OWith the departure of its longtime president, Randy McGlenn, the East Central Neighborhood Council has a new president. So far, the only candidate to lead the neighborhood, which is the site of the Camp Hope homeless encampment, is developer Larry Stone. Stone does not live in the Mideast, 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 city-leased homeless shelter. In 2019, Stone spent $100,000 to produce a “Seattle is Dying”-style video titled “Curing Spokane” that exposed problems with crime and visible drug use in Spokane, and amplified concerns expressed by some business owners. company at the time. As a business and building owner in East Central, Stone regularly attended ward council meetings (to be nominated, someone must have attended at least three of the last five consecutive meetings). The ward council will accept other board nominations at its November meeting before a vote in December. (SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL)

(TAX) CONSERVATIVE

During the 2019 election campaign, Spokane mayoral candidate Nadine Woodward touted her predecessor’s conservative, balanced budget as “the best gift our mayor has just given our next mayor.” But now that Woodward is mayor, it’s the Spokane City Council – generally seen as more progressive – that has demanded more cautious budgets, arguing that the Woodward administration has used one-time funds to mask ongoing budget discrepancies. At the October 17 council meeting, however, council passed a resolution outlining the type of budget they wanted to see from the mayor by November 1: Reduce city general fund spending by 10% and implement a hiring freeze for certain positions. If the one-time COVID grant money is being used to cover living expenses, the council said, the city should first set out a plan to make cuts when that money is spent. “The administration has yet to identify where all the funding will come from for some of the issues that will come down on the pike next year,” said board member Michael Cathcart, a conservative, adding, “I feel like we’re just heading for a cliff.” The resolution passed 6 to 1 – only Council Member Jonathan Bingle opposed. (DANIEL WALTER)

FOR DOGS

Spokane will continue to search for a replacement for the unofficial South Hill dog park that was lost when construction began on a new college. The Spokane Park Council has rejected a proposal to site a new 7-acre fenced dog park in Lincoln Park at its Monday meeting, with two members in favor and six against. “That doesn’t mean we’re done with dog park hunting,” said Jennifer Ogden, chair of the board. “We have to keep looking.” The vote came after dozens of residents weighed in on three proposals at community meetings in recent weeks. Many expressed opposition to the three possible sites, which included Lincoln and Underhill Parks, and near Hazel Creek behind Ferris High School. Some spoke of choosing children over dogs, while others worried about the habitat of wild turkeys, deer and other native prairie plants and birds. (SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL) ♦