Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Sam.
[00:00:40] Speaker B: Well, happy Wednesday, everyone. Welcome to another edition of Unbolted with your host, M.J. bolt. I am M.J. bolt. And with us today we've got Mike Kelly again, who is running for Spokane Valley City Council. Mike, thanks for being with us.
[00:00:54] Speaker A: Good morning, M.J. thank you very much for having me.
[00:00:57] Speaker B: Oh, you bet. You're so sound kind of went funny a little bit there. Let me.
Let's see here if we can turn it up. You want to say something again?
[00:01:07] Speaker A: Yeah, just. Good morning and again, thank you for having me.
[00:01:11] Speaker B: Oh, that sounds way better. Yep. I don't know what happened, but that sounds way better. Oh, you bet. Well, yeah, we're excited to have you on here, Mike. We've got. I was just looking at the information. We've got just a couple weeks before ballots drop. Drop and let me get the dates. So ballots are supposed to drop around October 16th and so 22 days until the ballots drop and 41 days until November 4th, Election Day. So it's really important for people to get their information, find out about the candidates and, and learn all they can and make sure that they've got this in their sights. They need to vote. Just because it's not a presidential year doesn't mean people shouldn't vote. I mean, these elections are super important. How do you feel about the local elections, Mike?
[00:02:01] Speaker A: Well, I do think that they're super important. I mean, we have the most control at the local level, obviously the candidates and our elected officials.
And while Olympia is doing its best to take away as much of our autonomy as possible, there's still plenty of things that we can do to push back on that and to control how we grow and develop in the Valley.
So especially when it comes to how we're spending the money that we have here. And our budget in the Valley this year is about 150 million and next year's peg to start at about 134 million. So that's a lot of money. And so we need to make sure we have good people who are, you know, interested in the best outcomes in those positions. So absolutely. Make sure your voice is heard and make sure you vote by November 4th.
[00:02:48] Speaker B: Yeah. And traditionally, I think last year for the general election, I think it was like 80%, 84% in our county that voted, the percentage of people that voted. And typically we see a huge drop down, like around 40% of people that vote in these off year elections, if you will. And so we've got to change that. So yeah, everybody please make sure you're voting this November and again, this is why we do this, so you can be an informed voter and get to know the candidates. And one of the reasons too, why I am behind my Kelly, because I've known him for a few years and I think he's an amazing candidate. Absolutely amazing candidate. And also, congratulations. You are also one of the Spokane County Republican Party recommended candidates, correct?
[00:03:41] Speaker A: That's correct. Yes. I went through the vetting process, sat down with about 15 different PCOs in the committee, answered their questions, had a conversation, they made their recommendations, then the full body of the precinct committee officers for the county voted, and I was the one that they selected to recommend.
[00:04:00] Speaker B: Yeah. So it's. Thank you for doing that. I think this process is very important.
The, the Spokane County Republican Party is not the, the good old boys club anymore. We believe in a thorough vetting process and we want to be good stewards of the information that we share in our process. And, and so this vetting process is a very unbiased process where we treat every candidate the same that goes through the process and there's no favoritism. And then we put it up to the PCOS that vote. And so I think there was over 80, 80 to 100 PCOS that voted in this endorsement or recommended Assembly. And so it really is very important that you look at this information because we're sharing that because we've done our homework. We've looked into these candidates and, and made sure that they're good quality candidates. So let's, let's dive in a little bit more. Mike, I want people to know about you, your history, your background.
How did you get to this place where you're running for office and what, and tell me why. Why are you running for this position?
[00:05:08] Speaker A: Okay, well, that sounds like a lot of ground to cover, so I'll just start briefly with my background. So I am a numbers guy. I've been the controller and CFO of a construction company that does contracting on public transportation projects for about 30 years. So I've grown with the company from more or less office manager and handled all the different areas of payables, receivables, payroll, hr, risk management, and, you know, taxes and other things. And so I've had the experience with budgets, with job costing, with government contracts, and the things that would fit nicely with the responsibilities on the council.
I've also been a commercial and residential property owner and landlord and manager. And so I'm familiar with, of course, landlord tenant laws and how those, those work. And I've, I've worked with my tenants when necessary to, you know, make sure that we've had some positive outcomes.
And I also have owned and operated a number of businesses and still do.
So I've had a salon and day spa, I've had a trucking firm, I've had a lending company, a diesel repair shop, owned an insurance agency.
