Cover Story: Dash for the dais By Craig Howard
Splash Contributor
They are doting dads with professional careers and a penchant for multi-syllable words. Both have served on the Liberty Lake City Council, earned respect from their colleagues at City Hall and gone through the rigors of approving budgets, putting in committee work and slogging through piles of municipal ordinances and resolutions.
Beckett stepped away from city government in 2013, opting against re-election after four years. Dunne served the same amount of time on the planning commission before running unopposed for council in 2011. When they both sat on council, Beckett and Dunne were anything but chummy. Their opposing views on the utility tax - Beckett wanted to repeal it; Dunne supports it as a reliable revenue source for roads - represented one of several clashes. Since leaving, Beckett has been critical of Dunne's "failure to create coalitions and tendency to rubber stamp the policies of the administration."
While three other sitting council members - Cris Kaminskas, Shane Brickner and Bob Moore - are also on the ballot this November, none will face a challenger. Beckett said his latest campaign resembles his first in 2009 when he attempted to represent a new voice at City Hall.
"Spending money on pet projects gives the impression that we're experiencing progress, but I question if the money the city is spending is really in the best interest of our long-term vitality," Beckett said of his former colleagues' most recent efforts.
At the same time, Beckett said he is wary of being "an armchair quarterback" when it involves a critique of current city leaders.
"It's easy to look back and to be critical of decisions that have been made, but it's not fair or productive," he said. "The council is asked to make lots of decisions, and those decisions are multi-faceted and complex."
When asked to characterize the way he and Beckett collaborated in their shared time on council, Dunne was characteristically diplomatic.
"I believe we both contributed to policy discussions and made prospective opinions clear," Dunne said.
Looking back on his four years, Dunne said he is proud of the city's prioritization of public safety, roads, parks and trails as well as a well-utilized library.
Dunne also pointed to a list of completed projects during his tenure, including the Harvard Road roundabout, Liberty Lake Ballfields and Appleway Avenue renovation.
"I have enjoyed supporting and contributing to the successful projects which the city has completed during my first term as councilman," he said. "I'm proud of the work completed to date and believe there is more important work to be done."
While Dunne has stepped up in support of a proposed community center/aquatic facility at Town Square Park, Beckett said the city should be looking at the north side of the community for this and other projects.
"The future growth of the city will be north of I-90, but no new city projects have been constructed in the River District," he said. "Residents on the north side of I-90 feel alienated and forgotten by the city and for good reason. I want to lead the discussion about how we best grow our city infrastructure and the placement of projects on the north side of I-90. It's an investment that will pay off as the city continues to grow and the population up there exceeds that south of I-90."
Dunne said he appreciates the opportunity to "enable and empower the volunteers in the community," such as those who have rallied to build the Fallen Heroes Circuit Course. He points to Liberty Lake's work with the Central Valley School District and neighboring jurisdictions as examples of the city's emphasis on collaboration.
"I'm confident that collaboration with these other agencies serves our common patron, the citizens," Dunne said.
As for the chemistry on the current council, Dunne said the mix of opinions and backgrounds provides a healthy atmosphere for constructive dialogue.
"I'm grateful for the diversity of opinions and believe different perspectives give meaning and substance to policy debate," he said. "I'm particularly grateful for those who respect each other's opinions and act to allow all to be heard."
Beckett said being away from that sort of critical conversation the last two years is one of the reasons he is on the ballot. He often challenged Mayor Steve Peterson on issues and even ran for the city's top office against Peterson in 2011, losing by a wide margin.
"Participating in the process to shape our future is an awesome responsibility and one I took very seriously," Beckett said. "I enjoyed the debate and working with my peers and the mayor to make decisions that have real impacts on our community."
As for his campaign strategy leading up to the Nov. 3 election, Beckett said he has incorporated lessons from the tactics he used four years ago.
"Face to face interaction is always the best approach," he said. "Unlike in the past, my goal isn't to plaster campaign signs all over Liberty Lake because most residents hate seeing all the signs. I will continue going door-to-door and talking with voters. I have also received lots of support from residents, council members and friends who have been active in spreading the word about my campaign."
On his campaign trail, Dunne said he is "looking forward to listening to and talking with the people of Liberty Lake, both person-to-person and in public forums."
"I have a track record of commitment and results for the people of the city," he said. "I sought and delivered collaboration with peers and staff to contribute to the successful city government we have today. I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve and ask the people for the privilege to continue for another term."
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To the point
Candidates weigh in on top 10 municipal issues
By Craig Howard
Splash Contributor
When he served on Liberty Lake City Council, Josh Beckett earned a reputation as a skilled orator. In his time around the dais, Council Member Dan Dunne has shown a similar flair for words.
Yet what happens when each candidate is asked to funnel his thoughts on the city's top 10 issues down to one sentence?
The Splash presented Beckett and Dunne with a collection of the most pressing municipal topics recently with a goal of extracting the most concise responses possible. While both candidates proved equal to the task, the opinions expressed wound up far from parallel.
