Controversial initiatives will not be on ballot

A judge ordered Friday that two controversial initiatives will not appear on November’s ballot for Spokane voters. Spokane County Superior Court Judge Maryann Moreno said both the initiatives from Envision Spokane and Spokane Moves to Amend the Constitution were invalid and fell outside the scope of initiative power. Before a packed courtroom of about 50 observers, Moreno went through the sections of each initiative explaining her ruling, while telling sponsors of the initiatives that she admired their “passion and advocacy.” The initiative sponsors both sought to empower local workers and activists, while restricting the role of corporations in government. A coalition of government and business interests sued to prevent the initiatives from appearing on the ballot, saying they would damage business and government. Moreno’s ruling Friday morning sided with their argument.