And I'm now venturing into food distributorship with someone that I know who makes some very nice organic products.
And we're coming together to combine our strengths to grow that company. And so very excited. Touched on a number of things. Also sit on the plane. Planning commission. Have been there for about a year and a half, built some relationships with the city staff, understand how the process works, and also have managed to build relationships with all of the council members, some better than others, but worked with them, had the opportunity to ask a ton of questions, been attending council meetings. So I understand a lot of the issues that are kind of at the forefront with the council and the city at the moment. And I've been out knocking on a ton of doors and to get the public's perspective. And the things that I'm hearing that they're concerned about are the same things that I'm concerned about. Obviously, we want good government. We want good communication and transparent government.
We want to make sure our money is being spent wisely. And we'd like. I think the number one priority is public safety. The two things I hear, well, three things actually.
Taxes should stay low, especially property taxes, because people are feeling the pinch.
We should have a good police department so that if we have concerns or issues that we know someone will respond quickly. And we want our road in projects to be well thought out and necessary so we spend the right amount of money for the right thing.
So to answer your question about how I got involved in politics, so I didn't. I always say I didn't wake up one morning and just decided I wanted to be in politics. I was actually invited last year by Senator Mike Patton, or former Senator Mike Patton, when he was considering retiring to run for his spot after a number of conversations that he and I, I had about my principles and priorities. And he felt like I aligned well enough with him that he could support me. And we did quite well. Met a ton of people, made a lot of connections, enjoyed myself, and unfortunately just came up about 200 votes short in the primary behind, behind the eventual winner, Leonard Christian. And.
But I thought I did exceptionally well given the fact that no one really knew who I was. I had no name recognition and not, not highly visible community up to that point, other than through my involvement with gop, because I had been working with the, with the Spokane GOP for a few years prior to that.
And then, you know, while I'm running for this seat is because I heard that Rod Higgins was going to retire, and being on the planning commission, I do see that the. There's a lot of pressure from outside the city, both from the county, from Spokane, the city of Spokane, and really from Olympia to control how we grow and develop and how we decide what's important for us. And I don't like that I want to keep local control. I think that we ought to be able to decide what's best for us in the Valley. So I knew or I felt like that that's Rod Higgins seaton, or that seat that is currently held by Rod Higgins. It's technically the people seat that it needed to be filled with someone who was strong enough to be able to push back, to ask questions and, you know, to honestly demand answers if necessary, to make sure that we were making the absolute best decisions possible.
And so that decision so far has turned out to be good. I made it through the primary with about 45, 46% of the vote.
And so I'm hoping that by working hard and continuing to get out there and meet people and share my values, that I. They will select me to represent them come November.
[00:10:12] Speaker B: Well, you have, you know, you talked about so much of your experience, and I love that you're not afraid of the detail because policy gets very wonky. You know, there's a lot of nuance, especially stuff, you know, when you're looking at bills, potential bills that legislators are going to look at and how that's going to impact the city. You know, part of your role as a city council person is advocating on behalf of the city and those, the residents, you know, with the legislators, with policymakers that might impact us as well as negotiating and, you know, debating on. On policies right here. So I appreciate that, your attention to detail.
You know, you're not afraid to get in there and ask questions. Not just rubber stamp. We need people that are bold and courageous to be able to discern and look at and go, wait a second, there's something not right here. Right. And so I really do appreciate that about your experience, Mike, and, and about you. And I know that about you.
And so that's. That makes for a very good representative. And as a Spokane Valley city resident myself, I want you on that city council because I want you, you know, helping to share those concerns that I have for Me. So, yeah, no. Awesome.
Mike, you also have gone through an interesting past, and that is a little bit of your story. I don't think it is. I think it's a benefit because we learn so much from what we go through. Most of us have passed that aren't perfect. Do you want to just share a little bit about that? Because I think some of your opponents might try to use that as a negative, and I actually think it's a positive.
[00:11:56] Speaker A: Yeah, well, this came up more in. In the Senate race because, again, I was new. People didn't know me. And so people. When it was. When it was. When I disclosed that I had, you know, had some legal troubles back in 1989 that dealt with my involvement with some attempt to acquire a substantial amount of narcotics and drugs and that I was the only person behind that, that.
