This is a KSPS PBS election special, a debate featuring candidates for Spokane City Council.

Hello.

And thank you for joining us.

I'm Kristi Gorenson KSPS is pleased to bring you this debate featuring the candidates running for Spokane City Council in District three.

The district stretches north from the Spokane River and west of Division Street.

And after redistricting in 2022 includes Browns addition.

Let me introduce the candidates to you.

Kitty Klitske has served on numerous boards and committees, including the Spokane Regional Transportation Council and the city's Planning Commission Transportation Subcommittee.

She served eight years as an Army Reserve medic and has advocated for environmental and land use policies for the Lands Council and Futurewise.

Earl Moore has retired from her career as a respiratory therapist at Deaconess Hospital.

She is a past president of the Respiratory Care Society of Washington and has served on the Spokane Human Rights Commission.

Welcome to you both.

Well, for this debate, the candidates will answer questions from two Spokane journalists, Emry Dinman reports on City Hall for The Spokesman-Review and Rebecca White is a reporter for Spokane Public Radio.

Before we begin, I want to go over a few of the debate rules for our viewers.

These rules were agreed to by the candidates.

So let's begin.

The coin flip determined that Katie will take the first question and that will come from memory.

The city is currently working to address a $20 million shortfall in next year's budget.

Going forward, how can the city better balance its pocketbook?

Should the city reduce certain services?

And should the city seek new revenue sources such as by raising taxes?

Well, thanks so much for having this debate.

And thank you all for coming.

And thank you for moderating and asking questions.

We all want a balanced budget and we all want our rainy day fund back.

But poorly managed contracts and proposals and out-of-control overtime costs have left us high and dry.

I will prioritize fully staffing our essential public services, hiring dedicated grant writer to help fill gaps and take advantage of state and federal dollars and work to keep us out of no when contracts and leasing expensive and inadequate facilities like the truck shelter.

I do think that we may need to seek revenue, but we should look at the 300 vacant, unfilled positions we have now, see if we're covering them with overtime and look to see if they're enterprise programs and that we would be making revenue off of them if we filled them.

All right.

Thank you, Earl.

Could you repeat that question, please?

Sure.

The city is currently working to address a $20 million shortfall in next year's budget.

Going forward, how can the city better balance its pocketbook?

Should the city reduce certain services or otherwise look for new revenue sources, such as By raising taxes?

I do not believe we should be raising taxes.

I am not sure of the places where we should be tightening our budget because and the people in city hall, because I'm not that familiar with what's happening.

I think of that $20 billion deficit that we are talking about.

We must remember 10 million of it was for police protection and better police in our city.

And I realize that the administration writes the budget, but then city council oversees it.

I think.

And so I would be very watchful of what we are doing with the money, where it's going and why we are spending it.

Thank you.

All right.

Thank you, Earl.

You'll take this next question from Rebecca.

Some council members and candidates want to wind down the Trent Resource and Assistance Center, the 350 bed, city run homeless shelter.

Do you agree?

If so, what should replace it?

Would you support siting additional shelters or homeless services in your district?

I believe the Trent shelter for what we have for right now is meeting the needs that we need there.

They do have wraparound services.

They are filling up the beds that we have available.

We will be looking at measure one in the future that will help distribute the homeless culture in better ways that it should be distributed.

But as for now, I think that Trent Shelter is doing the job.

We don't have Camp Hope.

We're trying to keep people off of the streets.

That is not humane living in a car or on your on the streets.

So, yes, I believe that the shelter is doing what it was intended to do.

As we move forward.

Thank you.

I have a chart.

When you say measure one will distribute the homeless culture.

What do you mean by some people will be in a new jail?

Or what does that.

What do you mean by that?

With measure one, the way that I watched at the meeting that I attended from the county commissioners, they will build the jail, but on site will be wraparound services.

There will be places where the homeless are.

Excuse me.

There will be places for addiction.

There will be places for mental ill.

It's a culture that will be separated out into the places that they need to be and where they can get help.

Should people be arrested to get that kind of help if they're breaking the law?

I do believe they should.

All right.

Thank you, reporters Kitty.

You can answer the question.

You have one minute.

Okay.

Everyone in our city needs a safe place to live.

We haphazardly spend enormous amounts of money on homelessness right now, and our houseless population just keeps growing.

Warehousing people in an expensive and inadequate building is not doing the job.

We need a comprehensive approach that pulls regional, regional search resources and to increase our impacts and something that coordinates a navigation center that can connect people to resources.

We need to share information and collaborate on solutions and involve service providers and people with lived experience in the governance of that regional approach.

