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Spokane City Council calls for urgency in filling civil rights position

Spokane City Councilwoman Lori Kinnear answers questions from Spokesman-Review reporters Adam Shanks and Rebecca White during the Northwest Passages Community Forum Pints & Politics with School Board & City Council Candidates at Cracker Building Thurs., Oct. 3, 2019. Colin Mulvany/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW (COLIN MULVANY)
By Adam Shanks adams@spokesman.com(509) 459-5136

Spokane City Councilwoman Lori Kinnear has waited more than four years for the city to staff an Office of Civil Rights.

She’s growing impatient.

This week, Kinnear publicly urged Mayor Nadine Woodward’s administration to fill the role, which would serve to receive and investigate allegations of civil rights infractions in the city of Spokane.

“We’ve been working on it for four years. It’s time to get off the pot and really do something,” Kinnear said during a City Council meeting on Monday. “If I sound too strident on this, it’s because I’m really serious that this needs to happen as soon as possible.”

Kinnear voiced her frustration as the City Council passed a resolution condemning acts of hatred against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the wake of a shooting in Atlanta that left eight people dead earlier this month.

Administration officials say they’re working toward the same goal as the City Council, but they likely remain months away from hiring a civil rights officer as they develop a specific job description through the city’s Human Resources Department and Civil Service Commission .

Money is no obstacle. The council had funded a Civil Rights Office since 2017, but former Mayor David Condon never moved to fill the position.

Although its parameters have yet to be fully fleshed out, the council members who supported the position envision the office as a clearing house for civil rights matters. The office could hear a complaint regarding housing discrimination, for example, and refer the complainant to state and federal resources. If those aren’t available, the officer could look to mediate the dispute by educating those involved, or prosecute the alleged discrimination in municipal court under city law.

Heading into its 2021 budget, the council revived its quest to staff the office and negotiated with Woodward to secure $125,000 for the civil rights officer position. The 2021 budget was Woodward’s first. She inherited the 2020 budget from her predecessor.

“She’s made a commitment to that position and intends to hire into that position,” said city spokesman Brian Coddington.

Stakeholders within City Hall will meet early next week to discuss the position, Coddington added.

But since the city has never had a civil rights officer, it is starting from scratch. That means studying comparable positions in other cities and placing it in the correct level in the city’s classification and compensation plan.

Then, the city has to recruit for the position and test for it under civil service guidelines. Based on those results, the city would sort through finalists and fill the position.

“It’s a lengthy process,” Coddington said.

So long, in fact, it could take nine to 12 months, Coddington estimated.

In the meantime, the city could look to hire a “project employee” who would essentially serve the same function, but on a temporary basis.