Incumbency Not Liability For Barnes

For years, Orville Barnes has been a thoughtful and involved player in Spokane civic affairs.

As a Spokane and state school board member, as president of the Spokane Taxpayers Association and, for four years, Spokane city councilman, Barnes has taken a reasoned approach to public-policy questions.

This fall Spokane voters will decide whether to give him another term on the council. We think they should.

Barnes’ critics imply his incumbency is a liability, as though being an incumbent makes him an insider and being an insider makes him hostile to broader public concerns.

Study the record. As president of the Spokane Taxpayers Association, Barnes was constantly peering over city officials’ shoulders, demanding responsible handling of taxpayers’ money.

But he knew it was more complicated than just opposing every expenditure or every tax. Even 20 years ago, for instance, Barnes was one of those backing a bond issue for a new juvenile detention facility.

It’s just that Barnes always applies his business and accounting background to the analysis of issues.

Nor does his intimacy with business and property development make him a rubber stamp for developers. If it did, he wouldn’t have opposed the Mission Springs apartment complex or the Glenrose Prairie annexation.

Barnes also understands the relationship between the entire community’s economic health and a vigorous downtown. He supports reasonable partnerships with the private sector to support the core.

If you’re looking for a councilman who keeps taxpayers’ and neighborhoods’ interests in focus while pursuing a progressive vision for Spokane, Barnes has earned another term on the City Council.

We realize Tuesday’s election is a primary and voters will be picking two general election candidates.

If you’re looking for an alternative to Barnes, John Talbott is clearly the strongest of the challengers. While Talbott is allied with the obstructionists who oppose most of the positive steps city leaders offer, he has tempered his style considerably in recent months and he declares himself one malcontent who’s eager to work for his ideals within the process.

On the critical issues facing the city, however, we believe Barnes represents what Spokane needs.

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