might pass, according to ''Bob'' who posted this on our forum: ''The only reason I would be in favor of incorporating the Valley is to prevent myself from becoming part of the city of Spokane. More specifically, to prevent myself from falling under the moronic policies and personalities of the Spokane City Council. Anything to prevent that!''

Today's reason why incorporation might fail, according to Dan Lueck, who e-mailed me this message: ''I've lived in the Valley for my whole life, and I cannot see how incorporation would be better for us. What's wrong with the way things are right now? If it ain't broke, don't fix it!''

See, I'm not the only smart aleck
Reader Bill McCrory agrees that jock-strap impressario Rick Lloyd might make a good mayor of the Valley. ''He'd certainly have a lot of 'support,' particularly if he were to campaign on a 'Bike.' ''

Mayoral candidate, or parole candidate?
Robert Cannata submitted this mayoral candidate: ''I would nominate Kevin Coe -- at least we would know upfront what he is going to do to us!''
Ouch!
I think the infamous South Hill Rapist has as much chance of being elected mayor as he does of getting early parole -- none.

posted by Ken Sands 9:34 AM

Saturday, April 20, 2002

 
Sugar Daddy?
Roger Gibbs, who lives in the Edgecliff neighborhood, favors incorporation. He also really admires Bernard Daines, the Valley computer tycoon who donated $20,000 to the incorporation campaign. ''I'm not looking at him like a Sugar Daddy or anything, but at least he's thinking,'' said Gibbs, as he was standing outside Wayne's Shoe Repair on East Sprague Friday afternoon. Like everyone else I've talked with in the Valley, Gibbs drew a blank when I asked who would make a good mayor of the Spokane Valley. (Sugar Daddy , apparently, is not an elected position.)

These folks know how to have a good time
I stopped by the ``Vote Yes'' office Friday and met Ed Mertens, the affable retiree who's behind the incorporation effort. He had a print-out of one of those e-mail chain-letter jokes. (''You got a minute? You've gotta hear this.'') The joke was about how the federal government couldn't simply hire a night watchman, it had to hire a dozen or so employees to oversee the night watchman project. The punchline? The project was over budget, so the feds laid off the watchman. ''Oh, Ed, you're such a corn dog,'' said fellow campaigner Annette Remshard with a friendly chuckle.

Who says kids are apathetic?
I talked to a dozen or so U-Hi students at ''Smoker's Corner'' Friday after school. They all had opinions about incorporation, although some were less than well-informed. (''Chief Joseph? That's a lame name for a city,'' said one.)
Summer Meyers said a new city would fix the streets. ''Broadway between University and Park is SO bad.''
Autumn Worley agreed that it would be nice to ''fix the potholes.''
Pansy McGlasson was even more emphatic about incorporation. ''Heck, yeah! Downtown is way different than the Valley. It should be stated that way on the map so we feel special.''
Can't argue with that.

posted by Ken Sands 3:22 PM

Thursday, April 18, 2002

 
Incorporation, annexation, what's the difference?
Judging from my recent visits to the Spokane Valley, resident Karri Franzese is not alone when she says she's ''completely confused'' about what will happen if incorporation passes. Franzese sent me an e-mail message pleading for an impartial opinion. ``There are many, many unclear agendas,'' she wrote.
I haven't the foggiest notion of what will happen if the Valley incorporates. It could be good, it could be bad. Things might not change much at all. The thing that struck me in random interviews conducted in recent weeks around the Valley is how many people were completely confused when I asked them about incorporation. Here are some interview excerpts:
--''I'm happy with the way things are _ I don't care to be annexed into Spokane,'' said the owner of an East Sprague business.
--''Incorporation? Oh yeah. I heard something about that,'' said a tattoo shop owner. ''Did you guys have something in the paper on that?''
--''You mean we're not in the city of Spokane?'' asked an employee of a business located at Pines and Sprague.

