Council Gives Sustainability “The Stamp”
May 12, 2009 
10 Comments
Let’s start with something we can all agree on: City Council meetings can be excruciating even in the best circumstances. On Monday people mourn the loss of their weekend and try to get a grip on the mountain of work that lies ahead. Then there are the grueling marathon hours. Not enough time to have dinner beforehand, and not enough stomach to hold anything down after…
And don’t forget the constant jumping between issues of collective importance, such as traditional and cultural events, to mind-numbing clerical tasks, rather defensively put forth in this case by Councilmember French. While the first hour of routine agenda set the stage for misnomers yet to come, nothing could have prepared us for the slew of muddled arguments that followed.
This Council meeting gave new meaning to the phrase “Green Mondays”. The “ships passing in the dark” were so abundant it is difficult to decide where to begin. Hopefully some of this malaise will be cleared up (or at least vindicated) by City Cable re-runs and/or professional coverage by Jonathan Brunt. Wait, nevermind that. This is what ad driven word limits and fact reporting get you in terms of in-depth analysis.
It all began with an irate woman that was presumably a member of the taskforce. She rushed through many of the basic points in favor of the plan and gave a few precursory rebuts to the opposition. Her anger was palpable. Imagine how you would feel after taking extraordinary amounts of your limited free time to produce a clear and concise working document through a laborious public consensus building process only to have it effectively brushed aside? Then there was a man who’s frustration was so great he was reduced to sarcasm, which didn’t end up adding much to his message. While we agree with the advocacy of these speakers, the opening tenor was anything but upbeat.
Arguments for the opposition kicked off with John Ahern jumping the gun on a tactic to nullify any commitment to the plan by suggesting that it be merely “received and considered” by the Council. For the sake of conversation, lets dub this side-stepping acceptance strategy the “Copy Received” approach. After being reminded that no such motion was on the table, John’s remaining comments were, shall we say, memorably unmemorable.
Next came a rather unhappy looking Cindy Zapotocky, Chair of the Spokane County GOP, to toe the party line. All the predictable platitudes were there, “all regulations are bad” (nevermind that the plan isn’t a regulation) “government is too big” (nevermind that the plan doesn’t expand government) and “this is too expensive” (nevermind the rigorous cost benefit analysis guidelines set forth in the plan and the absence of any mandates for spending). There was little to no explanation of how any of the objections actually related to the proposal at hand. Then things got weird as she started intimating “outside control” and made clear the party’s opposition to the Endangered Species Act. Yes, that’s right, somehow the local Republican’s distaste for biodiversity was deemed relevant to the discussion at hand.
Councilmember Allen jumped in to propose the amendment that effectively makes “acceptance” mean “Copy Received”. He took pains to explain that certain recommendations would be thrown out altogether (on what criteria we don’t know) while others would be taken “back to the beginning” for further deliberation and “feasibility analysis” (i.e. endless talk with no walk until the public burns out in complete exasperation). How will Mike live down “my job is not to be progressive, but to be prudent”? This false opposition between prudence and progress will not be forgotten in the upcoming election. Mr. Allen told us that Terrain would flop without a “formal business plan”. While we appreciate the advice, some things do better outside the assessment box.
The rest of the proponents took pot shots here and there, but at this point it seemed all minds were cemented in uncertainty. Testifiers on both sides gave the “I’ve been here before so I’ll keep it short” excuse for lackluster explanation. If it weren’t for three minutes of refreshing clarity and direction from Mayor Mary Verner, we probably would have stormed out of the room as one woman did muttering “waste of time” after Mr. Henry took the stand to ramble about Tesla.
Nancy was visibly disturbed in reciting statements from scientists disputing global warming. She acknowledged that she was out of her element repeatedly, which only begged the question of how 4 or 5 jumbled quotes served the question at hand. What does it take, 40-50 jumbled quotes from equally qualified scientists who support models of human linked global warming? Then she pulled a gender card on an expert who was a pioneering woman in her field.
Laudable? Yes. Relevant? No.
About the only thing we pulled out of taskmaster Shogan’s comments was the shame of turning sustainability into a partisan issue. Or is it? For the high profile representation on behalf of local Republicans, local Dems were curiously absent. No party memos or calls to action were issued, no weighing in on the local news. Was this because they took the high road, refusing to dignify their (presumed) opponents position, or were they remiss in not using party guns to fight party guns in the political process? We hope some other local writer will comment on the question. One thing was clear, however, party driven tension was running thick in the air. Poor Joe even confused the “I support a Sustainable Spokane” stickers that several audience members were wearing for some kind of political campaign. Spokane Green Party back from the dead? We’ll never know.
Then there was Bob with his profuse apologies and ultimate deciding factor: “I’m very sorry, it is just too divisive and that is the way I see it.” Plus some incoherence about how sustainability may be a state and federal responsibility. We’ll have to watch the re-runs to try and make sense out of that.
Save Councilmembers Corker and Rush, plenty of lip service was paid to the exhaustive efforts of countless citizen volunteers who worked to create the plan so it could be IMPLEMENTED. It was ironic that the meeting began with mention of the 9 vacancies on the Human Rights Commission, a city-citizen collaboration that took about six months to decide that it did not, in fact, have the authority to issue $25 fines for human rights abuses in the City of Spokane. This lack of political will to take action will have a dire chilling effect on public involvement in local government, which is really too bad because that ultimately manages to make a bad problem worse.
Courtesy of BoneStamp
Had I not taken the time to actually read the text of the Sustainability Action Plan I would be thoroughly confused as to its recommendations given the discussion at City Hall. What a demoralizing experience. There were sparse examples given to shed light on how the Sustainability Plan would move forward without the economic doomsday threatened by Republicans. If Portland, Seattle and Vancouver can adopt sustainable measures without coming to a screeching halt, then why can’t Spokane live up to the “Near Nature, Near Perfect” boasting and approve a commitment to act?