I have experience leading diverse coalitions, and I know that when we work together, we can do better.

And I think that we should have a regional approach with more specialized facilities.

So just quick follow up.

Do you do you think Trent should should close that or open something else or eventually?

I think it should.

I think that it wasn't a very good facility for us and that we're paying too much for it.

I'd like to have us have more specialized facilities that can address people's needs in those facilities.

So if someone has a particular problem, maybe we could send them as a shelter that deals with that.

Someone has a different problem, like if they're a family or they have children, then maybe we send them to a different spot.

I think one one big warehouse for all needs is not doing the job.

Would you support siting those facilities in your district?

Yes, I have.

We have shelters in our district already.

And I think if they're well managed and properly contained, then they can be anywhere.

All right.

Thank you.

You'll take the next question from Emory.

Kitty, you referenced the regional homeless coalition already.

Local leaders are working on this proposal to pool resources and unite local jurisdictions under a regional authority.

Do you agree that this is the right path forward?

And if so, why?

And do you have any concerns with the specifics of the proposal?

Yes, I do agree that it's the right path forward and I'm very hopeful that we pull it together and do a good job.

Some of the specifics that I'm concerned about that I've heard from service providers are that the current way we have of tracking information and how people are helped, it should be kind of like medical records where everyone who helps you has the opportunity to see what you've been through before.

But right now it doesn't work that way and we could pool our resources together to try to make it work.

That way.

Another concern I have is to make sure that people with lived experience and service providers are part of the governance of that entity and that it's transparent and has enough oversight from the community.

Thank you, Earl.

I believe that right now it's a it's a good idea.

I like how they are planning to silo the money into one pot.

My one concern and it's not a large concern, but I wonder how will they decide who will sit on on the governance board?

I know that it's going to include, you know, not just Spokane, but surrounding cities.

And I think it's important that we get a good balance and mix on the board that will govern.

I also believe that we should be reaching out to the homeless and they should be a part of this conversation, not just the homeless, but people that have recovered from homelessness.

Can you imagine what they can bring to the table so that my only concern would be who would be?

How are they going to decide who will sit on the governance board for this?

Thank you.

All right.

Thank you.

Earl, we'll take this next question first from Rebecca.

Is the Office of the Police Ombudsman for sufficiently empowered to provide oversight of the Spokane Police Department and specifically, do you support granting that office the authority to compel a police officer to submit to an interview during a misconduct investigation?

I know that there has been a lot of talk and conversation around the Ombudsman with the recent dealings we had with our chief of police.

I'm not sure that it is always best that we have always had people checking on each other to see who is doing their job correctly.

I think if the job description is made clear, everybody knows exactly what it is, then we should move forward with that.

I am right now until I could hear more from the police officers compared with how it is being run right now at the present.

I think you're kidding.

I think it would be helpful if the Police Ombudsman could interview officers.

I think it would add transparency.

And I think it's also a very helpful accountability structure for the community.

The voters approved that when they overwhelmingly approved the Office of the Police Ombudsman, and I definitely support that.

I think we need to remember that having transparency and being able to investigate and having the community hold the police department accountable also protects police officers.

It doesn't just protect community members.

So if we have that transparency and that accountability, I think it will improve the relationship between the police department and the community.

And it will also be safer for our police officers.

Kitty, would you be willing to vote against renewing a contract or a new contract with the Police Guild if that authority to compel interviews was not included?

That's a tough one.

Probably if if there wasn't something else that would get us closer to that.

If there was another way to provide accountability.

I don't want to be like completely recalcitrant and inflexible.

But I do think that that's a really important piece that our community is missing, and I think it will help both the community and the police.

And Earl, you can have 30 seconds to also answer that question, if you like.

I am all for transparency, but I am not for the police being criticized and watched over for every single thing they do.

They are professionals, They're trained.

And I, I would I would want to look more at the features that they are asking for at the present time.

But like I say, I'm I'm all for like the transparency and knowing what's going on.

But I think I'm okay with how it is right now.

Thank you.

All right, Kitty, you can answer this next question from Emery in the city of Spokane.

Money from red light and speeding camera tickets goes to a dedicated pot of money called the Traffic Calming Fund.

That money has traditionally been used for traffic calming infrastructure projects like stop signs and speed humps.

This year, the mayor has proposed using $2 million of that fund to cover gaps in the police department's budget.

Is that an acceptable use of the funds?

I don't think it is.

And I do have to admit that I was on the Planning Commission or the Community Assembly Transportation Committee when that passed, and we did write the traffic calming process for the neighborhoods.

The first iteration of that.

