Okay. He already had my respect. Rich Cowan is an accomplished professional who has brought hundreds of jobs to Spokane through his business North by North West. Of course I admire that.
This last week he gained my respect in a more significant way. I now know a bit more about the “stuff from which he is made.”
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Denny Dellwo announces run for the Legislature
This is great news for anyone that holds a fondness for the working class, tolerance of one’s neighbors, restoring the state budget, and the general idea of sanity. Democrat Denny Dellwo is challenging incumbent John Ahern for the 3rd Legislative District Seat in Spokane.
Denny should be a very strong candidate, and the eccentric Ahern appears vulnerable. Dellwo was elect to the Washington State House of Representatives years ago, but then chose not to seek re-election. He instead wanted to go back to the private sector. Now he is eager to return to public service.
Pin ItSpokane Council President Ben Stuckart has hit the ground running to address the issues on which he campaigned. Police reform is on the top of his agenda.
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It came as no surprise, but it is now official. The County of Spokane will not be placing a construction bond on the 2012 ballot to finance their proposed new Spokane County Jail.
Back in 2011, the Spokane County Commission and the Sheriff’s Department were planning to place their construction bond on that years’ ballot. However, they retreated from that election year as well. There was and still is a growing public reluctance to spend tax dollars on massive new public works projects like a new Spokane County Jail when alternatives have not been fully explored.
Pin ItYou know . . . sometimes you meet another person and realize you have met a great human being. While speaking in Spokane oationn the need for police reform, retired Seattle Police Chief, Norm Stamper, gave me that much respect. It was not because of his accomplishments, knowledge, or oratory skills. While significant, these are not the source of his exceptionalism.
It is his humility and courage behind it. Norm Stamper has the self-honesty to share his own mistakes and lessons learned, and do so in a way that compels others to examine their own life and strive for self improvement. In the movement for police reform, Norm Stamper is a leader in the best possible way . . . by example.
In the video to the right, Chief Stamper discusses the time he falsely arrested a citizen out of power lust, and how having to confront what he did changed him into the reformer he is.
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