Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:21] Speaker B: Well, welcome everybody, to another episode of Unbolted. I'm MJ Bolt and I am your host today. And with us today, I've got Mike Kelly, who is running for the Spokane Valley city council, position one. Welcome, Mike.
[00:00:38] Speaker A: Thank you, M.J. glad to be here.
[00:00:40] Speaker B: All right, well, thanks for being with us. I'm really excited to give this opportunity to you to help our listeners and the voters in our community learn more about you and why they should vote for you in the primary, which is coming right up.
Just a few weeks will be the primary and then obviously in the general election in November as well. So, Mike, let's start out.
Why don't you tell our viewers, tell us, tell them about yourself, your background and why you are running for this position. What motivated you to run for this position?
[00:01:18] Speaker A: Well, I suppose essentially I'm a businessman.
I arrived in the Valley, moved here from the Portland, Oregon area about six years ago, and pretty much it was course in the heart of COVID But as soon as the COVID restrictions were lifted, I got involved in the county GOP and worked on a couple of different things, got acquainted with the people that had been working hard for a long time here in the county and just kind of got a passion for the community and for the Valley.
I work for a construction company that does contracting on public transportation projects. I've been doing that for 30 years and I'm currently the controller and CFO. So I handle all things financial and pretty much administrative.
And so I've, you know, I've worked with contracts, taxes, budgets, you know, insurance, employees and personnel, just pretty much, you know, all aspects of running a business and also own some other businesses myself and have a handful of properties, both commercial and residential.
And so, you know, through that life experience, I've gained a deep understanding of a lot of different things on how the world works. And so I feel that helps qualify me for the position.
The when I found out that Rod Higgins, who's currently in this seat, was not going to run again, I considered running and had a conversation with some of the individuals who supported me last year when I ran for state Senate and including some of the current council members. And, you know, I was encouraged from their response. I've been attending council meetings for probably close to, well, at least three years and maybe even closer to four years.
And I also sit on the planning commission for Spokane Valley currently. So that's been about a year and a half. So I'm familiar with the city operations and the personnel and just, you know, some of these issues all the way around.
But I feel like the. The Spokane Valley needs somebody who's strong in both their convictions and in their approach to do our best to make sure that Spokane Valley retains its character. There's a lot of pressure from outside the city, both from the county and from the state, to, you know, make changes to more conform with their vision of how we should be. And I believe the citizens of Spokane Valley should determine how. What. What our community looks like and how we live our lives and what rules and laws we live under. And so that's what I want to be able to advocate for. Also, as I mentioned, I'm a financial guy, and I know that the city currently has $150 million budget, and we have a lot of contracts with the county.
We're sending them a lot of money for various services, the largest, of course, being the. The. Our police and public safety. And so I feel it's important that someone who can understand the numbers can dig in there and make sure that we're getting a fair shake and the best bang for the buck. So that's kind of my motivation. That's kind of more or less who I am and my motivation for running.
[00:04:21] Speaker B: Well, we appreciate you stepping up to run. These are such important positions. And I know it's. It's not a presidential election year, and so a lot of people, you know, tend to sit on the sidelines and don't vote in this, but what happens in our cities and in our school boards and some of these, maybe smaller jurisdictions or levels of government impact us actually, even more. So, again, Mike, thank you for running for this important position.
You know, you talked about your background a little bit. I know some people. You have an interesting past, and most of us do. Right. Most of us aren't perfect human beings and. And, you know, have walked an interesting life, but some people like to use that against you. Do you want to talk about that and tell people your point of view on your past?
[00:05:13] Speaker A: Yeah. So what you're referring to is something that was made an issue in my run for Senate, and that is that I do have a criminal conviction. In 1989, I was arrested and charged by the federal government for attempted possession of a controlled substance and went through the process, decided to plead guilty and was actually sentenced to federal prison.