But I do believe that everyone deserves to travel safely and conveniently using their preferred mode of transportation.

But we already pay for traffic patrols and we should expect results from that public investment.

We have 27 neighborhood projects in the pipeline that need to be built right now.

I will work to fully staff our police so that we don't have to dip into other funding to cover overtime.

I aim to ensure that traffic calming dollars go to projects that neighborhoods need.

I would like to restore our already budgeted traffic patrols and improve order and implement automated enforcement for speeding and other dangerous driving behaviors so that we can get a handle on dangerous driving, but also keep our traffic calming dollars for infrastructure projects.

I have experience working on transportation committees and I think we can do this with a can do attitude.

Thank you, Earl.

This is not something that I would sit down and say.

I think we can always look and take money from this this budget to balance the budget.

But in the case where we have had things in the past here that have really taken money that we weren't anticipating that we would have to have like COVID in the past couple of years and there were just different things that have happened.

So I would say there is, as I have looked at the budget of the traffic calming money, there is money there left to do.

I have been to some of the neighborhood council meetings and yes, they do have their projects that that they are doing.

But I think with art there would be enough money for them to do their projects and it would not deplete that.

So that some of that money could go toward the deficit that we're facing.

All right.

Thank you, Earl.

You can take this next question from Rebecca.

There's been a lot of data and research that shows Spokane is no longer affordable to many of the people who live here now.

The city council's addressed our housing crisis in a few ways with zoning reform with some tenant protections.

Where do you think the city council should go next to address the shortfall of attainable housing?

I think number one that we have to do for attainable housing is to increase the amount of land zoned for high density housing.

I know a lot of people feel that this is not the answer, but it allows people who cannot afford, you know, larger, larger houses to start in resident residents suitable for their financial needs.

And eventually, then with what they call the realtor's ladder, then they will move up as the bigger houses, more expensive are built, these people will move in and it will give everybody an opportunity and a chance to have affordable housing.

I think we should also think about incentivizing the construction of varying various housing types throughout our city, from rambles to triplexes and apartments, and to cater to the needs of all incomes in our community.

I think housing should be attainable for all every single person in our city.

So I think those are a few of the things that that we could do to help that I think you can see.

I think that the realtors ladder only works when you have a spectrum of housing choices that meets the community's diverse needs.

And we don't have that right now.

We need affordable choices for families, seniors, students, young professionals and people who need supportive housing.

Our upcoming ten year Comprehensive Plan update will be a great opportunity to reduce barriers to multifamily infill, to calibrate our tax structure, to incentivize growth where we need it, and to rein in costly, wildfire prone sprawl.

I have 15 years of experience working on comprehensive plans, and I know we can meet these challenges through good planning.

Right, Right.

Thank you.

You'll take this next question from memory, Kitty.

In 2020, during racial justice protests, you held up a sign that said defund the police.

Can you explain your thinking with that sign?

And is that a position you still hold?

No, it's not a position that I still hold because we've made some progress since then.

That was three years ago.

And I think everybody deserves to feel safety and belonging in our city.

But right now, people don't because of poor 911 response times lack of sufficient mental health, drug treatment and co-occurring facilities and a perception that police prioritize some neighborhoods over others.

I support a comprehensive approach to public safety.

I would like us to fully staff our firefighters and police and reduce overtime which will save the city millions.

I would like to bring back neighborhood resource officers and traffic patrols and address upstream causes to crime and poverty.

I think we should improve our triaging and coordinate for better responses to our calls and more efficient responses.

And I'm an experienced medic.

I will bring a can do attitude to these challenges for public safety.

Do I think?

Would you like to rearrange the question for Earl?

I do have a question.

That's only for Earl.

Perfect.

In August, Miss Moore, you and Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward appeared on stage alongside former Representative Matt Shay, who has been accused of domestic terrorists at this event.

They talked about speaking out against gay marriage as well as trans issues.

So the mayor has apologized for this and denounced Shay's ideology.

Could you maybe explain your attendance at that event?

And I guess if you have a feeling about some of the ideas that he expressed during the event and previously I did send out a statement, I think that people explained my position.

Again, I would say to you all, I had no idea he was there.

I went to pray.

I went to pray for my community.

And having spent the whole day visiting fire victims in Medical Lake and listening to the governor speak of the devastation, I decided to go at the last minute and pray.

And of course, we didn't know about the fires when they said he was coming two weeks ago.

But I want to make it very clear.

I had no idea he was there.

None.

I stood on a stage with 3000 other Christians and prayed for my community and for my city and for fire victims.

I thank you for viewers who might not have seen your statement.

