Spokane Valley City Council pos. 1
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Rod Higgins | 7,228 | 51.64% |
| Linda (Hatcher) Thompson | 6,769 | 48.36% |
* Race percentages are calculated with data from the Secretary of State's Office, which omits write-in votes from its calculations when there are too few to affect the outcome. The Spokane County Auditor's Office may have slightly different percentages than are reflected here because its figures include any write-in votes.
About the Race
This is one of four seats up for contention in the 2013 election. The term for position one is for completion of the vacated term that was filled by temporary appointment earlier this year, and is from the date the successful candidate is sworn in (currently scheduled for November 26, 2013) through December 31, 2013, in addition to the four-year term that begins January 1, 2014 through December 31, 2017. Council Members are paid $750.00 per month and receive healthcare benefits.
The Candidates
Rod Higgins
- Age:
- 82
- City:
- Spokane Valley, Washington
Political experience: Appointed to Spokane Valley City Council in 2013 and elected to the position in 2013 and 2017. He served as a city of Spokane Valley planning commissioner from January 2012 until his appointment to the council. Served as Spokane Valley mayor from 2016 to 2020.
Work experience: Spent much of his career in the mining industry. Was executive director of the Nevada Mining Association for four years. He is the retired director of International Society of Mine Safety Professionals.
Military experience: Served two years in the Army.
Education: Graduated from high school in Wallace. Earned bachelor’s degree from the University of Idaho in finance in 1964.
Family: Married to Gloria Higgins for 50 years. Has two kids.
Campaign fundraising: Raised $17,900, as of Oct. 11, 2021, including more than $5,800 that he loaned to himself. Contributors include Spokane Valley businessman Jack Pring ($1,000), former Spokane County Republican Party chairwoman Cynthia Zapatocky ($1,000), Associated Builders and Contractors ($500), Republican state Sen. Mike Padden ($125), candidate for Spokane Valley City Council Position 7 Laura Padden ($125), Spokane County Assessor Tom Konis and Kathy Konis, ($50 each), and Spokane Valley City Councilman Arne Woodard ($500).
Linda (Hatcher) Thompson
- Age:
- 71
- City:
- Spokane Valley, Washington
Education: Graduated from Central Valley High School in Spokane Valley in 1971. Has a bachelor's in general studies with a certificate in public relations from Eastern Washington University. Has a master's in organizational leadership from Gonzaga University.
Work experience: Worked in banking until the early 1990s. Since 1993 has worked as executive director of the Greater Spokane Substance Abuse Council, a nonprofit.
Political experience: Elected to Spokane Valley City Council in 2017. Was a finalist for a vacant Spokane Valley City Council seat in 2013 but lost a tie vote after a coin toss decided the matter. Ran unsuccessfully against Councilman Rod Higgins later in 2013. Ran unsuccessfully against Republican state Rep. Larry Crouse in 2008. Served on the Washington State Governor’s Council on Substance Abuse from 2002 to 2010, and the Washington Association for Substance Abuse and Violence Prevention since 2000. Served on the steering committee in charge of a park expansion and library project in Spokane Valley.
Family: Married to Richard Thompson and has two children. Three-year-old son killed in 1986 by drunken driver.
Campaign fundraising: Raised $9,600 as of Oct. 11, 2021. Contributors include the Spokane Regional Labor Council ($1,000), former Spokane Valley Mayor Dean Grafos ($500), former Spokane Valley City Councilman Bill Gothmann ($100), and Spokane Valley City councilmembers Tim Hattenburg ($55) and Brandi Peetz ($115).