Spokane City Council, northwest district
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Karen J. Stratton (N) | 7,616 | 47.68% |
| Andy Rathbun | 3,831 | 23.98% |
| Jeff Martin (N) | 2,293 | 14.35% |
| Ken Side (N) | 810 | 5.07% |
| Christopher Savage | 751 | 4.70% |
| Jeff Rugan (N) | 673 | 4.21% |
* 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.
Featured Candidates
Karen J. Stratton
- Party:
- No party
- Age:
- 65
- City:
- Spokane, WA
- Occupation:
- Incumbent councilwoman
Her words: "My father used to say, if you really want to know what people think and what people want, you need to go to them. And I believe that. To me, the vibrancy and the pulse of the city is in the neighborhoods."
Her pitch: Stratton says more work needs to be done to improve the quality of life in the northwest neighborhoods, particularly West Central. The former Spokane city clerk says she'll continue to advocate on behalf of municipal employees, efforts that have often put her at odds with Mayor David Condon's office. She defended the city's approach to providing services for the homeless in her four years on the Spokane City Council, but said she'd advocate for more partnerships in the community between city social workers, educators, mental health care providers and others to provide more and longer-term services for those living on the streets.
Education: Graduated from Marycliff High School in 1977. Earned bachelor’s degree in communications and general studies from Eastern Washington University in 1989.
Work experience: Worked at Washington State University Spokane and the Community Colleges of Spokane. Served as a clerk in the city clerk's office.
Political experience: Incumbent councilwoman. Appointed to complete term of Steve Salvatori. Former aide to Mayors Jim West and Mary Verner in 2014. Former legislative aide in the Washington state House.
Family: Married. One adult son. Her mother, Lois Stratton, was a legislator in Olympia as a Democrat from 1979 to 1993, and her father, Alan Stratton, was a member of the Spokane City Council from 1965 to 1975.
Neighborhood: Audubon-Downriver
Andy Rathbun
- Age:
- 60
- City:
- Spokane, Washington
Education: Graduated from Richland High School, then known as Columbia High School, in 1982. Graduated from Kansas State University with a bachelor’s degree in science. Graduated from Squadron Officer School and Air War College while in the Air Force.
Work experience: Worked in the Air Force and Air National Guard for 32 years. Now retired. Served on the West Central Community Center board of directors for more than 20 years, including 18 years as the vice president.
Political experience: Previously served as chair of the West Central Neighborhood Council. Ran for mayor of Spokane in 2019 before pulling out to run that year for a seat on the Spokane City Council, losing to Councilwoman Karen Stratton.
Family: Married to Melody Rathbun. Has three adult daughters and seven grandchildren.
Political donations: Reports raising $0 as of July 3, 2023.
Related Media
Complete Coverage
Getting There: Northwest Spokane City Council candidates talk Monroe, Five Mile and other needed street repairs
City Councilwoman Karen Stratton and her opponent in the November election, Andy Rathbun, both say there are roads in the northwest part of town that need attention from City Hall. They offered their opinions on road diets and what should be done to alleviate heavy traffic in the rapidly growing reaches of the Five Mile area.
Spokane City Council: Rathbun vs. Stratton
At the Northwest Passages Pints and Politics debate between Spokane School Board and City Council candidates, incumbent Karen Stratton and Andy Rathbun debate the issues as they seek the District 3 seat on the City Council. Debate was October 3, 2019 and held at OverBluff Cellars’ tasting room at the Washington Cracker Building in Spokane.
Race to represent northwest Spokane on City Council pits candidates with different styles
Part of the debate between Andy Rathbun and incumbent Karen Stratton in their bids to represent the northwest district on the Spokane City Council is about style.
Homeless to be left in the cold as Condon, City Council trade jabs over lack of adequate shelter space
Mayor David Condon acknowledged that the city will not have adequate shelter space when cold weather hits this weekend. The Spokane City Council and mayor held dueling press conferences on homelessness on Wednesday.
Ethics complaint targets Spokane Councilwoman Karen Stratton’s endorsement of Pasco marijuana business
The complaint filed Friday alleges Stratton violated several portions of the city’s ethical code prohibiting city officials from using public resources to further their own financial interests. The councilwoman said the timing of the complaint, after a letter she wrote last summer had been shared publicly in conservative circles online, indicates it is politically motivated and that she hasn’t benefited financially from the action.
