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Lori Kinnear named Spokane City Council President, replacing Breean Beggs

Spokane City Council member Lori Kinnear, who is serving as council president Pro Tem, was elected as interim council president July 17 at the city council meeting. (Jesse Tinsley/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)
By Emry Dinman emryd@spokesman.com(509) 459-5472

Spokane Councilwoman Lori Kinnear has been named City Council president, following the departure last week of Council President Breean Beggs, who has been appointed as a Spokane Superior Court judge.

“I am really honored to serve all of you,” Kinnear said Monday. “We’re going to get some stuff done.”

Kinnear was approved unanimously by her council colleagues.

“I have enjoyed working with you for about a year,” Councilman Jonathan Bingle said. “You’re the most logical choice for this, and I think you’ll do a great job.”

Councilman Michael Cathcart was named Council President Pro Tem, a position Kinnear previously served.

The City Council will now have to appoint a replacement council member to serve in Kinnear’s stead. Four candidates are currently running for her seat; once the November election is certified, the winner will replace the appointee. Her replacement will have to be a resident of Kinnear’s district, which includes most of the city south of the Spokane River.

Kinnear will accept applications from residents and can unilaterally decide who to advance for public interviews. Applications open Tuesday and close at 5 p.m. on Aug. 4. The full City Council will vote on Aug. 28 to approve an appointee from among those finalists.

Kinnear will be the briefest council president in the city’s history, only serving in that role until the November election is certified. There are three candidates vying for a full four-year term as council president, including Councilwoman Betsy Wilkerson, former businesswoman Kim Plese and retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col Andy Rathbun. Only two candidates will proceed after the August primary election and the winner of the November general will be sworn in later that month.

Kinnear has served on the City Council since 2016, and before that served as a legislative assistant to former city council members Amber Waldref and Richard Rush.

She is the sixth person to lead the council as Council President. Prior to the start of Spokane’s strong mayor system in 2001, the city’s mayor had served in a similar capacity on the council dais.

Before Kinnear, only former City Council President Joe Shogan had ever served as council president in an interim capacity, after prior president Dennis Hession became interim Spokane mayor following the recall of former Mayor Jim West in late 2005.