Q1: As a Spokane City Council member, what your top priorities now and for 2019?
A1: Public Safety
- Hire more police officers on the streets and in our neighborhoods via possible Public Safety Bond
- Hire additional firefighters and support equipment upgrades via possible Public Safety Bond
- Continue funding Spokane County Regional Criminal Justice Commission
- Increase financial support to Community Oriented Policing Program – 5% over the next 2-years
- Increase financial support to the Office of Police Ombudsman for police/citizen oversight and use of force dashboard technology
- Expand Community Court operations
Human Services and Homelessness:
- Support additional community mental health and substance abuse programs
- Continue to grow Mental Health Court and Drug Court
- Create smaller and safer shelters and warming centers
- Continue to grow homeless outreach efforts
- Support a “one stop” approach to community resources
- Establish and provide initial funding for an LGBTQ community center/shelter
Housing:
- Increase low income and affordable housing stock
- Support alternate forms of housing – tiny homes, cottages, generational housing, etc.
- Allocate funding for rental relocation efforts
- Fund additional opportunities for rehabilitation of foreclosures
Administration:
- Allocate funds for creation of an Office of Civil Rights in City Hall/ Council Office to address civil rights and discrimination issues/complaints
Q2: Assuming that these priorities are or will be part of the City’s operations, how will you be able to tell whether they are succeeding?
A2: Working with community partners and City departments, we can track progress/outcomes and create reliable data relating to crime statistics, police/fire response times, point-in-time counts, the number of low-income and/or homeless that have secured safe and affordable housing, to name a few.
Q3: Which measures on the Indicators site will be able to help to inform that assessment?
A3:
- Public Safety
- People
- Housing
- Economic Vitality
Q4: You’re a Spokane native and have certainly witnessed significant change here over the past decade or two. Do you see any of this change reflected in measures tracked by the Indicators?
A4: I believe that most of significant community changes over the past decade are reflected in the scope of measures tracked to date. Some examples include:
- Public Safety → Total Property Crimes Total & Rate
- Housing → Homeowners Paying 30%+ of Income on Shelter
- Housing → Overall Vacancy Rate
- Housing → Homeless Families with Children
- Economic Vitality → Median Household Income
Q5: As a Council member, you are often called upon to make decisions relatively quickly. Do you feel that, in most cases, you have the necessary information at your fingertips?
A5: In most cases, yes, via briefing sessions, community reports, City staff and other resources.
