Two newcomers to elected office are running to represent northwest Spokane on the City Council this year.
Earl Moore, 78, is retired and previously spent 40 years working as a respiratory therapist. She's also served as president of the Respiratory Care Society of Washington and as a precinct committee officer with the local Republican Party.
Kitty Klitzke, 46, has experience advocating for environmental and land use policies through her work with organizations like Futurewise and the Lands Council. She also served on the Spokane Regional Transportation Council and various other city committees.
Development is a big issue in District 3, particularly in the outlying areas of the city near Five Mile Prairie and Indian Trail, where recent plans to build dense housing have been met with concerns about fire and street infrastructure not being able to accommodate more people.
While Klitzke says she supports the spirit of Spokane's recent law allowing multifamily housing to be built citywide, she thinks it came with unintended consequences.
"We need to do more to encourage growth in our city center where the infrastructure already exists before we allow that kind of development out at Five Mile," Klitzke says.
Moore says she's still learning about the issue, but that she thinks growth should go hand in hand with infrastructure.
Growth is also a big issue in south Spokane's District 2, where a group of Latah Valley residents have been calling for council members to pass a development moratorium because of concerns about a lack of fire infrastructure.
Klitzke says she's supportive of a moratorium.
"Until we have a solution, why are we allowing growth down there? We're not meeting the concurrency of our comprehensive plan when it comes to traffic or fire in some of these areas," Klitzke says.
Moore has heard about calls for a moratorium in Latah Valley but doesn't have a position.
"I have no comment or understanding of that," Moore says. "And I know as I talk to you, it must sound like 'Well, what do you know?' Boy — I'm going to learn. I have that opportunity."
During this election season, Moore has often avoided taking a firm stance on issues facing the city, instead saying she plans to "sit down and listen to the people" and that she will support whatever the majority of citizens want.
"It doesn't matter what I think, because when I sit on that council, I will be at the will of the people," Moore says. "I want to take politics out of it."
Moore says one of her goals is to help people become more engaged with city business. If elected, she plans to have weekly meetings with constituents at libraries in her district.
"I like majority rule," Moore says.
Moore says she fully supports Proposition 1, a citizen-led initiative on November's ballot that would ban homeless camping within 1,000 feet of schools, parks and day care centers.
"We need to get people connected to services to get them out of homelessness, not encourage them to camp and continue a lifestyle that leads to illness and death," Moore says. "That's not compassion."
Klitzke says she expects the initiative to pass because voters are frustrated — and as a parent, she says she understands where they're coming from. But she doesn't plan to vote for it herself because she thinks it will just result in homeless people being moved around to other parts of the city without doing anything to address the root issue.
"They're human beings, they're not going to cease to exist," Klitzke says.
On Friday, Mayor Nadine Woodward announced that Spokane is joining more than a dozen other cities — including Seattle and Tacoma — in asking the Supreme Court to overturn Martin v. Boise, a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision that prevents cities from sweeping homeless camps without an offer of shelter.
Klitzke doesn't think fighting the court ruling is productive. Moore says she knows about Martin v. Boise, but isn't familiar enough to comment one way or another.
Both candidates say they want to bring constituents together and do what's best for the city. So what sets them apart?
Moore isn't totally sure. Maybe policing? As she did during the primary election, Moore says she's staying focused on herself.
"I don't know a lot about Kitty except she's nice," Moore says. "I guess the biggest thing is I support our law enforcement 100 percent."
Moore notes that she's endorsed by the Spokane Police Guild and Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels. This spring, she organized a petition in opposition to City Council plans to investigate Spokane Police Chief Craig Meidl's communications with a small group of politically active downtown property owners.
Klitzke, for her part, says she's a supporter of law enforcement as well. She recently did a ride-along with a Spokane officer and has another one planned soon.
"You can't ride around with those officers and meet those officers and not feel how overworked they are," Klitzke says. "I appreciate what they go through."
Klitzke thinks her experience sets her apart from Moore.
"When you go in and you don't know anything about state and public policy, you're really at a disadvantage," Klitzke says. "You were elected to serve the people, and you need to know the laws of the people."
Klitzke also highlights Moore's reluctance to weigh in on policy issues and her insistence that she'll "listen to the people" if elected. Of course politicians should seek input from the community, Klitzke says, but at the end of the day, "you have to do your homework and find out what the implications of different options are."
Moore is confident that she'll be able to learn the ins and outs of city business while bringing community members together to be part of the solution. She also hopes to find ways to use her background in health care to help people struggling with mental illness or addiction.
"It's just in me to reach out and involve people and educate them and get things done with the help of the people," Moore says. "I'm just happy and excited that I've been given this opportunity. I have the time and the passion. I think that I'm called for this service." ♦