As it turns out, there were some mistakes made in my case. And so I spent my time in the law library kind of looking at things because I had this intuitive sense that something wasn't quite right. I wasn't sure what it was, but fortunately, I was able to kind of locate some errors that were made that were small but. But very significant and ultimately was able to challenge my conviction to get it overturned and worked out a, I guess, for a deal, if you will, with the government at that time. And pretty much obtained not quite immediate release, but. But very nearly, you know, so I was released in 1995 after six years. And so for the last 30 years, I've been, you know, just being a value, hopefully a valuable citizen, contributing to society the best way I know how. I feel like I've been very blessed with a lot of opportunities and I've used the experience that I gained during that process in a lot of different ways that I feel were beneficial both to myself and to. And to those around me.
I really didn't appreciate for how things work. I gained an appreciation for the system and redemption and that even though I made a mistake, that there were plenty of people who were willing to support me as long as I was willing to ditch things around, if you will.
And so, you know, just. It instilled in me what I would hope is a sense of humility and understanding that we should very much appreciate the blessings that we have, that we do have a responsibility to our community and to our nation and frankly, to God, to do our best to live by righteous and wholesome principles.
And that even though each of us might feel insignificant in our own way, that we really are part of something larger than ourselves and that we should try to do our part to contribute and not bring harm to those around us or our community.
So for those people who've made an issue of it, I've just explained that while I wouldn't repeat my actions, I certainly, you know, regret the things that I did. I'm not altogether regretful of the experience because I feel like it really brought a perspective to me that's been valuable and I've. It motivated me to work hard to, you know, to make up for those indiscretions and to just. To just be a better person.
[00:08:07] Speaker B: Yeah, I appreciate that, Mike. Thanks for being so transparent. And, you know, that's one of the things I've always appreciated about you, is your transparency about that, you know, a lot of us make mistakes and, you know, what shows our characters, what we do with those and how we overcome those and how we. We, you know, improve upon and learn and grow and. And you certainly disposal. Display that, in my opinion. And I also think, like you said, helps kind of keep you humble as well. And. And that's one of the things that are so important that we, we elect people that are truly beholden to the citizens, that are, you know, they're representatives of the people. And so that you're always going back. You're. You're the citizens or the voters. Are your board of directors always right. And I hear that in everything.
And, you know, I've known you for over a year now, and that's been consistent. So again, I appreciate that, and I think that's important for people to know. This is, this is part of who you are and, you know, what makes you you and part of your character. So you talked a little bit about, you know, why, why you're running, being a businessman and, you know, getting involved in council. What is your vision for the Spokane Valley City? What's your, what is your vision for the city council?
[00:09:39] Speaker A: Well, I mean, you know, for city council itself, I mean, I'd like to see everyone there get along a little bit better and focus on the, on the issues, the real issues that, that we need to address, you know, for this, for the city itself. You know, I want to make sure that one, we're being fiscally responsible again. We have a budget of about 150 million. The majority of that goes to.
The majority of our general budget goes to public safety.
And so there's been a lot of discussion about that. I want to make sure that we can finish hiring the additional 20 police officers that we've agreed to hire. We've got 10 so far, and we're looking to fill those other 10 positions.
But I also want to make sure that we do it without necessarily increasing any taxes or costs. So we will be able to vote here in August about whether or not we want that 1/10 of 1% increase in the sales tax.
And that will go for public safety, which I think is important.
I am not necessarily supporting the sales tax increase at this point because I haven't been able to determine for myself that we're actually using the money that we have most efficiently, but the citizens will have to decide on that.
But when I'm in. In a position again, I will be digging into the contracts that the city has with the various other entities, especially the county, and determining whether or not that there's any additional savings that we can, we can do there.
