Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward keeps posting the same video on social media.
It's an animated loop of a calendar counting how many days have passed since Lisa Brown announced that she was running to take Woodward's job, with variations on the same message.
"Today is day #67 since Lisa Brown launched her campaign for mayor and she still has no plan for what she will do to keep our community safe," a post last week read. "My record is crystal clear on this issue, we can't afford for our city to become less safe this November."
Woodward has been pushing public safety as a top campaign theme — referring to herself as a "law and order mayor," closely allying herself with the police department and attacking Brown over the issue.
So on day 68 of her campaign, we called Brown to ask if she has a plan for public safety.
"I definitely am working on something more formal that I'll put out relatively soon," Brown says.
The former director of the state Commerce Department and state Senate majority leader says people can expect a detailed position statement in the next couple of weeks. She emphasizes that it won't be a firm plan per se. More like: "Here's what the problems look like, here's what some potential solutions look like."
"An actual plan, I believe, should be developed in conjunction with key affected communities," Brown says. "They should be at the table helping to present and vet the recommendations. And that's something I would work to achieve quickly, upon being elected, as part of a transition plan."
As for her own plan for public safety, Woodward points to a list of first-term accomplishments that includes opening new police precincts, establishing a violent crimes task force, ordinances against camping and drug use in public, a behavioral health unit, and a hire-ahead program to make it easier for the police department to fill vacancies.
Going forward, Woodward says she plans to advocate for the state and federal governments to fund more mental health beds, more detox programs and more behavioral health units to work alongside police.
Both candidates are a little vague when asked if they think Spokane feels less safe than it did four years ago.
Brown says most people she talks to feel that way. She doesn't personally feel less safe, but has observed an increase in people experiencing homelessness and behavioral health issues in public.
Woodward says Spokane is safe but has challenges just like any other city. She argues that the state Legislature has taken away many tools that helped officers do their jobs.
But does Woodward think most Spokane residents would think the city has gotten more or less safe?
"There's always been a perception, and perception is reality over the years, but we are working on all those things," Woodward says. "Public safety is our No. 1 priority."
In the weeks since her announcement, Brown has met with business leaders, neighborhood groups and service providers. Notably, she's also had meetings with Bart Logue, the police ombudsman, and the Spokane Police Guild.
Brown knows an endorsement from the guild is unlikely but says she still wanted to open the dialogue — and set the record straight ahead of any attack ads that "say I want to defund the police or something like that, which is certainly not true."
Brown stresses that public safety is about much more than just police. As mayor, she would want to expand therapeutic courts and behavioral health services. She isn't convinced by the county's proposed plan to build a new jail, and she thinks money could be better spent on upstream investments that reduce recidivism.
Woodward says the jail issue should be decided by voters. She says therapeutic courts have been successful, and that the city is applying for grants to stand up a new drug court.
When it comes to Spokane's police department, Brown identifies three main issues: staffing, accountability and community trust.
Brown and Woodward agree that Spokane needs more officers.
The department is budgeted for 356 commissioned officers. Woodward says Spokane needs about 90 more cops to reach the national average.
The department has also reported heavy workloads and burnout stemming from difficulty filling vacant positions.
Brown says she still needs to figure out how much of the department's staffing woes are driven by recruitment, retirement or retention problems. If the issue is recruitment, she thinks the city could reexamine pay and benefits. Brown also thinks the city could do a better job applying for police-related state and federal grants.
Woodward says she's been advocating for funding for more police at a state and federal level, and will continue to do so if re-elected.
Woodward ties the department's ongoing recruitment and retention issues to a national workforce shortage and a tough climate for law enforcement. She thinks a take-home vehicle policy is one tool that could help recruitment. Having a "law and order mayor" that supports police is also important, Woodward says.
For her part, Brown says she also supports law enforcement.
"I mean, who's not for law and order? I don't get that part," Brown says. "Everybody cares about safety."
When it comes to community trust, Brown criticizes the Woodward administration for the breakdown in "community conversations" between police and community groups earlier this year.
Asked about how to restore trust, Woodward says Police Chief Craig Meidl has done a great job building relationships with all communities, including communities of color. But she thinks there's a small segment of the community that is "not supportive of police at all."
"In fact, I think they would like to see police no longer in existence. I think they're abolitionists," Woodward says. "So I don't think we're going to find a lot of agreement there."
On accountability, Brown thinks the police ombudsman needs more authority and support from the mayor's office.
"The majority of people in Spokane clearly believe that you can have independent investigation and accountability and public safety. I don't think there's some kind of trade off there," Brown says.
Woodward says there's always room for improvement, but that she thinks the city is in a good space when it comes to oversight and accountability.
"I'm very, very proud of the evolution our police department has made over the last several years," Woodward says. ♦
