Endorsements and editorials are made solely by the ownership of this newspaper. As is the case at most newspapers across the nation, The Spokesman-Review newsroom and its editors are not a part of this endorsement process. (Learn more.)

Editorial: The Spokesman-Review’s choices for Tuesday’s election

Sun., Nov. 3, 2013

The Spokesman-Review editorial board has wrapped up endorsements for the 2013 election season, which comes to an end on Tuesday. To read the full text of the editorials online, go to http://www.spokesman.com/ tags/election-endorsement-2013. To summarize:

Spokane City Council District 2: The contestants are John Ahern and incumbent Jon Snyder. We endorse Snyder, an energetic leader who has demonstrated the ability to work with all council members. Though labor-backed, he says the city might have to test arbitration to push the case that employee compensation outweighs the community’s ability to pay.

Spokane City Council District 3: The contestants are Michael Cannon and Candace Mumm, with the winner replacing Nancy McLaughlin. We endorse Cannon, who has a strong business background and wants to scrutinize current spending more carefully before approaching voters with revenue requests.

Spokane Valley City Council, Position 1: The contestants are Rod Higgins and Linda Thompson. We endorse Higgins based mostly on his greater grasp of municipal government details.

Spokane Valley City Council, Position 4: The candidates are Ed Pace and incumbent Gary Schimmels. We endorse Schimmels, a reliable protector of reserves and an independent thinker with valuable experience.

Spokane Valley City Council, Position 5: The candidates are the incumbent Chuck Hafner and Donald Morgan Jr. We endorse Hafner, a personable leader with far greater experience than his 28-year-old opponent.

Spokane Valley City Council, Position 7: The candidates are Bill Bates and Fred Beaulac, with the winner replacing Tom Towey. We endorse Bates, the chairman of the Planning Commission, who has declined to take the easy political position of forever saying no to new revenue, though he is a fiscal conservative.

Spokane Public Schools District Director 2: The candidates are Bob Douthitt and Sally Fullmer. We endorse Douthitt, the current board president, who has demonstrated a broad understanding of the challenges and a keen eye toward solutions, including all-day kindergarten and an embrace of charter schools and Common Core standards.

Coeur d’Alene Mayor: The candidates are Joe Kunka, Mary Souza and Steve Widmyer, with the winner replacing Sandi Bloem. The calm, collaborative Widmyer is the clear choice. He would lead in a positive manner and strive to build on the progress the city has enjoyed in recent years.

Initiative 522: Vote no. The bid to label foods “genetically engineered” sends up a questionable warning flag that may unfairly stigmatize the science. Plus, the initiative is hampered by so many exemptions it may not be very useful to consumers.

Initiative 517: Vote no. This Tim Eyman favorite infringes on private property rights, hands special rights to petition gatherers and removes the discretion of cities in how they deal with questionable initiatives.

Proposition 1: Vote yes. A small temporary property tax on Spokane County residents would finance the relocation of mobile home residents in a Fairchild Air Force Base crash zone, which would help protect the base from potential closure.