Incorporation pro-con
Why incorporation might fail, according to one longtime Valley resident: ''People in the Valley tend to be contrary. If they passed a law saying everyone had to eat at least one meal a day, there are people out here who would starve.''
Why incorporation might pass, according to Stephanie, who was hanging around the Hollywood Erotique Boutique on East Sprague on Tuesday: The Valley is ''too big'' to not be its own city. ''The size of it alone...''

posted by Ken Sands 12:06 PM

Tuesday, April 16, 2002

 
Thinking ahead
Jay Bischoff lives at the corner of 24th and Sullivan. Where did he get those anti-incorporation signs? ''They're left over from last time they tried to incorporate the Valley. I kept 'em because I figured sooner or later we'd need 'em again.'' Bischoff has lived in the Valley for 25 years and thinks the county commissioners are doing a fine job.

Did you just say ''antique jock strap?''
While wandering around the Valley today, I met Rick Lloyd of Veradale, who says he makes a living going to estate sales and then re-selling his discoveries on eBay. Right now, he's selling a men's athletic supporter from the 1940s, and ''it's still in the original box.'' Today, he was at a Greenacres car lot looking for a 1965 Ford Galaxie, similar to the one his wife had in high school. (Don't tell her, it's supposed to be a surprise.) Lloyd says he's against incorporation because he's suspicious of big-money businessmen and developers. He's also worried about a lack of potential leaders in the Valley. (Click here to hear his comments.)
I'm thinking that anyone who can sell an antique jock strap probably could run a city...

A free opinion to go with that $6 buzz cut
Ron Chimenti of Ron's Barber Shop in Greenacres says he's against incorporation. ''The vote's going to be real close, though, based on who I've talked to here,'' he said, while trimming Harvey Day's hair.
Day supports incorporation, in part because Otis Orchards, where he lives, ''is a dog-eat-dog world.'' That area needs ``somebody or something to stick up for the people.''

You want it where?
I talked to about 15 people today, and not a single person had a single suggestion as to who would be a good mayor of the Spokane Valley. Most people I interviewed also had no idea where a city hall should be located. Where is the center of the Valley? Some said it's somewhere around Pines or Sullivan. A few people mentioned University City. In fact, the guys in Ron's Barber shop were pretty adamant that a city hall should go around U-City rather than in the ''high-rent'' Sullivan corridor.
posted by Ken Sands 4:54 PM

Monday, April 15, 2002

 
Our first official nomination
I received an e-mail message from John and Kathy Curtis nominating ''Bozo T. Clowne'' to be the first mayor of the city of the Spokane Valley. Let me throw out a couple of other possibilities: Ron, of Ron's Drive-In; Dave, of Dave's Bar & Grill; Mel, of Mel's Bakery. These Valley icons need only one name to be identified (sort of like Madonna or Prince, two other quality candidates who don't actually live in the Valley). I'm still accepting nominees for who should be mayor. Send me your top choices...

Setting the bar pretty low, isn't it?
''I'm committed to the idea of our own city,'' writes Terry Lynch. ''We can't possibly do as bad as the city of Spokane.''

Then again...
--''My supreme worry is regarding who will step forward to run this dog and pony show,'' writes C.K. Crigger.
--''My biggest concern is that we will have a bunch of dolts running things like the group in Liberty Lake or an inept tag-team like Powers and Eugster in Spokane,'' writes Danny Shea.
--''There are no compelling issues that would make me vote for Clark (Hager) and his friends for anything, let alone to run a city. They can't even run a campaign,'' writes J.S Pardee.
posted by Ken Sands 3:44 PM

Saturday, April 13, 2002

 
How about the mayor of Yardley?
From what I gathered in my recent trip to Yardley, at least three people might make a good mayor: Larry, who lives next door to the shuttered Yardley Tavern; Shorty, who's in the hospital having a pacemaker installed; and the fellow in the accompanying picture. This is no ordinary Yardley resident. He runs a successful manufacturing business out of his home. Send me an e-mail to guess the identity of the Mystery Mayor. To hear his take on incorporation, click here.

Tell me where to go
As I mentioned yesterday, I plan to explore the soft underbelly of the Spokane Valley. Got any good suggestions on where I should go? Are there any businesses that frighten you? Are there any places you won't go after dark? Let me know.

So much for the unanimous ''Yes'' vote
You knew it had to happen sooner or later. Like the first daffodils of spring, the anti-incorporation signs have begun sprouting. This sign was spotted at the southeast corner of 24th and Sullivan. I wonder who made the sign. Is there an organized ''No'' campaign?

posted by Ken Sands 2:46 PM

Back to Top