The other thing that I'd like is to, again, preserve the character of our community and avoid, you know, avoid the pressure to change that we're experiencing from outside our city. I'd like to see our neighborhood stay livable, not necessarily overly dense. Like to see our Roads stay maintained and that we can travel and get to places. But I also wanted to develop, and primarily the Sprague Corridor. I want to see what options we have to get that upgraded and redeveloped. There's a lot of vacant properties, there's a lot of neglected properties and I think we have some low hanging fruit, if you will, that we can, that we can reach out for to improve our community and basically help give it its own personality or its own image so that when people arrive here in the valley, they, from outside that they like, oh, okay, I'm somewhere different. And that it has a very appealing and attractive, you know, ambiance to it.
The, that's going to require working with, you know, with local governments, is going to require working with the Hospitality association, with the Chamber of Commerce and you know, some other organizations here that, in the, in the Valley that, that working together. I think we can figure out a way to incentivize landowners to do some of this development.
Our one community to continue. Well, we know our community is going to continue to grow and I want that growth to be dictated as much as possible by us, you know, the citizens, through our city council so that we can attract hard working people to the area. And if we have reliable labor, then businesses will follow, they will come and they will, you know, employ people that they know will show up and that they're well educated and have a work ethic. And so we want to, we want to grow, grow in a way that makes sense.
So yeah, those are this, services to citizens to do it at affordably and to find out, you know, how to help manage that growth that we know we're going to experience in a way that makes sense for us in the long run.
[00:13:10] Speaker B: So you were talking about, and your Internet was cutting out, cutting in and out just a little bit. Got a little rubber bandy, but I think we're okay. We got, we got pretty much most of that. And so you were talking about the Sprague corridor and that brought up a, a question that I have because I think it's kind of been a source of contention for a lot of people is this recent project on Sprague. Are you talking about things like that, Mike, that you think should happen or how do you maybe how do you feel about that project? Let's, let's go there.
[00:13:47] Speaker A: Well, I was never a fan of it when I first heard it. I mean, people refer to as the Sprague diet, but basically it was the reduction of Sprague from five lanes to three, basically between university and I think it's park or not park, but is it flora and.
[00:14:04] Speaker B: Yep, I think so.
[00:14:06] Speaker A: Yeah. And you know, so there, there. You know, that project had people on both sides, but I wasn't a fan when I first heard of it. I know that we added a crosswalk there to get across to the library, you know, and it also included some upgrades or some improvements or you know, some, some bells and whistles to Balfour park.
And you know, those things are nice but you know, I'm more of a, you know, kind of like a live and let live person. So you know, I like the five lanes. I like being able to get where I'm going, you know, in a reasonable length of time and not have to navigate a bunch of signals, a bunch of stop, stop signs, you know, crosswalks, things like that.
Now I understand we need to have a bounce but you know, that particular project I wasn't really a fan of and I'm not sure that it was worth the money that it cost us.
I've heard tell or heard rumors that they want to extend that. My conversations with members of the council and the city is that that is not currently on the radar. The city maintains a list called the TIP Transportation Improvement Projects and it is not on there and they also tell me it's not, you know, attached to or ancillary to any other projects that are occurring currently going on like some sewer projects that they're planning. So I will take them at their word that that is not something that that would be done. But my default position is I would be opposed to that both because I don't know that we need to spend the money. And two, I don't, I don't again don't like the idea of narrowing the lanes but I think we definitely have to have a converse conversation about that because I've also heard businesses say, you know, it'd be nice if, if Sprague and Appleway were a little bit slower, we might get a little more, you know, spontaneous business and, and things like that. So again, there's arguments on both sides but we need to have a conversation and evaluate that in light of what it's going to cost us to make any changes that we would be considering.
[00:16:02] Speaker B: Right. And ultimately I think that's, that's the thing. Is, is it worth, is the, the return on investment worth it? Right. And whenever you're talking about costs, you know, the. That's going, coming out of taxpayers pockets and we are just so over taxed and overburdened by the inflation, by the Cost of everything, especially in our state, that I'm hearing from you that that's a very primary concern and it should be, you know, of course we'd like these nice things, but we got to take care of the priority things, which is safety of our citizens first and foremost. Right. And everything else, maybe that's.