Can you articulate whether you also, as the mayor has done, denounce the ideology of Mr. Shay?

You know, I don't I have.

I was given a manifesto that he had written.

I have not read it.

So what I have heard after the fact, of course, I denounce that.

But again, I want to make it very clear.

I had no idea, none whatsoever.

When I chose to go to that prayer meeting with over 3000 other people in our community.

And I would like to say this as I go out door belling in my district over 5000 doors, one person, one is the only one that ever asked me anything about this issue that you are referring to now.

All right.

Earl, your time is up.

Let's go with Kitty for this next question from Emory.

A lot of places in Spokane, such as Division Street, aren't safe for people who are not traveling in cars.

Cars don't always stop for pedestrians and are always looking out for bicyclists.

What would you do as a city council member to make our streets safer for people who aren't in cars?

Well, my some of my life's work has been working on pedestrian and bicycle safety.

I'm a big proponent of multi multimodal transportation, and I did work for four years to build up a campaign and a broad coalition to pass a complete streets ordinance.

And what that ordinance does is it ensures that every time we do a major repair project on our streets, we put in the other elements called for in the comprehensive plan.

So if there's bike lanes called for in the bicycle master plan, then we have to put in the bike lanes for pedestrians.

We need to put in curbs, curb ramps and other amenities that are called for in the pedestrian master plan.

We could do a better job updating the pedestrian master plan.

So that has more specific suggestions for corridors like division.

But I do support the the proposed changes that are coming up with adding public transit in the middle and making street improvements on the sides.

I think that will help the businesses along the corridor, as it has in other corridors.

And pedestrian safety is a really big deal.

People shouldn't be afraid to cross the street.

We should have the freedom to move around our city.

Thank you, Earl.

I think this question refers to what I have heard called street diets.

I am not in favor of that at all.

I'm not in favor of diets.

Diets don't work.

They cause anxiety.

They cause stress.

Half the time, you don't even know if they're going to work.

And part of the time they don't work.

I drive Monroe, and they re.

It's beautiful to look at, but talk to some of the businesses.

It's not to them.

I got stuck behind a bus going on Monroe.

The car in front of me stopped.

I stopped.

He got anxious, pulled around.

Car was coming down the hill.

It was a disaster waiting to happen.

So, no, I am not.

I am favor this.

And the people that are planning these are not elected officials from our city.

They're appointed.

And I think that should go to the people.

Again, I am.

I am a proponent of.

Let the people speak.

Yes.

32nd for rebuttal.

Yes.

Thank you.

So I don't I don't like diets either.

I'm on board with you, Earl.

But the concept of road diets may not be aptly named, but they are transportation improvements.

They're they're designed for pedestrians and they're designed to help the businesses.

And the numbers are their business went up from 30 to 40%.

And both of those corridors that Earl's talking about.

So when you have a 32nd delay behind a bus, it's a behavior problem if somebody does something dangerous to deal with that.

But it's not really a traffic problem.

All right.

Well, that will have to be the last question.

It's time now for closing statements.

And Katie, you will go first.

You have one minute.

Oh, thank you.

I'm a lifelong Spokane resident, and I know that we're facing some difficult challenges right now, but I've seen Spokane face difficult challenges before and come out better.

We can improve public safety, build safe, walkable, walkable infrastructure plan growth, where infrastructure is there to support it and protect taxpayers from boondoggles and balance the budget.

I have experience working on ambitious public benefit plans, and I know that when we work together, Spokane can.

I would be honored to have your vote in November and visit Katie or vote for Katie.

Dot com Sorry.

To reach me or to learn more about my campaign.

Thank you.

Thank you, Earl.

Again, my name is Earl Moore.

And I want to thank all of you for this debate here this evening.

In this election, you will see my opponent and I differ greatly, actually, on the key issues that face our city.

We are like this.

When I speak about it, I support Proposition one to keep our parks and schools safe.

I support Measure one to hold bad people accountable and find wraparound services for them.

I oppose.

I call them road diets.

They are they cause dangerous congestion.

She does not.

I oppose fluoridation.

She does not.

And I fully support our police.

She does not.

I defend our police.

She defunded our police.

If you want a safe and healthy, vibrant Spokane, I believe with your support, we can accomplish that.

And that is why I humbly ask you to vote for Earl more.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Well, that will do it for this debate.

Our thanks to each of the candidates, as well as to our journalists.

Emry Dinman and Rebecca White.

If you are registered to vote, it's not too late.

You have until October 30th to register online or by mail.

And you could even register to vote in person until 8 p.m. on Election Day.

For all of us at KSPS, thank you for watching.