(The Center Square) – Regaining control of a fifth seat, the Spokane City Council’s progressive majority appointed an interim member on Monday as they prepare to face another budget deficit.
The decision follows former Councilmember Lili Navarrete’s resignation effective June 30 after officials appointed her to represent District 2 last year. Navarrete now works under the city’s Community Health and Human Services Department, which primarily focuses on homelessness.
The council interviewed four candidates earlier this month and voted 4-2 on Monday to appoint Shelby Lambdin, health equity director at CHAS Health. Councilmembers Jonathan Bingle and Michael Cathcart, representing the conservative minority, voted against the majority’s decision.
“You’re just trying to fill the council with nonprofit organizations that are going to be supporting their own agendas,” resident Derek Azzaro testified. “That’s not representing the voters of any town, not just this town, but anywhere. When you do that, they have to stand on their own.”
Much of the council majority has prior experience working with nonprofits, raising concerns about the taxpayer dollars they allocate to these groups. While Bingle and Cathcart saved their breath on Monday, both voiced opposition to Lambdin’s appointment during an agenda review meeting last week.
Lambdin was one of the three “nonpartisan” candidates interviewed who essentially aligned with the progressive majority. Another, Chris Neely, served as a delegate at the Democratic National Convention last August, and Ryan Oelrich also identified as a registered Democrat during his interview.
Kristina Sabestinas, executive director of the Cathy McMorris Rodgers Leadership Institute, was the only candidate who aligned more closely with the conservative minority. Still, despite offering an opportunity to add a vote to their side, Bingle and Cartcart wanted to appoint Oelrich instead.
“We had a candidate here who has proven himself, we know inside and out, has served in this role and could do an amazing job,” Cathcart said last week regarding another interim seat that Oelrich used to fill. “It’s unfortunate that we’re going to bypass that candidate for this purpose.”
The council appointed Oelrich to fill a vacancy in 2023, so Cathcart said they wouldn’t have to catch him up to speed like Lambdin, saving time amid another budget deficit. Spokane’s latest estimates put the shortfall at $13.4 million just after filling another $25 million budget hole last winter.
Despite Cathcart and Bingle’s concerns over sustainability, Councilmember Zack Zappone said “we’re taking the administration by their word,” when passing much of the mayor’s proposal in December.
During his interview, Oelrich voiced support for a budget that avoids spending sprees to rebuild reserves with accountability for every dollar spent. While Lambin also advocated for a balanced budget, she emphasized the need to address public safety by funding “upstream interventions.”
“I don’t think it’s fair to say they’re not coming with an agenda,” Bingle told Council President Betsy Wilkerson last week after she said that Lambdin doesn’t seem to come with one. “We made sure that they had the agenda we wanted before we decided to put their name forward.”
Lamdin did not speak about her appointment during Monday’s meeting, but will serve for the next four months until voters elect a new District 2 representative in the 2025 General Election.
“I don’t have any sort of short-term political gains that I’m trying to make out of this,” Lambdin said during her interview. “I’m really looking towards serving our community … It’s about the constituents and making sure that we’re bringing forth policy that is representative of the constituents that we’re serving.”
