It’s about time!
Good morning, Netizens...
I've been waiting patiently as all the various members of the news media have danced a fandango over the proposed settlement between the City of Spokane and the Otto Zehm family, but I still have not seen anyone with either the honesty or temerity to state on the public record WHO was factually responsible for the mess our current city government finds itself in. Was it, as most seem to assume, a band of renegade police officers and commanders who failed to follow good policies regarding the abuse of authority? Or, was it the shadow land governance of the Police Guild responsible for most of what has gone wrong with the police? There are, in fact, a lot of others in City Hall who by their lack of honesty who could easily be considered at fault, but who are they?
I remember with some clarity the first time I coined the phrase “Queen Mary” referring to our former mayor with a somewhat unprofessional bit of journalistic backhand humor. My insight, at the time, was that Queen Mary wanted so badly to be the “Queen of the Prom” she forgot who it was who voted her into office, all except for a select few of her friends and political allies. Queen Mary loved appearing in the public eye, so long as no one asked her any really “tough” questions. Perhaps that is the primary reason why she was a one-term Mayor after all.
Then there was former Assistant City Attorney Rocky Treppiedi, who I believe spent more time abusing citizens of Spokane than he did seeking justice for anyone other than the ruling faction(s) in City Hall, and I, for one, am glad he is no longer part of our City Government.
Include at least two former Mayors, a handful of City Council members, including Joe Shogun, a handful of lower-level administrators, lawyers and other luminaries and you just about have the picture. I had very little reason to trust any of these people. They tried unsuccessfully to make Otto Zehm appear guilty. They lied.
As in any case where the powers and authorities of the city government are involved, regardless how messy they might be, the underlying question that always seems to remain is just when can I start trusting our city government? Some members of the news media are right: this isn't about the money. They have six long years of deception to make right.
Dave