Ties to marijuana businesses are disqualifying bankruptcy filers, including City Councilwoman Karen Stratton
The U.S. Trustee Program, responsible for policing the federal courts’ bankruptcy proceedings, is weeding out cases involving people or firms with ties to state-sanctioned marijuana businesses. Earlier this summer, that included Karen Stratton and her husband, Chris Wright, despite the fact that the majority of their debts were not wrapped up in the family-owned farm they’ve helped operate since 2014.
Police Guild watches its watchdog, escalates protest against investigation into violent arrest
In an escalation of its protest against an investigation into a violent February arrest, the Spokane Police Guild has filed a public records request for the communications of numerous city officials.
Election preview: Spokane City Councilwoman Karen Stratton draws five challengers in the northwest
Andy Rathbun, Jeff Martin, Christopher Savage, Ken Side and Jeff Rugan have filed against the incumbent councilwoman, who’s been in office since 2015 and has, at times, butted heads with Mayor David Condon as a member of the council’s perceived liberal supermajority.
Spokane City Council candidates disagree on homelessness, affordable housing
Spokane City Council candidates were divided on how to make Spokane safer and reduce homelessness, with some arguing for mandatory drug treatment and more police, and others saying more housing was the best way to get people off the street.
Five West Central ‘zombie homes’ placed in receivership as part of affordable housing push
More than three years ago, activists hatched a plan to save five Victorian houses from demolition and turn them into much-needed affordable apartments in Spokane’s West Central neighborhood. But the project stalled for reasons that remain in dispute, and the houses fell into disrepair after they were moved to new locations.
Andy Rathbun drops out of mayor’s race to run for Spokane City Council, but there are still 8 people running for mayor
One of the most vocal critics of his opponents, Andy Rathbun, has withdrawn from the mayor’s race to run for City Council, saying he may not have the name recognition to win the city’s top position.
Spokane City Council votes to require baby changing stations in public city buildings
Baby changing stations will soon be available in bathrooms at City Hall, after the Spokane City Council approved a plan to install them later this year.
Shawn Vestal: The ‘Not Nadines’ have a point about lack of coverage of their Spokane mayoral campaigns
When Nadine Woodward announced she was running for mayor, local media covered it as a capital-B capital-D Big Deal. When most other candidates announced, not so much.
City delays land deal with Union Gospel Mission, partly over concerns on LGBT policies
The Spokane City Council delayed a land deal with Union Gospel Mission over concerns that the city may have made a one-sided deal with an organization that does not hire LGBTQ employees and has been criticized for its treatment of transgender people.
‘Seattle is Dying’ report prompts political response to homelessness in Spokane
City Council President Ben Stuckart declared from the dais last week that neither Seattle nor Spokane is dying, but the divisive KOMO-TV report has prompted a wide-ranging discussion on the issue on the east side of the Cascades.
Spokane City Councilwoman Karen Stratton, husband file for bankruptcy protection
The couple said in an interview the filing, submitted to the court Thursday, is the result of legal malpractice claims against Chris Wright’s one-man law firm. Stratton said she wants to address the hardship head-on and doesn’t think it will affect her re-election effort this November.
Spokane City Council votes down cameras in City Hall break room
Spokane City Council unanimously voted to keep cameras out of the City Hall break room, which would have been used to monitor sales at a new self-serve fresh food lunch counter.
Investigation that will cost up to $25,000 shows no bullying by Spokane council members
Some city employees say disagreements between the Spokane City Council and the mayor’s administration have put employees in the middle, creating an environment in which they have been treated with a lack of respect and professionalism, an independent investigator’s report on bullying complaints has found.
City to resume sit-lie enforcement in February
Now that Spokane’s shelter capacity has increased by 275, the city will resume enforcing a law that bars people from sitting, sleeping or lying on the streets of downtown Spokane beginning Feb. 8.
Lyft, Uber drivers will have to pay new fees, follow new rules under Spokane City Council proposal
After more than two years of talks, the Spokane City Council seems poised to pass new local regulations on ride-hailing company drivers that will include a new driver’s license fee for those taking their fares from a smartphone app. The city lawmakers leading the charge say they hope the changes will put those industries on a more even playing field with traditional cab drivers when picking up passengers in town.