Yeah, they tried to make an issue out of it. But briefly, I was arrested in 1989 and prosecuted federally by the US government at that time and through, you know, after a variety of proceedings, eventually decided to plead guilty and received a sentence at that time of 15 years in federal prison.
But rather than just kind of, you know, go to sleep for 15 years, I did decide to get involved because I had always had a sense, something not quite right about my case.
And so through study and research in the law library that's made of, I did discover that there were some small but significant errors that were made in my proceedings. And I was able to challenge my conviction because essentially what had happened is that they had charged me with a misdemeanor, but they had sentenced me for a felony. So I had been charged and pled guilty to a misdemeanor and sentenced to a felony. So I just went back under a certain section of the U.S. code and said, you know, I'd like my sentence corrected, because having pled guilty to a misdemeanor, my maximum sentence should have been one year.
And so, of course, naturally, there was a panic and a big scramble and lots of threats and cajoling and back and forth. And so after a period of time of negotiating, I agreed to come back and to plead guilty to a actual felony in exchange for what I consider to be a far more appropriate sentence of just.
I think it was 72 months. So, you know, basically six years, maybe 78 months.
It's been. It's been a while, you know, and so I was released from custody almost.
Almost six years to the day from when I had been arrested and.
And never looked back. You know, I've been quite successful since Then no more legal troubles.
In fact, at my resentencing hearing, the government said that they were, quote, not altogether unhappy that they were there that day because they had changed their opinion of me in that six, you know, in that five or six year period. And, and so, you know, I went forward and I considered a life lesson. It was a very humbling experience.
I learned a ton. I've seen the legal system and just a lot of things both from both sides. And so I went on after that to work in the legal industry and work for some attorneys and primarily in criminal law, and, you know, just make sure that people were getting a fair shake.
Usually people who are charged are indeed guilty of something, but we want the system to work with dignity and respect. But we also need to know that we need accountability, which is the thing that I learned the most. And so I've been able to bring that forward and use that to continue to hold myself accountable for how I act, how I treat people around me, how I interact in the community, how I serve the community in my business dealings, and just in my personal life say, you know, if I make a commitment, I tried my best to, to uphold that. So, yeah, it was a great learning experience.
Like I said, humbling introduced me to a lot of folks. You understand that everybody has a story. Everybody has, you know, something that has placed them where they are, and we're all just trying to become better people.
[00:15:42] Speaker B: Yeah, I think it, you know, that humble character is really important as a representative of the citizens because it, it kind of keeps you in check or it helps keep you in check of who you work for. And that's what I've always seen with you. You know, I really appreciate that. I think that's one of the most important things that our elected officials always remember who they work for. This is not about them as much as it is about the citizens representing the citizens of whom they are elected by. And again, I think that is a very, very strong character that you have. And I, you know, I find that when people have gone through these challenges and haven't had the easy life, you see that a little more, you know, and so I really do appreciate that that is your part of your story. It's an amazing story of redemption as well. And I, I think it's, you know, important that people not be afraid of colorful backgrounds, if you will, because none of us are perfect. Right.
I put on my shirt, you know, I put on my. Not to. Not to like, you know, make lesser of that. But, you know, today I'm like, put on my shirt and I had it on backwards for a while. I'm like, well, there you go. Super imperfect.
[00:16:58] Speaker A: Well, I think that experience is one reason why I'm willing to. To talk to anybody. I mean, everybody has something to contribute, and that's one reason why I love so much knocking on the doors in this community and talking to people. We go out, you know, four or five times a week, try to hit 50, 100 doors and just. Just have conversations and ask people, you know, what's important to you, what are your concerns, you know, And I hear, you know, all kinds of things. Things very specific and things very general.
But again, everybody has something to contribute. Everyone, you know, should be treated with respect. We can, you know, we can be firm, we can be opinionated, but as long as we do it in a respectful manner, you know, you know, that's really what it's about. Because in the end, when it's all said and done, I don't think when we're, you know, sitting in our wheelchair at 90 years old, we're going to be thinking back. I wish I was a whole lot meaner to people. Right. You know, I think it'd be like, I wish I had been a whole lot nicer. So that's kind of my philosophy.
[00:17:53] Speaker B: Yes. And you. You are out talking to a lot of people. I know you did that last year. I saw that, you know, firsthand. I see it this year. And I think that's also a very important thing, that you are not afraid to go out and talk to a lot of people and listen and hear their voices. So, again, I think that's a great quality. Mike, what's your vision for the Spokane Valley City? You know, what do you. What do you kind of envision, and what do you hope that you can help it achieve?
