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Editorial: Bill to expand Spokane County Commission deserves support

Wed., Jan. 20, 2016

Voters last fall shot down an attempt to expand the Spokane County Commission to five members, but a bill sponsored by Rep. Marcus Riccelli, D-Spokane, is an improvement worth considering.

We supported an expansion initiative last year, and we like this bill even more because it ensures the process of drawing new district boundaries is bipartisan. Plus, candidates would be selected only by those voters within their districts, which has the potential for adding more responsiveness and diversity to the commission.

Those additions address the concerns of people, namely Democrats, who might have otherwise voted for last fall’s measure.

All three commissioners are Republicans, and that is unlikely to change when Todd Mielke steps down Jan. 31. The county GOP will name a successor. Commissioners are elected countywide in the general election, after surviving district-only contests in the primary.

Last November, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a case about how Tucson, Arizona, selects its city council members, ruled against a system in which candidates are winnowed in district-only contests before being selected in citywide races in the general election.

The court’s concern was that most voters in the general election had no input in selecting the candidates under consideration. The same is true in Spokane County.

So, it’s possible the county could be forced to change its system. That legal concern aside, Riccelli’s proposal would be a better way to fill out the commission anyway. The city of Spokane selects City Council members by district, assuring all areas of the city have a voice.

Under the bill, a five-member board would draw new district lines. Each major party would appoint two members, and those four would select a chairperson. Elected officeholders, party officials and lobbyists would be ineligible for the board.

If the bill passes, it would go into effect in 2018 using district lines drawn in 2017. To produce staggered terms, two seats initially would be two-year terms, and three seats would be for four years. Thereafter, all five terms would be four-year.

The duties have long stretched the three commissioners thin, with each member sitting on several boards. Those commitments leave less time for listening to constituent concerns or gathering public input.

And if two of them merely converse – in a coffee shop, on the sidewalk – it can constitute a public meeting, which calls for advance notice. We’re strong supporters of open meetings laws, but that restriction can force commissioners to avoid each other.

The one drawback is the added cost, which when accounting for salary, benefits and staff, is estimated to be about $500,000 a year. That could be trimmed somewhat by reducing the salary for the position because the workload for each commissioner would be lessened.

Washington’s other populous counties – King, Snohomish and Pierce – have more than three commissioners. The Spokane County Commission needs more woman- or manpower.

Associate Editor Gary Crooks can be reached at garyc@spokesman.com or (509) 459-5026. Follow him on Twitter @GaryCrooks.