POLL #16: Sheriff's Bond

I've added a new poll. The sheriff would like to place a bond on the ballot for additional revenue during these lean time so he can boost patrols. Crime is higher right now and some are looking for easy money. Would you be willing to pay more to have a higher police presence? Take the poll. The numbers are not cast in stone. 

Events Updated for 2012

I've updated this year's area neighborhood events. I'll fill in the dates as I learn more. There are plenty of opportunities for you to get involved and volunteer at any event if you'd like. It's a great way to get to know more people and have some fun.

POLL #15

Hey Folks
As you have probably heard, there is discussion going on to consolidate police services between Spokane's Police Department and the Sheriff's Department, with the hope there will be a cost savings for all and improved services. The police chief, Ann Kirkpatrick, will be stepping down next month and Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich has offered to step in and be the new chief as well as still be the sheriff. You can read about it in a recent Spokesman Review article.

So I have created a new poll: Should Police Agencies in Spokane Be Combined?

Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich will be our guest at our January 20th meeting.

On a separate note, Murphy Brothers has been selected to rebuild Francis from Freya to Havana starting in April. You can read about it in the most recent edition of the Journal of Business.  Eldon Brown is scheduled to be our guest speaker at our February 16th meeting. I'm hoping to also have someone from the WDOT there so residents can ask about the Francis reconstruction rebuilds and the Francis bridge project.

POLL #14: Initiative 1183: Privatization of Liquor

On November 8th we will be voting on Initiative 1183. This is the Costco backed effort to get Washington State out of the liquor business. If voters pass this initiative, it will allow all larger business to purchase hard alcohol directly from manufacturers and sell to the public or another retail merchant at maybe lower prices. This is similar to laws in other states.  The usual laws about minimum drinking age and checking ID still apply. And the state would still get it's tax revenue on all sales. Poll question is: do you support ending Washington State's monopoly on the sale of 'spirits'?

I have finally created a new poll. It's about the demonstrations spreading across the USA called 'Occupy Wall Street'. They're even here in Spokane holding down the intersection of Monroe & Riverside. Their purpose to call attention to the financial giants on Wall Street, blaming them for the economic hardship sweeping the country, including home foreclosures. They're  upset with the lack of jobs, the unwillingness of institutions to loan out the money taxpayers loaned them so small businesses could expand. They're also upset with tax rates of higher earners and corporate influence in politics.


What are your thoughts? Do you feel they're right on? Or do you think these are mostly uninformed people who just like to complain? Do the poll.

Weekend Over, August Meeting Coming Up

Hey Folks,

The weekend is about over. It’s been a fun-filled but lots of work week for me. The Hillyard Festival was all last weekend and the Hispanic Festival was yesterday. There’s a lot involved in setting up and taking down of stuff. But it’s a lot of fun for me when I get to chat with people. Never know what you may find out.

I’ve finally uploaded photos of our neighborhood yard sale last month. I’m not a yard saler by nature, but from what I’ve heard it’s the best yet. There were a lot of other residents who had unannounced sales that weekend, taking advantage of the signs we posted. I also uploaded some additional pictures the the  Historic Hillyard folder.

I talked to the sheriff, Ozzie Knezovich, yesterday. He said he’d like to maybe visit our meetings twice a year. He also said he’s planning to assign someone to visit our monthly meetings maybe every other month. They’ll be there to gather your input on things happening around you. Take advantage of it.

Also, speaking of meetings, our next meeting is this coming Thursday at 6:30pm at the fire station. We don’t have a guest speaker scheduled, but if you’ve never been to one, this would be a great time to come and let us get to know you.

Duke