[00:18:24] Speaker A: Yeah, well, I mean, I guess I'd start by saying, I mean, really, maybe what your question might be better framed. What's important, you know, to me? So what's important to me is what I've heard from the citizens and potential constituents that I talk to. What's important to them?
I think the number one is public safety. I mean, they want to know that there's police officers available, that if they have an issue and they have to call 911, someone's going to arrive, you know, promptly and help them with the issue that they have and that someone's going to listen.
I think the other thing is that people are concerned a little bit about how we spend our money in the city.
Now, I'm not saying that they're right or wrong, but the perception is that we do waste money maybe on some different road projects and other things that aren't exactly necessary.
And I think that stems from a third issue that I've heard, and that's also one of mine, is that the city might be able to do a little bit better job at communicating with the public and making information available about why they're making the decisions they're doing, why they're pursuing particular projects, what it's actually costing the, the citizens, etc. And so the cities started their, you know, community conversation night, which is the third Tuesday of every month. I'd like to see that expanded to at least twice a month and I'd also like to maybe at least once a quarter, maybe more frequently have town halls where the public is invited to come in and talk to the council members and the, the higher city staff to, to just express their concerns and ask questions about some more of the whole higher profile issues. So everything from why we're doing a particular park development or redevelopment to, you know, why, what are, what's going to actually be the outcome of particular road project, I mean the, the roundabout at 16th about ish has been probably the one that I've heard the most comments on. Even more than the Sprague Diet. Right. You know, the, the lane, the taking the lanes there between university and I.
[00:20:21] Speaker B: Do I go by that one every single day, Mike and I, you know, I'm like, there's no way I can take my trailer through that one. It's tight.
[00:20:31] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. And so people very often at the door when I say, you know, do you have any concerns that you'd like to share that, you know, the city should be made aware of or that I should be made aware of as a potential representative and they bring that up often. And I say, yeah, well here's the background that I know and it usually helps them understand better that the city was in a tough spot and had to do something and why it may not have been the perfect solution and certainly wasn't perfect the first time that, you know, the city's intentions were good. And so while, you know, I'm not going to give them an A plus, I will say that it was maybe a learning experience and we will keep an eye on future projects and make sure that they took lessons away from that and don't make the same mistakes and the future.
But yeah, so a broader vision that I have. So those are the things that are, I know that are important to A lot of the citizens. So those would be some of my priorities.
But a broader vision is just helping the Valley have a vision of how it wants to grow.
I think for some reason I'm just, I'm sort of intrigued by the Sprague corridor. So especially between University and the freeway, or at least Argonne between the freeway, it feels like there's a lot of potential there for development, for expansion, for redevelopment and improvement. And so I'd like to figure out, bring the community players together, whether it be the chamber, whether it be the hospitality association, whether it be some of the local developers, and of course the city, and say, you know, how, how do we get this resource here developed? Because we know that well, and I'll kind of interject here. So I sit on the planning commission currently, been there for about a year and a half.
And one of the things that we're focused on primarily right now is the update to our comprehensive plan. And our comprehensive plan is a 20 year plan on, on how the city wants to grow. And it's based on how we see our population increasing over the next 20 years. And so you have to say, well, where are we going to put, how many housing units do we need as a consequence of that development? What kind of mix of housing developments are we going to have and where are we going to put them? And so this kind of goes hand in hand with what, you know, what I'm talking about using Sprague is to maybe alleviate or to deal with that need and to prevent the need for a lot of density because Olympia is forcing a lot of laws upon us that are going to allow for infill and density in some of these neighborhoods. And while maybe say the Ponderosa or, or some of the other developments are not going to necessarily see apartment buildings land in the middle of their neighborhood.
They have other, there's other risks like ADUs, sublots, things like that, and these coming without adequate parking, where suddenly a bunch of cars show up in the neighborhood. But there are larger lots out in green acres and you know, an opportunity in some of the parts east, east end of the Valley here that do have larger 4 and 5 acre lots with older homes. And so developers could easily get a hold of those and decide to put in, you know, 50 or 100 apartments in a neighborhood where the infrastructure is not really designed for that. And we may not be doing a whole lot about it because of these laws that Olympia is passing. So we need to be, we need to plan for this, we need to prepare, we need to be smart and figure out if there's, you know, I hate to say the word obstacles, but if there's just reasonable balances that we can put in to make sure that suddenly neighborhood doesn't get surprised with things that they, you know, probably don't want, didn't expect when they move there.
