Spokane City Council, northeast district

His words: "I don’t think a lot has changed. I still don’t see a City Council that’s focused on the issues that I’ve heard about over the years, being active in the community." 

His pitch: A long history as a district resident and previous work lobbying City Hall for school safety measures in the northeast are both reasons voters should support Benn's candidacy, he said. He criticized the current City Council for focusing too much on ideological issues and being forced to backtrack on certain decisions when he said they stepped outside their authority. More needs to be done to inform residents in the district about planned construction ahead of completion of the North Spokane Corridor highway, he said, and the homelessness issue in the town should be addressed by restricting the flow of illicit drugs onto Spokane's streets. 

Work experience: Owns a child day care center, Little Precious Ones, with his wife in the Minnehaha neighborhood of North Spokane.

Education: Graduated from Faith Christian Academy in 1996. Received associate degrees from Spokane Community College in general business, business management and marketing in 2005. Received child development associate’s degree from Blue Prints for Learning in 2011.

Political experience: Defeated in 2017 campaign for the northeast district seat by City Councilwoman Kate Burke. Defeated in 2012 and 2014 general elections as Republican candidate to represent Legislative District 3 in Washington House of Representatives, both to Marcus Riccelli. Current chairman of Minnehaha Neighborhood Council. Led effort to challenge day-care regulations that he says are duplicative and burdensome.

Family: Married. Two adult sons, and a daughter in high school. 

Neighborhood: Minnehaha

Education: Went to University High School. Graduated from Montana State University with a bachelor's degree in motion picture arts. 

Political experience: Elected to the the Spokane City Council in 2019, and currently serves as the Spokane City Council president pro tem. Ran unsuccessfully for Spokane County commissioner in 2022. Serves as Spokane’s representative to the Regional Broadlinc Public Development Authority, chair of the Public Safety Committee, chair of the Northeast Public Development Authority, chair of the police and fire pension boards, vice-chair of the Finance Committee, and a current member of the Budget Committee, Spokane Police Advisory Committee and Traffic Calming Committee. Formerly served as vice chair of the Spokane City Council Public Infrastructure & Environment Committee, council liaison for the Spokane Park Board, council liaison for the city’s Employees Retirement System, volunteer for the Spokane Lunar New Year Celebration, chair of the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council, member of the city’s In-Fill Housing Steering Committee and a member of the Mayor’s Quality and Affordable Housing Taskforce.

Work experience: Spent five years as executive director of Better Spokane, a pro-business organization. Worked as an aide for former 6th Legislative District Sen. Michael Baumgartner. Former government affairs director for the Spokane Home Builders Association. 

Family: Married to Vina (Tran) Cathcart. Has a young son.

Political donations: Reported nearly $63,800 as of Oct. 3. Top donors include the Association of Builders and Contractors Political Action Committee, the Build East Political Action Commission, Spokane Realtors, the Spokane Homebuilders Association, manufacturing and engineering firm Pyrotek, and George, Jennifer, Theresa and Ryan Gee of the Gee Automotive Holdings company.

Education: Earned bachelor's degree in economics and political science and master's degree in English from University of Karachi in Pakistan. Earned diploma in customer service from Manchester University in England. Earned associate degree in biotechnology from San Jacinto (Texas) Community College. Earned bachelor's degree in cytogenetic technology from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, School of Health Professions. Currently working on Certificate in Leadership from Gonzaga University.

Political experience: Ran for Spokane City Council in 2019.

Work experience: Former cytogenetic technologist at Signature Genomics Labs in Spokane; formerly worked at the Spokane Regional Health District in treatment services; former lab manager at WSU Elson S. Floyd College Sleep & Performance Research Center. Currently works as the communications coordinator at Gonzaga University Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.

Family: Divorced; has one son.

His words: “My entire adult life, I've been serving the community of Spokane, and I love it. I have experience as an elected official, and doing the work of an elected official. It makes me a little more knowledgeable about the intricacies of these systems." 

His pitch: Haynes said his previous service as an elected official with Spokane Public Schools puts him in a unique position to understand issues of poverty, homelessness, education and community development. He'd push for more collaboration between the school district and the city following the "community school" model seen in larger metropolitan areas. Northeast Spokane should leverage its industrial and commercial opportunities for a bigger slice of the pie at City Hall, including infrastructure dollars and partnerships with schools for apprenticeship programs in the trades, he said. 

Work Experience: Finished service in the U.S. Air Force as a staff sergeant in 2018, after serving eight years. Previously coached freshman football at East Valley High School.

Political Experience: Elected to the Spokane Public Schools Board of Directors in 2015. Member of the political action committee of the Spokane branch of the NAACP.

Education: Received an associate's degree while in the U.S. Air Force. Graduated from Summerville High School in South Carolina in 2007.

Family: Single.

Neighborhood: East Central

His words: "I sat in on a neighborhood council meeting one time. I didn't say anything, I just sat there. And I walked out, I was really ticked off more than anything. Really? These people have to put up with this? Why is that? I've come up with: Infrastructure, citizens' rights, economic development and homeless, is what I'm going down the road on." 

His pitch: The city needs to pay more attention to the neighborhood councils and people living in the northeast district, Salter said. City Hall is making too many decisions, including who to give money to when addressing issues of homelessness, without soliciting the opinions of the public. The city should focus its business recruitment efforts away from the West Plains, Salter said, and instead work to retain and support businesses that will be affected by the completion of the North Spokane Corridor. 

Work experience: Previously worked with Laidlaw to provide bus transportation services for Spokane Public Schools. Also worked part-time for the U.S. Postal Service. 

Education: Earned high school degree from Cheney High School in 1976 before joining the Washington Army National Guard. 

Political experience: First run for political office. Elected union representative for public school employees in the West Valley School District. 

Family: Married. Two daughters and five stepchildren. 

Neighborhood: Bemiss