And taking care of our citizens by not overburdening them, you know, with the taxes like you're talking about, and being attractive for businesses. That's what helps make businesses attracted to an area.
Right. And so I really appreciate.
It's never easy conversations or easy decisions.
Go ahead.
[00:17:04] Speaker A: Oh, I was just agreeing with you. Yeah. That. I mean, if we. If we create an environment that's attractive to businesses, that they will come. We will have expansion, we will have jobs for people, and through those jobs, we'll be able to afford the things that we want. So I'm sure that there's some people would say, well, we need to invest in the community, you know, and make it an attractive place for. For them to come. But I think when businesses are, you know, I know as a. As a business owner, if I'm looking where to locate, you know, the amenities for my potential employees, it might be a consideration. But a bigger, much larger consideration is going to be what's the cost of doing business in this community. And if our taxes are high, if our roads are bad because we're mismanaging our money, then that's going to be. That's not going to attract business.
[00:17:53] Speaker B: Right, Right. Absolutely. Absolutely. So, Mike, you've talked about a few of these issues. What are your top priorities for the city?
[00:18:04] Speaker A: Well, again, I think that digging into the budget, because. Right. We're looking at about a $1.3 million shortfall in 2026.
So the first thing that we have to do is we're going to have to, you know, to look and see. Okay, well, where are we currently spending money? And is there a way to improve the efficiency or the return on our dollar?
So that would be number one, because I think next to public safety, making sure that people aren't overburdened with taxes would be the second priority. So I do want to maintain our public safety, and I want to make sure our police officers have the tools at their disposal that they need and that they know they're supported by the council.
But I want make sure that we're also paying attention to the pocketbook. And so that would probably be the first one.
The second one, like I said, is managing the growth and kind of looking down the road and seeing, okay, how do we attract businesses? How do we accommodate the growth that we're required to accommodate through our comprehensive plan? You know, where do we put this new housing?
How do we fulfill the mandates that are put on us by the state of Washington for certain types of units and certain income levels? And then lastly, I'd like to. I'd like to see if there's a way to figure out how we complete the. The performing arts center. I mean, we've got this great concrete monolith, you know, sitting down there off Indiana, and everyone's kind of like, not sure what it is.
I know it's going to take a little bit of money, but there's got to be a way, you know, where there's a will, there's a way. So we need to have a conversation about what it's going to take to get that done, because I think that would be a good foundation for establishing a little bit of, you know, of a central hub in that area and helping develop that personality or identity that I. That I mentioned earlier.
[00:19:53] Speaker B: Yeah, for sure, for sure. Those are important issues.
So, you know, we've talked about kind of the issues and the priorities that you have. Let's talk a little bit more about you, Mike. Why do you believe people should vote for you over your opponents in this race? And I believe you have three people that are also running for total. Correct. For this position.
[00:20:17] Speaker A: Correct. There's. There's four total. Three opponents I have, yes.
[00:20:21] Speaker B: Okay, so why should people vote for you over your opponents?
[00:20:28] Speaker A: Well, personally, in my opinion, I believe I stand head and shoulders above them in both experience, business experience, life experience, and in city. City experience. Again, I sit on the planning commission for a year and a half. I've, you know, gotten familiar with the procedures, how the city government operates. I've develop relationships with city employees.
I know all the council members. I've been attending the meetings again for about three years. I'm familiar with the issues, again, how they operate.
And my opponents, unfortunately, best I can tell, you know, they've been citizens, they live here, but I don't think they've been paying nearly as close attention as I have. And I have years more business experience than. Than I believe any of them or do. That would give me, you know, the ability to hit the ground running. So as soon as am I in that seat, I'm going to be able to start asking questions. Especially since I, again, I've already have relationships with the majority of the counselors that are already on the city council.