[00:24:07] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:24:09] Speaker A: So, yeah, there's, I think, really how we develop and how we attract more businesses, because my overall vision is to have a stable, you know, affluent city where people come here because there's good jobs, there's good schools, and there's good amenities that they can, you know, that they can use and not have to go downtown or somewhere else in order to enjoy themselves.
And so we have that area over by the mall on Indiana and near Center Place.
There's room for expansion there. And so if we can. If we can attract some of the people that are maybe getting dissatisfied with Spokane proper to come out here and take up residence and we can encourage home ownership, then we can have a stable and. And growing community that is a pleasure to live in.
[00:24:57] Speaker B: Yeah.
Yeah. And. And what's really important about what you said, there is, you know, there, everyone's going to have probably a different idea of what Spokane Valley should be and. Or what it should look like or what it shouldn't look like. But what's important is that you bring in those voices and you bring, you know, have them be part of that process, you know, if it's a listening tour or whatever it is, so that you're. You're, you know, congregating all that information and that people are part of the process. And maybe, you know, maybe you can go a certain direction or maybe you can't go a certain direction, but you have ownership of the citizens, you know, in that process, when you bring them along versus, you know, making a decision, you know, behind closed doors and. And in secrecy or something. And I'm not saying that's what's happened, but, you know, I think the communication and the involvement of the citizens, as you said. I love that you said you're intrigued, right. Of where do the citizens want Spokane Valley City to go? So I really appreciate that. I think that's really important. Might not have all the answers, but, you know, you're dedicated to listening and continuing to engage the different groups of people in the community to help come up with the answers. That's really important.
[00:26:11] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. I think the council. It's important that they. They help set the vision and then facilitate the conversation and get involvement from all, every. All the stakeholders Right, Yes. I mean, it seems like common sense, but sometimes that doesn't happen. And I, I, you know, I, I have no criticism of the current council, you know, at least very little. I mean, I think they're all people that are well intended, but I think we have suffered a little bit from a lack of vision, a little bit of lack. Just a little bit of lack of leadership. At least that's my sense.
So we'll see how it goes.
But, but, yeah, I'm energetic, and I've already been diving into some of the issues. I mean, one of the things they're focused on right now late in the year is next year's budget. So I've looked over that proposed budget. They just had a meeting last night at city council first, the first public hearing, and had greater discussions about some of the numbers. But there's a lot of questions asked, there's a lot of moving parts. But basically, we just want to make sure that we're spending our money wisely, getting the most bang for the buck.
And our biggest expenditure in the city is our contract with the sheriff's office to provide police services.
So we just need to make sure that we're getting a fair shake there and that we're paying our fair share, but no more.
And, you know, and making sure that the services we're receiving in return are effective.
[00:27:31] Speaker B: Right. And, and things change. You know, cities change, people change.
You know, I hear from my friends that live in the Valley, you know, they're hearing sirens more. They hear, you know, crime is up.
And so, you know, they're, they're.
It's, it doesn't stay consistent. Right. What worked five years ago may not work now. And so you, you know, maybe there's not a lot of new revenue coming in, and so you have to shift those budgets and those priorities. And I think that's not an easy thing to do, but it's a necessary thing to do. And just because it worked five, ten years ago. Right. Doesn't mean that's right for us right now. So, again, it takes that thoughtfulness and intention to detail to kind of go, okay, you know, yes, we've done this for the last. How many years, but is this the right thing for now?
[00:28:21] Speaker A: Yeah, New ideas are always welcome. I mean, you know, they say there's nothing new under the sun, so chances are things have been thought of before and there's a reason why we're not doing it. But I always welcome the question, and if I don't know the answer, I'll find out. And then we can, you know, have a conversation.
[00:28:37] Speaker B: Yeah. Mike? What? Why do you believe people should vote for you over your opponent in this race?
