Public Periscope

The honeymoon’s over

For three months, Republican Spokane County commissioners Phil Harris and Steve Hasson listened patiently as their recently appointed colleague, Democrat George Marlton, injected question after question into talks with various department heads … Last week, Marlton’s repeated interruptions proved too much for Harris … During budget talks, Harris suggested switching to four-day work weeks … Marlton piped up with the news flash that county road crews already are off Fridays, causing Harris to flare, “I understand, George. Dammit, let me finish.” Marlton blushed, looking like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Close call

City Manager Roger Crum left Ocean Shores, Wash., and the newly opened Shilo Inn last week the day before a propane leak caused an explosion and fire at the hotel … Crum, the outgoing president of the Washington City-County Managers Association, and possibly Spokane’s outgoing top administrator, was in Ocean Shores for the group’s convention. “I was on the second floor and the explosion was on the third, so it was nothing I left behind,” he joked. “It was kind of weird.” No one was injured by the explosion or the fire.

Another close call

Speaking of Crum, he’s one of three finalists for a city administrator’s job in Ann Arbor, Mich. … News of Crum’s possible departure came as a shock to several of his council bosses, who said they were dismayed Crum hadn’t told them of his interview … Shortly after a Spokesman-Review reporter began nosing into details, Crum deposited a memo about his job shopping in council members’ mailboxes. “At the present time the local media is not aware of this, but since it was made public in Ann Arbor, it probably will end up in our paper also,” the memo said. “I will keep you informed.”

Summer reading

The Spokane County Code is so voluminous and dry even County Commission Chairman Harris won’t read it … A librarian for The Spokesman-Review who stopped by last week for code updates overheard Harris say he can’t keep up with his mail, let alone that code monstrosity.

So, if the chief commissioner hasn’t read the code, how does the county manage to comply with it?

Cuttin’ loose

Medical Lake residents recently wondered what was up when they spotted a Spokane Transit Authority imitation trolley in their neighborhood … Word has it those fancy buses used to shuttle folks from the coliseum parking lot to downtown could be seen in a neighborhood near you sometime soon .. or even in the fast lane. The stopping and starting of shuttle service may work for real trolleys with electric motors, but it’s hard on the Spokane-style’s diesel engines, said Kim Stone, STA’s director of operations … “Periodically, we will take it out on the freeway and let it blow out the engine, let it heat up,” said Stone.

Traffic tallies

Now, for some numbers from the state Department of Transportation … Spokane County and Whitman County drivers own 1.1 cars apiece; each Pend Oreille and Stevens County driver has 1.2 cars; and Adams County drivers have 1.5 cars apiece. Those are licensed vehicles, so many farm rigs - and cars driven by constitutionalists - aren’t included.

Other interesting but useless facts from the DOT:

A Spokane driver whose car gets 23 miles per gallon pays 35 cents in state gasoline taxes to drive to Davenport, 71 cents to drive to Colville and $3.20 to drive to Olympia.

Interstate 90 in Eastern Washington is busiest at Spokane’s Havana Street interchange, where it is used by 83,000 cars a day. Most of those drivers are heading to Olympia to complain about the gas tax.

State Highway 261, which runs from Ritzville in Adams County to Delaney in Columbia County, is the most vacant of the region’s state highways. Only 570 cars a day use the road at its busiest intersection, with Interstate 90. At Palouse Falls, it’s used by just 230 cars a day - one every 6 minutes.

, DataTimes MEMO: Public Periscope, published Mondays, is compiled by Jim Camden from staff reports. If you have a question about government, growth or development, we’d like to help find an answer. Write us c/o The Spokesman-Review, Box 2160, Spokane 99210. Or call Cityline at 458-8800 on a Touchtone phone, then press 9120 to leave a message. Or send E-mail to jimc@spokesman.com for on-line readers.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Compiled by Jim Camden from staff reports