[00:21:26] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. And that's important. It's important to be able to work with your city, count your other members. You don't have to agree with everybody, but you usually need to get votes to be able to push your agenda forward. And that means that you have to have rapport and that collaboration skills to work with people. So that is a very important part. The other thing I think that's important is, as you brought up, is your business experience, because you know firsthand the impact of these policy decisions on your business.
So, you know, as a business owner, like, when people come to you and say, hey, this is going to hurt my business, like, you know what that means. You felt it, you've seen it. You've seen the impact of these policies personally. So I think. I think those are very important points and why I personally believe you are the best for this position as well. And one other thing, too, I forgot to bring up. You are the sole endorsed candidate by the Spokane county gop, and so congratulations on that as well.
[00:22:29] Speaker A: Oh, from the S. Of the county gop. Yes.
I was blessed with the. Received their endorsement.
[00:22:36] Speaker B: Yeah. Yep. For sure. And we've got a little delay in our Internet and our conversation, but we're getting. We're hearing from you.
Good. So I think people are getting to hear, you know, all the. All the important points.
So, you know, as we've talked, Mike, it's so important for you to be a representative of the citizens and to. To always maintain that perspective that you work for them, not the other way around. Right. How do you plan on. If you. Once you get this position, once you win your election, how do you plan on maintaining that connection with the community to ensure that you are hearing directly from the citizens as you would, you know, sit on the city Council?
[00:23:25] Speaker A: Well, I'm a big advocate for, you know, transparency, and I've met with a number of groups that are currently somewhat critical of the city and of the city Council. So I've heard their concerns. And, you know, we're working on some ideas on how we feel like we can reach out better to the community.
The city recently started their, you know, third Tuesday of the month kind of community gathering about an hour beforehand. I think those are great ideas. I also think that anytime the city is going to undertake a large project that might consider controversial, like the Sprague Diet, we talked about that. There ought to be some town halls and there ought to be some, you know, opportunities for the. For the citizens to come in and get some answers and understand why the city's making Some of the decisions that it's making. And if we can just basically give people, you know, facts and real information that, you know, and explain it in a way that, that they don't feel like we're, you know, trying to hide something. I think people, you know, understand that these are difficult decisions and that they'll be understanding, but they just, they just want to know that people are listening.
You know, I feel like, you know, I will also be making myself available. I know that, you know, the city council is not like a one, a one day a week type position. It's really a job and it can be a full time job if you want to do it correctly. And I expect to have to invest some time, at least initially, getting acquainted with the things that I don't currently have, you know, access to information, staff members, other things like that. So once get a good understanding of how, you know the nuances of how the city's operating and we can. Look, the thing that, you know, that I feel is important to mention is that I think there's a perception amongst the citizens that the city staff is the tail wagging the dog, so to speak, kind of wagging the city council dog.
And I think it's important that the city council kind of reassert itself as the governing body and make sure that the city, the staff understands that, you know, this is our agenda, this is our mission, this is our, these are our priorities. Now please go and execute them in the best way possible rather than the city staff, sort of. And I'm not, I'm not, I'm not. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to criticize anybody or call anybody out. I'm just saying I want to change any perception that there may be that the staff is really running the show and that the city council just kind of like, oh, okay, that sounds good.
I think we really, as an as city councilors have an obligation to understand the issues, you know, within reason, and then, and make determinations based on what we think is best for the city, not just what the quote unquote experts have told us.
[00:26:13] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, that's so important. And I think, especially in this age that we've seen, like with the DOGE efforts, you know, you know, where we've uncovered a lot of extra expense and this bureaucratic administration, you know, administrative state. Right.
It is so important that the elected take their rightful place and that we just don't have this machine operating without any checks and balances of the citizen vote. And so what you're Speaking about, I believe is so important to people and especially in the time that we're in, because we. We've got a lot of bloated government around, you know, and I'm not saying Spokane Valley specifically, but I think there's a.