[00:28:44] Speaker A: Oh, well, yeah, so I already touched on my experience in a lot of different areas, so I have far and away greater business experience, life experience, political experience, budgeting and financial experience. I mean, just all the things that are going to be necessary to be effective in this position. And because I've been on the planning commission, because I've been involved with the gop, because I've been going to council meetings, because I've been looking at the numbers, whether it be the budget or the police contract, having conversations with the existing council members, I am confident that I can hit the ground running and not wasting time getting up to speed. But we can. We can start working immediately to implement some of the ideas that I've heard from the citizens to improve both communication and effectiveness of the council.
Also, I'm just, you know, a strong person. Again, you mentioned my attention to detail, and I will say that is one of my strengths. Sometimes it can be, you know, a weakness in the sense that, you know, I can be meticulous, and sometimes things take just a little bit longer because I, you know, desire to understand them before I, you know, make a decision and move forward.
But by and large, it served me quite well because, you know, I can see things that other people tend not to see and can ask questions accordingly and, you know, know how all the parts, all the pieces of the puzzle fit together so that, you know, I can say, well, if we do this, that could be affecting something over here and, you know, and kind of determine, figure out what the unintended consequences are before we get too far down the wrong path.
The other thing is just I have a passion for good public policy. We all want it, but, I mean, I'm motivated and excited about being part of the process to make sure that that happens and having conversations and really getting out and educating people, so to speak. When I say educating, not in a condescending way, but just.
But in a way of answering their questions, helping them understand the things, the details that they might not have access to, that gives them an insight into why decisions are being made the way they are, and therefore, they get just better satisfaction out of their government because they understand, oh, okay, now I know why they're doing this, rather than they just made a decision and told us to accept it. Right?
[00:31:00] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. Very important. Very important characteristics and things to focus on. You also, you know, I don't know. We've talked about it this year, but I remember last year you also are a lover of our constitution and small government, if I remember right. Is that correct?
[00:31:18] Speaker A: Oh, yeah, absolutely. Yeah. People ask me at the doors all the time, are you Democrat or Republican? I say, well, this is a nonpartisan office.
I do tend to lean conservative, but I, I consider myself a constitutional conservative. I said, that makes me a Republican these days, then I guess I'm a Republican. But, but really I just want good policy. I do believe in small government and I believe more so in local control because obviously the larger the government gets, the harder it is to control. The more opaque it becomes, the harder to understand what it's doing.
And the local control is important because that is where we can actually reach out to our elected officials, look them in the eye, ask them questions, ask them why they've done what they've done, and if we're not satisfied with the answers, we can replace them.
[00:32:01] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.
You've, you're doing a lot right now to connect with the community and door knock, obviously, as part of your campaign, you've talked about things that you hope the city council will continue to do, like with, you know, listening to public and having these town halls. As the city council, what do you, Mike Kelly, as a candidate, you know, in Horizon, hopefully a future elected representative plan to do to continue to make sure you're hearing from the community. How do you plan to continue to engage with the community after elected?
[00:32:40] Speaker A: Well, I can always make myself available by phone and by email, you know, for people to reach out to me. And that's one way I've made a number of the contacts that I already have in the community because people are concerned about a variety of things. Everyone seems to have like the, their hot topic that they, whether it be this recent increase in the sales tax that we voted on or whether it be, you know, a particular road project or whether it be homelessness, crime, police.
And so, you know, these are all things that I would love to hear from people about.
I also, like I said, encourage the council to increase its accessibility as a group to people. So I would make myself a. Available at those functions and possible town halls. And even if it's just, even if it's not mandatory for all the council members, I would like to just be able to use the, the city hall, like I said, at least once a quarter to have town halls where, or maybe the library where one or two of the council members, either on a rotating basis or on a volunteer basis, just come in and make themselves available for A couple hours to answer questions. That would really be ideal for me. Because I think, and as. I think as people feel like that they have more of a say and a voice in the process, that they will become more engaged and then that will tend to spread. And that's really what we need, is more people engaged and paying attention. Because, you know, as the old axiom goes, right, the only thing necessary for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing. Well, they do nothing because they don't pay attention. And they don't pay attention because they don't feel like they have any say. And so, you know, people who will do what they're going to do can just, you know, do that in the background and so want to continue to make sure that there's a good spotlight on everything that's happening. And, you know, don't get me wrong, I think that the city staff are great. We have a lot of good people in the city that are. That have been here for a long time, very experienced. I believe that they're goal is to do a good job.