Let the brevity begin …
1) Town Square community center/aquatic facility
Beckett: "I do not want to see any more development at Town Square, and the aquatic center should be located on the north side of the city."
Dunne: "A valuable and important recreational facility which requires the consideration of the voters."
2) The future of the utility tax
Beckett: "The City Council promised the voters we would eliminate this tax as soon as we could and the tax is still on the books - I want to repeal it."
Dunne: "A critical component of ensuring the integrity of our roads and streets."
3) Potential changes to the sign code
Beckett: "I do not want our city to look like the Valley, so I believe we should not amend the sign code."
Dunne: "Necessary to enable businesses which front the I-90 corridor."
4) The Henry Road interchange
Beckett: "We should continue working with the state to get this project funded - have you seen the traffic at 5 p.m.?"
Dunne: "An important economic development for the undeveloped commercial property in our city."
5) Mayor Peterson embarking on another four-year term
Beckett: "I sincerely wish the mayor well - his dedication to our city is impressive."
Dunne: "An epic volunteer and community founder will continue to provide service to the people of the city."
6) Reorganization of the Parks and Recreation department
Beckett: "Something smells fishy - I'd be asking lots of questions about this."
Dunne: "Creating the potential for an award-winning parks and rec operation."
7) Upgrades at the Trailhead facility
Beckett: "The upgrades are badly needed and an investment I strongly support."
Dunne: "An important revenue-positive asset of the city requires renewal."
8) Allowing only Liberty Lake residents to serve on the planning commission
Beckett: "You should be a resident if you are going to serve on the planning commission - it just makes sense."
Dunne: "No code changes required to enable."
9) The proposed outdoor sports complex near the HUB
Beckett: "If planned correctly, this complex can be a huge benefit to the city, but it's too early to give my support."
Dunne: "A valid and important public use for currently undeveloped land and an opportunity to collaborate with adjacent jurisdictions."
10) A traffic roundabout at Mission and Molter
Beckett: "I was a champion of the roundabout at Harvard, so placing a second one at Mission and Molter makes sense to me."
Dunne: "An innovative and necessary traffic improvement to support continued development."
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Best of the ballots
A look back at Liberty Lake general election highlights over the years
By Craig Howard
Splash Contributor
Few would argue that the most significant election in Liberty Lake's short history came in November of 2000 when nearly 65 percent of voters approved the incorporation of Spokane County's newest city. Since then, ballot drama has been scarce, though not entirely absent. Here's a look back at the top five general election highlights over the past 15 years.
2003 - Only two years into cityhood, Liberty Lake's first full-fledged fall election featured races for all seven City Council seats and mayor. Unfortunately, only one of them included more than one candidate. Joanna Klegin defeated Odin Langford by a mere 17 votes (491 to 474) to retain the position she had been appointed to that spring, when Tim Shea stepped away from the dais. Langford would eventually earn a chair on the governing board when Klegin moved to Texas in 2007, and he was appointed over Phil Hamm.
2007 - Steve Peterson had served as mayor of Liberty Lake since the city officially incorporated in August of 2001. Wendy Van Orman was part of the original City Council for the same tenure. In the autumn of 2007, the two squared off for the mayor's seat, with Van Orman capturing 52 percent of the vote (966 to 905). Van Orman would lead the city from 2008 to 2011, while Peterson stayed in the public eye, running a crepe booth at the Liberty Lake Farmers Market with his wife, Charmaine. The city's inaugural mayor would re-emerge on the ballot in 2011.
2009 - In one of two council races, Josh Beckett and Cris Kaminskas vied for the position left by Neal Olander, who did not run for re-election. Meanwhile, Langford faced his first challenge on the ballot from Jason Adelman. Beckett earned 55 percent of the electorate and became the first council member in the city's history to take the oath of office from a hospital in January 2010 while he recovered from viral meningitis. Kaminskas would follow Beckett around the dais later that month when she was appointed to replace Patrick Jenkins, who relocated to Utah. Langford earned a supermajority in his race, collecting just over 60 percent.
2011 - Peterson was in the familiar role as a candidate for mayor this year, but he would not run against an incumbent. Van Orman stepped away from politics after over a decade split between council and the mayor's office. Beckett would step up to challenge Peterson but only garner 25 percent of the vote as Peterson reclaimed the gavel in a landslide. A total of 2,394 votes were cast in the mayor's race, the most in any Liberty Lake election since incorporation. Overwhelmingly, 71 percent of voters opted against transitioning from the strong mayor/council form of government to a city manager/council approach. In the only contested council race, Shane Brickner edged Keith Kopelson by 77 votes. Kopelson would later be appointed to council in February 2012, replacing Ryan Romney.
2013 - A trio of council competitions made for an unusually intriguing campaign season two years ago. With Beckett not seeking re-election, Hugh Severs and Jeff Sitton faced off, with Severs collecting 57 percent of votes to win. Langford defended his seat again, toppling challenger Mike Tedesco with 54 percent. Lori Olander, who had been appointed to replace Susan Schuler that May, earned 56 percent of ballots to defeat Debbi Haskins.
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