Despite everything, the work of the Sustainability Taskforce volunteers is still valuable and deserves to be celebrated. Join your fellow residents for the Galactic Green Drinks fundraiser tonight at One World Cafe from 5-9 at 1804 E. Sprague. In the long run the sustainability movement is growing in Spokane and will suceed regardless of when City government is finally able to get on board.
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Awesome. You’re my heroess!
An excellent report on the nuts and bolts of city sustainability planning. Truly a useful resource in addressing latent uncertainty.
http://www.livingcities.org/GreenCitiesReport.pdf
Great post!! I hope everyone realizes how in tune to “The Plan” you are. You’ve been a courageous advocate from the onset and we’re all better for that.
Bottom line – you’re my favorite fellow “green nazi”
“Imagine how you would feel after taking extraordinary amounts of your limited free time to produce a clear and concise working document through a laborious public consensus building process . . .”
Aw, let’s be real here. There is and was no “public consensus building process.” Or if there was, it failed miserably. You can rest assured that 90% of Spokane’s eligible voters never heard of the SAP, and 90% those who had would be unable to cite a single provision from it.
So-called “citizen participation” mechanisms are never more than window dressing to lend an air of legitimacy to some advocacy group’s self-serving agenda. The advocates know full well that 90% of the “public” for whom they presume to speak will never be involved.
I agree that the Council’s “approval” is highly ambiguous (some member should simply have moved to table it indefinitely on the grounds that the subject matter was not within the purview of city government). Does the SAP now represent City policy or not? If any implementing regulations are ever enacted, that question — Council intent — could loom large in legal challenges.
Imagine if the business community in general and say, the automatic dishwasher detergent industry specifically put together some proposal based on a pie in the sky idea like “citizen involvement”. And then just for good measure threw in some fancy rhetoric like taking action now will be better for everyone in the long run. Green Nazi’s (not my term) would demand our local government do something to prevent it. However, in both cases, that is not what a representative republican government is supposed to do. That would be mob rule, with politicians bowing to whoever shouts the loudest.
Is the sustainability task force trying to get something on the ballot?
Not really surprising given the Republican push back. Seems politically safe to “accept” the plan but gut it in a roundabout way.
Thanks Mariah for your excellent coverage of this issue. Had I not been out of the country I am sure I would have agreed with your assessment.
We are members of the Youth Sustainability Council writing you to address the recent controversy surrounding the Sustainability Action Plan. As a group, we strive to increase localism, strengthen bonds in the community, and make Spokane an environmentally and economically sustainable city.
We know that Mayor Verner emphasized to the city council the importance of passing the plan in order to ensure a good future for Spokane youth (future Spokane workers, voters, and taxpayers) and that said, we feel it is essential for the youth of Spokane to reiterate that we feel passionately about the issues that the Sustainability Action Plan addresses. Implementation of the plan would send a message to young people that Spokane is looking towards the future and would encourage us to settle here and contribute to the vibrancy of the community.
One of the main goals of the Plan is to make Spokane more resilient in the face of situations such as the current economic crisis. We believe this is crucial, because as the competition for the world’s energy resources becomes more fierce, it is important that cities identify ways to harvest energy from local sources and conserve it so that their reliance on foreign powers decreases. In the event of a large-scale crisis, being able to generate our own energy will enable Spokane to continue to thrive even as other cities are forced to ration resources and impose restrictions on their residents.
Since Spokane does not lie on top of vast reserves of oil, it is crucial that Spokane look to the sources of energy that are plentiful here, such as hydropower, wind, and solar energy. The Sustainability Action Plan emphasizes investigating alternative energy sources, such as these, and their future integration into more of Spokane’s systems. These sources of energy not only produce less carbon emissions when used, they make Spokane more self-sufficient. Also, this is a potentially huge source of new jobs for the region. There is currently only one company that manufactures photovoltaic solar panels in Washington state, and they are located in Arlington, on the west side of the state. This situation illustrates the potential for new industries and businesses in the region. If the Sustainability Action Plan is implemented, it would create high demand for products such as solar panels and services including installation of new energy systems, which would draw new businesses to the area and open up numerous new “green-collar” jobs.
The Plan also emphasizes something else that’s important to the Youth Sustainability Council: supporting local businesses by looking to them first when making purchases for the city. Such a policy would stimulate the local economy by returning taxpayer dollars directly to the community and would encourage new businesses to start up in Spokane. In addition, the effects of this policy would couple with Spokane’s increased energy independence to enhance the city’s self-sufficiency. The potential for economic growth under the Plan is immense.
We believe that increasing Spokane’s resiliency and sustainability as a community is of paramount importance. But there are other, smaller scale improvements suggested within the Plan that we feel would dramatically improve the city as well. For instance, the Plan suggests expanding bike routes with a focus on making them more accessible and safe, and reevaluating the routes of city vehicles in order to make them more efficient. This would reduce road traffic and cost of road maintenance. Such changes would save the city money and reduce the carbon emissions caused by vehicles on the road. The Plan also calls for city investigations into opportunities for saving water. The results could be used to streamline water systems in Spokane, making them more efficient, and reducing waste and cost.
The ideas in the plan are of utmost importance not only because they would increase efforts toward environmental sustainability but also because they would help Spokane function more efficiently as a city and thrive as a community. We are writing now to let you know that we, along with many area youth, are invested in our city and concerned about its direction; we believe the Sustainability Action Plan is a collection of entirely feasible steps toward a bright future for Spokane. Our primary hope is that members of City Council and the community alike begin to set partisan politics aside and recognize that Spokane youth believe that this plan is relevant and a worthwhile investment of our time and finances.