July 9, 2003

Spokane to vote on government system

SPOKANE (AP) -- Spokane voters will take another whack at deciding whether they want a strong mayor.

An initiative to reverse Spokane's 2.5-year-old strong-mayor form of government won a spot on the Sept. 16 primary ballot in a 6-0 vote of the City Council on Monday.

The initiative calls for a return to the council-city manager system used in Spokane from 1960 through 2000.

City Councilman Steve Eugster, architect of the strong mayor system, contended the proposal to return to the council-manager form of government is flawed because it illegally seeks more than one change.

Not only would it revise the form of government, it also would recall Mayor John Powers and remake the existing council president's office into that of a so-called weak mayor.