But when you get busy, when you get focused, sometimes it's easy just to, you know, to dismiss the questions and the inquiries and maybe dismiss is a bad word, but just overlook perhaps, you know, because you're busy. And so it takes. The council's role is, you know, in our form of government in the city, which is, you know, a city manager for form of government where we hire someone to run the city and the council oversees that. Our role as council is continue to oversee, to ask questions, to continue to remind, if I. If you will, or just to ensure that the standards are being met and to always encourage excellence. Right. Because again, it's easy, it's human nature just to kind of get in a routine and to take, you know, just kind of go through the motions. And so we just, as the council have to always continue to push for.
[00:35:33] Speaker B: The best possible outcomes and have that oversight. Right. You're constantly having that oversight. So, Mike, it's. It's like a school board, it sounds like to me, where the school board's one employee is the superintendent. They. And then, you know, so, I mean, that's the oversight. That's the accountability is to the superintendent. And of course, then the superintendent kind of manages the rest of the district. But there's still oversight, there's still budgets, and there's still policies and everything that has to pass, you know, through the board. Is that the similar structure? Am I getting that right?
[00:36:08] Speaker A: Yeah. Yes. And I've Also heard it can compared to corporation. Right. Where you have a CEO that runs the company, a president or CEO, and then you have the board of directors that oversees that and they hire the, you know, they, they hire the CEO, they help dictate the policy and, and the, the tone, and then the CEO just carries that out. And ultimately the citizens are the shareholders. Right. They're the ones that we all answer to in the end because they're the ones that we are seeking the best possible outcome is that.
[00:36:41] Speaker B: And that is different than Spokane. Correct. Spokane has what they call like a strong mayor, right?
[00:36:47] Speaker A: Yeah, they have a, they have a strong mayor. So the strong the mayor is, is like the chief executive office officer. That's the person that's running the, the city. And you know, they obviously have people that help them do that, but they're the ones to get, to make the decision. So the mayor has the ability to hire and fire in Spokane. Here it's the city manager that has the ability to hire and fire, although they would always probably seek the input of the council before doing that. Especially, you know, a higher profile one, but just a little bit different setup.
[00:37:19] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah.
[00:37:20] Speaker A: So we have, we do have a person who holds the mayor title of mayor, but that's really just the chairman of the city council.
[00:37:27] Speaker B: Right. Of the, of the, of that board and again.
[00:37:32] Speaker A: Right, yeah. Of the city council here in Spokane Valley. That chairman of the city council is. Title is mayor.
[00:37:39] Speaker B: Is mayor.
[00:37:39] Speaker A: And they have, they have a few, they have a few more duties as mayor. Yeah.
[00:37:43] Speaker B: Yeah. And as you, as you are successful in this endeavor, Mike, I hope we can have more conversations about, you know, how things work in the city and, and help, you know, come on here and share about things that are happening so people can understand how it works and maybe things that are going on that maybe people have questions about. So, you know, maybe this is just the tip of the iceberg of our conversations about how our city functions.
[00:38:07] Speaker A: Well, I hope so, yeah. Because I'm, I'm definitely welcoming questions and inquiries and I want to get answers out there. And you kind of reminded me of one of the other things I'd like to see happen because I've worked very closely.
Well, I won't say very closely, but I've been in pretty consistent contact with the school board members in the for Central Valley, particularly Pam Orbaugh, who's also running for reelection. And I think it's very important that we keep her in her seat because I think that's current school board has a great chemistry and she has some valuable experience and spent her, you know, her last four years getting up to speed and understanding how things work.
But one of the things, like I mentioned before, is that one of the things that's necessary to attract good families and good people to the community are going to be strong schools. And I'd like to maybe get back a little bit of sense of civics into our schools, where the city council members go to the schools and have conversations, especially elementary, middle schools, and say, hey, here's how the, our form of government works and here's, you know, how things happen in the city and just make them aware of that. Because I think a lot of people don't have a lot of kids, unfortunately, these days aren't getting the kind of education that gives them a clue on how that, you know, that functions.
The, the. The converse. I'd like to have the. Maybe field trips to city hall for them to come in and see, maybe even, you know, have a, maybe a meeting or something during the day where kids can come and just see how it operates. And so I think just knowing that it exists, knowing and getting a basic understanding of how it functions, might encourage them to be more involved and pay more attention.