[00:26:55] Speaker A: Numbers, you know.
I'm sorry.
[00:26:58] Speaker B: No, go ahead, Mike.
[00:27:05] Speaker A: Yeah, I was just going to say. So I, I think that, you know, one of the current council members that asks a lot of tough questions, I think, you know, that's there's a certain appeal to that because people want to. Want to know that the council's paying attention.
I feel like I have the same motivation to understand and to make sure that we're, you know, getting the full story, but I certainly would like to do in a way that's less. Less contentious.
[00:27:28] Speaker B: Yeah.
Yep. For sure. Final comments. Mike, anything else that you want to make sure that the voters know about you or the positions that you're taking?
Are you there?
[00:27:51] Speaker A: Well, no, I just. I mean, I would just say that, you know, I'm going to be the one, I believe that's going to work the hardest and it's going to be the most.
The most dedicated to, you know, to making sure that the city business is conducted in a way that's, you know, always with the, with the welfare of the citizens in mind.
The. I really believe that, again, I have the greatest amount of experience and just life understanding that's going to allow me to dive in and really know how all the pieces fit together. Because, I mean, everything's kind of interconnected and so you can't necessarily make a decision or change in one place without possibly affecting something else. So we can decide we want to do something, but we also have to ask, okay, is that going to impact our insurance? As the people who insure us for liability, how are they going to feel about that? Is that going to up costs somewhere else that we haven't anticipated?
So just running so many different businesses and so many different aspects of businesses, I believe I really have a good understanding, like, again, how all. How the machine works and how all the pieces fit together and how one area will impact another.
And I think that's very important to make sure that in the end we get the best results possible.
[00:29:01] Speaker B: Absolutely, Absolutely. So, Mike, where can people go to find out more information about you or your campaign?
Can you give them, you know, your, your social media and your website?
[00:29:17] Speaker A: Yeah, so I'd encourage them to start with my website. Mike4wa.com my M I K E F O R W A dot com and there's also Mike Kelly for Washington on Facebook.
You'll find links at my website to all my social media.
I have a couple of videos and some other, other links that people would find interesting. And of course, I have my story and a little bit of my vision there as well.
But I'm just excited to be in the campaign.
Been knocking on a lot of doors, talking to a lot of people. Everybody in the community is great. I really have learned what it means to love thy neighbor. Getting out and talking to people and seeing all the hard working folks and our community do the best for them. Myself, my and my family.
[00:30:08] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, for sure. And again, we appreciate you doing that and you stepping up to run for this important position.
And remember, everybody is so important in these primaries and please make sure to vote. In fact, I think the ballots are coming out pretty soon. Right, Mike?
[00:30:36] Speaker A: Yeah, I believe I heard. Yeah, I heard. The 16th or the 18th.
[00:30:39] Speaker B: Are you still there? Are you still with us?
[00:30:42] Speaker A: I'm here. I can hear you.
[00:30:46] Speaker B: Go ahead.
[00:30:48] Speaker A: Yeah, I can. I'm here. I can hear you.
[00:30:49] Speaker B: Okay, so. And ballots drop when. Tell everybody when, when to expect their ballots to be in the mail.
[00:30:56] Speaker A: Yeah, the next, within the next week. I believe they go out on the 18th.
[00:31:00] Speaker B: Okay. All right, so that's just around the corner. So make sure to watch for those ballots and get those ballots in again. These primaries are so important.
You know, it's a jungle primary. You have four people running for this position.
Vote for Mike Kelly for position one in Spokane Valley City Council and get those ballots turned in and then I'm sure we'll be talking to you after the primary mic. So thanks again for spending time with us. Thank you for running. Thank you to your family because I know it's a huge sacrifice and, and blessings to you.
[00:31:34] Speaker A: Great. Thank you, mj and likewise to you.
[00:31:37] Speaker B: You bet. Take care.
[00:31:40] Speaker A: Thanks. Bye. Bye.
