City of Spokane

Naghmana Sherazi is running for Spokane City Council, District 1, Position 2. Since immigrating from Pakistan, Sherazi has become very active in the local community. She is a member of the Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane, Refugee Connections of Spokane, and Greater Spokane Progress.

Sherazi is running to increase representation and investment in Northeast Spokane and to push for stronger police reform. She wants to empower the city's Ombudsman's Office to hold police officers accountable and improve safety for all residents. In addition, she would like to shift some 911 responses to mental health crisis responders instead of armed police officers. Sherazi supports extending the eviction moratorium and increasing affordable housing options in Spokane. 

Sherazi is facing Jonathan Bingle, a small business owner running on a conservative platform. Conservative developers and realtors are spending record amounts to elect him and he is endorsed by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers and other local Republicans. His campaign priorities are focused on helping businesses and supporting the police, instead of looking at investing in community services that would be more effective and keep our community safer.

Sherazi would be a strong addition to the city council and is the best choice for Spokane City Council, District 1, Position 2.

Betsy Wilkerson is running unopposed for re-election to Spokane City Council, District 2, Position 2. She was appointed to the city council in 2019 and has been a champion for progressive causes from the Spokane housing levy to police reform. Wilkerson brings to the council more than 20 years of experience in leadership roles at nonprofits and as a business owner. She is also the only Black woman serving on the council and is the first to do so in almost 20 years. Wilkerson's platform emphasizes making Spokane a place where everyone gets the tools and opportunities they need to thrive.

Wilkerson is the best choice for Spokane City Council, District 2, Position 2, and deserves your vote.

Zack Zappone is running for Spokane City Council, District 3, Position 2. Zappone is a local high school English teacher. He previously challenged Republican Rep. Mike Volz in the 6th Legislative District and narrowly lost.

Zappone's campaign priorities include ensuring everyone has the training they need to enter the workforce, a housing-first approach to homelessness, worker protections, and creating a more equitable tax system for lower-income residents. He highlights his experience in logistics through his volunteer work with the Spokane Food Fighters, who are delivering meals during the coronavirus crisis. He supports expanded protections for renters, incentivizing more housing density, and demilitarizing the police.

His opponent in this race is Mike Lish, a conservative fast food restaurant owner. Notably, conservative developers and realtors are pouring lots of money into this race to get Lish elected. Lish's campaign platform is not detailed but is focused on supporting funding for police officers instead of looking at investing in effective community services that make our community safer for everyone. While he claims he wants to address the affordable housing crisis, Lish does not have a detailed strategy to bring more housing to Spokane.

Zappone is the best choice for Spokane City Council, District 3, Position 2.

Educator Melissa Bedford is running for Spokane School Board, Director Position 3. Bedford currently works as an assistant professor at Eastern Washington University and has previously served both as a public school teacher and in institutional leadership positions. Outside of teaching, Bedford volunteers with a number of after-school programs and local organizations like the Spokane Public Library.

Bedford is running to make education more accessible, equitable, and inclusive. She believes that the pandemic showcased the existing inequities within the state’s school system. If elected, Bedford wants to work to get broadband internet and other technology to all students, to promote the social and emotional health of students, and to make sure that all students feel welcome in the classroom. She has written about teaching civic engagement in the classroom and wants to bring the voice of an educator to the school board.

Bedford is facing Daryl Geffken, a financial advisor and parent of two children in the district. If elected, Geffken would bring conservative values to the school board including opposing historically accurate curriculums about race. He also opposes same-sex marriage, inclusive classrooms, and multicultural programs.

Melissa Bedford is by far the most qualified and progressive choice in this race and she deserves your vote for Spokane School Board, Director Position 3.

Riley Smith, an operations coordinator at Feeding Washington, is running for Position 4 on the Spokane School Board. He grew up in Spokane and spent 13 years in the Spokane public school system. Aside from his nonprofit work, Smith works as a precinct committee officer and has previously aided a number of progressive campaigns. In his free time, he volunteers with Native Project COVAX Vaccination Clinic and Spokane Food Fighters.

If elected, Smith has two main focuses: expanding student mental health resources and investing in support for alternative career paths like apprenticeships and trade schools. A pre-pandemic study from the Washington State Department of Health showed that nearly 40% of Spokane students struggle with their mental health. As a result, Smith argues that access to mental health resources, services, and support is fundamental to achieving student success and building a stronger school system. Additionally, he believes that skill training for blue-collar jobs would ultimately expand student opportunity and success.

Life coach and mother of five Kata Dean is running to bring right-wing policy to the school board. She supports repealing meal programs, daycare support, and multicultural curriculums. Dean would also push for Christian doctrine to be taught alongside evolutionary biology in public schools. She is not only anti-choice and against same-sex marriage, but she believes her views should dictate the policy of the school board.

Smith is the clear choice in this race. He deserves your vote for Spokane School Board, Director Position 4.

Nathan Jeffries is running for re-election to Spokane County Water District 3, Position 2. He also serves the community during the day as an EMT and firefighter in Spokane. Since his election in 2017, Jeffries has worked to upgrade pump houses, develop infrastructure replacement plans, increase efficiency by replacing existing water meters with radio read meters, and bring additional water flow capacity to the area. He is endorsed by the LGBTQ Victory Fund as well as Spokane County Water District Commissioner Mary Wissink.

Jeffries faces a challenge from Kevin McMulkin in this race. McMulkin previously held this position from August 2016 to November 2017 and is a civil engineer and consulting engineer for several water systems. While he has worked in water systems in the Spokane area for three decades, he does not have a campaign platform or website as of late October.

Jeffries is the best choice for Spokane County Water District 3, Position 2.