[00:39:48] Speaker B: I love that idea. That is so important. And being a former school board member, you know, I've often felt that we've siloed education, and unfortunately, there's a ton of policies dictating how, how it's operating right now. You know, field trips are darn near a thing of the past. Right. We don't do that. But I, I think you're right. Like, kids need the opportunity to engage and experience that they need to talk to real people that are in these roles, like yourself. They need to go and see.
And so much of that has been taken away from our education system. In fact, the whole PCO idea. I had a gentleman on here, that's the precinct strategy guy in the Nation, and Dan Schultz, and he said, you know, back when he was a kid in seventh grade, they told him about the pcos, the precinct committee officers. We. There's no. I mean, I know when I was in school, of course, that was a few years ago, they didn't talk about it, you know, even then. And I know they don't talk about it now. So we. I think that's a super important thing. You know, obviously one of your priorities, you know, that's the school district. But I love that you're wanting to engage our students and our next generation so we can raise up people that want to be Involved, that know how to be involved, that understand how civics work, what our constitution is and what it isn't. Right. And there's a reason we got to where we are, where things aren't functioning as well for our citizens is because too much of us, you know, sat on the sidelines for too long. And we also, our education isn't teaching this so awesome. I'm super excited about that. Mike. I've never talked to you about that before, but I love that, I really do. I appreciate that. With any final comments that you have anything else that you want people to know about you or your campaign.
[00:41:35] Speaker A: Well, I mean, I have a lot of great volunteers, people that work with me. We have anywhere from four to eight to 10 people out three, four times a week knocking on doors, spreading information, information and helping multiple candidates, including myself.
So anyone who feels like they'd like to get involved, I would encourage them to reach out to me. I can be reached through my email, which is mike, mike4wa.com that's mike f o-r w a.com and they can doorbell. They can go to my website, Mike KellyForWashington or mikeforwa.com my Facebook Mike Kelly for Washington. Like that. Follow that. You can see what I'm, what I'm doing, the different events that I'm attending and how I'm getting staying involved in the community.
And my phone number and other information is on my website, mikeforwa.com and like I said, I encourage anyone to reach out to me and text me, call me, email me and I'll do my best to, you know, answer questions and engage in a conversation. And so we can use people who want a doorbell. We can use people who like to put a sign in their yard.
We can always use donations because people don't understand, even just for what is a relatively low level position like city council, takes a lot of money, unfortunately, to get the word out, to spread the word and to have the people around me that help me get everything done and you know, but at the very least, just stay engaged, pay attention and you know, and like I said, go to my Facebook page, mike Kelly for Washington and follow that. That'd be great.
[00:43:13] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. Mikeforwa.com you know, follow Mike on his Facebook page, share the events, take some friends with you to one of his events or some of these events so they can actually meet the candidates too. You know, a lot of people when they get to these elections, they look and maybe they just don't know. So one of the things that I Kind of Brian Noble and I came up with last year is, you know, like a phone tree. Like, adopt 10 people. You know, I have 10 people that I'm responsible for that I'm going to make sure that they get their ballot in. You know, just make sure to vote and. And we can help recommend the candidates if you're not sure.
So it's so important. It is so important. Like Mike said at the very beginning, beginning of this, you know, his race was, you know, determined the. The primary last year by 200 votes. That's not very many votes in a. In a similar race. This is a little different with the city council, but we see that all the time. And having the right candidates as our representatives makes a huge difference for us. So, Mike, thank you so much for taking the time to come on here.
If you want to know more about Mike Kelly, go to mikeforwa.com you can also go to our website at spokane gop.com to see the rest of our endorsed recommended candidates, because these are nonpartisan races this year where we vetted all the candidates that, you know, submitted an application, and we have our recommendations and get involved. This is so important. So, again, Mike, thanks for taking time today to come on here and share your heart and share your priorities and share your story, and we just wish you the best, you and your family. Thank you for running. It's not, you know, it's certainly not for people with thin skin. It's quite a battle to campaign. So, again, really appreciate it.
[00:45:09] Speaker A: Oh, well, thank you, mj. I really appreciate the part that you play in this and helping get the word out. And, you know, just together, collectively, through all of our efforts, we can definitely make an impact.
[00:45:20] Speaker B: Yep, Absolutely. All right, everybody. Blessings to you, Mike, and your family. Blessings to all of you out there. And remember to vote. Vote early and get that ballot in. And take care. Have a good day.
[00:45:34] Speaker A: Thank you.
[00:45:34] Speaker B: Bye.
