Spokane Mayor denies rumors over pressuring council to defer housing vote

(The Center Square) - Spokane’s City Council deferred voting on an ordinance Monday night that would’ve made housing status a protected class after rumors circulated that the mayor pressured them to do so.

Councilmember Lili Navarrete’s ordinance intended to protect homeless individuals from discrimination when applying for jobs or housing; however, many in the business community questioned whether it could lead to unintended consequences perpetuating homelessness.

While Navarrete denied the potential implications last week, dozens of residents showed up to testify against the ordinance. They spoke on their own experiences with the homeless and noted the ordinance could make it harder to mitigate the crisis with Proposition 1.

While some residents also testified in support, rumors circulated in the weeks leading up to the meeting that Mayor Lisa Brown was pressuring the council to defer the vote. Many alleged that it was out of fear that passing the ordinance would dissuade support for her proposed sales tax.

The Center Square obtained an email from Policy Advisor Chris Wright to Councilmember Michael Cathcart noting the rumor. Cathcart pushed an amendment for the ordinance, thinking that the council’s progressive majority wouldn’t defer the vote, but Wright said to act fast.

“Heads up: it is likely that the administration will ask CM Navarrete to defer her ordinance until after the November election,” Wright wrote in the email. “I am not sure how she feels about that, so I felt it best to get your amendment in order just in case she presses forward.”

Councilmember Jonathan Bingle also told The Center Square that he had heard the rumors from city staff and others on the council but had never spoken directly with Brown. Still, he pushed that his sources were people who would know and that they confirmed the rumors to him.

Councilmembers Kitty Klitzke and Zack Zappone asked to defer the ordinance indefinitely, but Cathcart said doing so would be politically motivated. Instead, Councilmember Paul Dillon, Cathcart and Navarrete voted against an indefinite deferral, opting for a vote on Aug. 26.

“To be blunt, I think this deferral is a bit disingenuous,” Cathcart said. “The administration has requested this for at least a week that I’m aware of, specifically because we have an election coming up. To defer it indefinitely makes me strongly believe that we’re in for a 13-week pause, and then this will come back shortly after the voters have voted on a tax related to public safety.”

The Center Square contracted the Brown Administration for comment over the rumors, which Communications Director Erin Hut called “false” while defending the mayor’s position.

“That’s speculation on behalf of Chris Wright,” Hut wrote in a text message. “In discussing the ordinance with Councilmembers, the Mayor did express concerns about community consensus, as well as implementation and ensuring we have the resources to enforce it, if passed.”

Navarrete and Dillon told The Center Square that they knew the rumors but not their validity. Both said they opted for the two-week deferral to reach a better consensus over amendments that could trim down the ordinance while accounting for community feedback.

Still, Bingle attests that the rumors are true based on his conversations. While Brown has transitioned toward a more holistic approach to homelessness, pressuring for a deferral would signify a step away in hopes of generating more tax revenue to fill the city’s structural deficit.

“Those rumors are false,” Hut wrote. “[Brown’s] been open about her priorities of fiscal responsibility and resourcing any ordinances that they pass in the next biennial budget, which is up to Council to pass in early December.”

Navarrete noted that the council would host several town halls over the next two weeks to gather more feedback before a vote on Aug. 26.