Council District No. 1
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Fagan (N) | 2,490 | 49.67% |
| Ben Krauss | 1,262 | 25.17% |
| Randy Ramos | 1,261 | 25.15% |
* 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 district encompasses northeast Spokane. The two candidates with the most votes will advance to the Nov. 3 general election. Only voters within the district will cast ballots in the race.
The Candidates
Mike Fagan
- Party:
- No party
- Age:
- 64
- City:
- Spokane, WA
Why he’s running: Fagan is running to help Spokane maintain the same character it had when he grew up in the city, but also move it forward and navigate its growth.
His pitch: Fagan describes himself as a constituent-facing elected official who has listened to the concerns of residents during his first two terms on the Spokane City Council. Unlike other council members, he says, he does not focus on “social issues” and does not have an “agenda.”
Age: 59 Jan. 1, 1960
Education: Graduated North Central High School in 1978.
Political experience: Fagan has served two terms on the City Council. Former president of Bemiss Neighborhood Council.
Work experience: Co-director of Voters Want More Choices, a group led by Tim Eyman that advocates for lower taxes. Worked as a purchasing officer of a communications company in California in the late 1980s until the mid-1990s. Worked at MOR Manufacturing in Post Falls, including as materials manager, from 1997 to 2007. Served in U.S. Army from 1978 until 1987. Co-hosts radio show about local politics.
Family: Married. Has three children.
Ben Krauss
- Age:
- 55
- Occupation:
- crime analyst
His pitch: A crime analyst with a doctorate who would apply reason to solve the city’s crime problems and help revitalize the city’s neighborhoods.
His words: “We live in a complex world. If you’re working in government, you can’t fake that you know it. When I got my Ph.D., I developed the habit and discipline of sitting down, reading through and thinking through things. You can’t shoot from the hip. You need to have the bandwidth to think it through and develop a solution.”
Neighborhood: Logan
Day job: Analyst with the Spokane Police Department
Notable experience: Member of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on Multicultural Affairs. Formerly a public safety technology specialist with the National Consortium for Justice Information and Statistics.
Randy Ramos
- Age:
- 45
- City:
- Spokane, WA
- Occupation:
- Student recruiter
Randy Ramos
Age: 36
His words: “I believe that it is the role of the government to protect the community’s most vulnerable people and to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to be successful. This means safeguarding the rights of workers and their families, providing a social safety net for people who need it, and supporting education.”
His pitch: A member of the Native community who will encourage people who feel disaffected from politics and government to get involved and have their concerns heard.
Notable experience: Recruiter at the Spokane Tribal College. Helped revive the quasi-governmental Native American Public Development Authority.
Education: Graduated from Lake Roosevelt High School in 1998. Earned associates degree from Spokane Tribal College in 2012.
Neighborhood: Nevada-Lidgerwood
Complete Coverage
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The city has been without a planning director since Scott Chesney was ousted last November.
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Yes. No. Depends who you ask, like we just did for you.
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Truths, half truths and other campaign claims, Part 1
Election 2015 edition, on accusations of partisan agendas, cost of bike lanes and Chomsky.
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Spokane candidates on the Mayor Vs. the City Council
Everything’s golden, or This. Means. War.
Spokane candidates on their political heroes
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I-1366 is another swing at tax supermajority requirement
I-1366 tries to force the Legislature into a super-majority to pass tax increases.
Mike Fagan: I-1366 will restrain tax-happy Legislature
Constitutional amendment requiring two-thirds vote on taxes would force lawmakers to cut spending first.
In Fagan vs. Ramos race, it’s the notorious vs. the unknown
The race for Spokane City Council in District 1, representing northeast Spokane, pits a conservative, controversial incumbent against a political newcomer.
Eyman trying to stick to latest initiative, avoid questions over past actions
As Tim Eyman campaigns for his latest tax-limiting initiative, he’s ducking questions about a possible state investigation into previous campaign funds.
Vestal: Tim Eyman’s financial deals all too familiar
No one should be surprised at the complex financial maneuverings of initiative promoter Tim Eyman; he confessed to engaging in similar tactics 13 years ago.
Initiative sponsor Eyman could face campaign finance law charges
OLYMPIA – Perennial initiative sponsor Tim Eyman could find himself in court over charges he broke campaign finance laws for the way he moved money back and forth in previous initiative efforts. Some of that money went to Eyman for his personal use, and the transactions were not properly reported under state campaign laws, Public Disclosure Commission investigators said. They recommended the state attorney general’s office start “appropriate legal action.”
PDC report says Eyman broke campaign laws
PDC report says Tim Eyman broke campaign finance laws on reporting and spending money for personal use. Staff wants stiff penalties beyond what the commission can levy.
Councilman challenges Spokane’s borrowing from investment fund
Quick growth in Spokane’s collection of investments, and a predilection by city leaders to dip into the investment pool to fund one-time projects, has led at least one Spokane City Council member to suggest that practice runs afoul of the city charter. For the 20th time, the city of Spokane is planning to borrow money from itself, as the council considers on Monday whether to support the city administration’s plan to borrow $5 million from the Spokane Investment Pool. The latest loan would help pay for the recently completed, $17 million Central Service Center in east Spokane.
Washington Supreme Court OKs anti-tax I-1366 for ballot
OLYMPIA – Washington voters will decide this fall whether they want to try to force the Legislature into passing a constitutional amendment that would require supermajorities for tax increases. The state Supreme Court agreed Friday with a lower court that Initiative 1366, the latest ballot measure from Tim Eyman and his Spokane partners Mike and Jack Fagan, can’t be kept off the ballot because some people think it’s unconstitutional.
Super-majority for taxes will be on ballot
OLYMPIA — Voters will get a chance to decide whether they want to try forcing the Legislature into passing a constitutional amendment that would require supermajorities for tax increases, the state Supreme Court ruled today.