The Spokane mayoral race between incumbent Nadine Woodward and challenger Lisa Brown is shaping up as a classic conservative vs. liberal throwdown, with the Democrats on the city council seeking to finally take the top office which has eluded them over the last decade. The high-profile race caused the Spokesman-Review to take a deep dive into one of the issues separating the two sides, that the “budget and staffing for the council office has ballooned in the past two decades, with the latest spike as Woodward entered office. She argues it is further evidence that the city council is trying to claim some of the strong mayor’s authority.”

The paper highlights this is not a new tactic for the Left, pointing out “in 2015 when the council hired Brian McClatchey, attorney and husband of current mayoral candidate Lisa Brown, as its first policy adviser. That position was envisioned as a mirror of the city attorney, who is appointed by the mayor.” You can read more about how expensive city staff is just one part of the Democrats’ budget-crushing iceberg, and that one former councilman/mayor says “this system itself has created an opportunity for conflict” here… Spokesman-Review.

In this week’s special Newsmaker Interview, Jon DeVaney, President of the Washington State Tree Fruit Association (WAFTA), discussed his background in the tree fruit industry and its impact on Washington’s economy. He entered the industry in 2009 after various agricultural policy roles. DeVaney highlighted the challenges caused by the Democrats’ overtime wage law, resulting in reduced income for farmers and workers and causing some produce to go to waste. He criticized Governor Jay Inslee’s rushed implementation of a “carbon tax,” which lacked promised agriculture exemptions, negatively affecting many farmers. DeVaney also discussed issues like foreign trade updates, loss of farmland to solar/wind farms, and frustration with uninformed Puget Sound lawmakers imposing strict agricultural regulations. Read more on Shift.

Seattle may be in the process of learning that over-reliance on taxes always going up may not be a good thing. That’s because, as Center Square reports, “the latest report from the Seattle Office of Economic and Revenue Forecasts indicates that the city’s real estate market is slowing down this year.” And the drop is not a small one, rather “it’s a 44% drop from $91.4 million collected last year.”

In true Seattle City Council fashion, the city’s elected officials are taking this opportunity to consider how many taxes it can raise to keep spending even more money in the future (as Shift has highlighted). You can learn how challenging it could be for the city to tax itself out of its spending problems here… Center Square, Shift.

The state Republican Party has turned to a candidate who has proven he can win real elections to lead the organization into battle in 2023 (and beyond) over the weekend, according to the Washington State Standard. Veteran reporter Jerry Cornfield covered the news that “Republican state lawmaker Jim Walsh, an energizing voice for conservatives, was elected Saturday as the new leader of the Washington State Republican Party.”

Rep. Walsh tipped off his strategic hand, focusing on the independents that decide most Washington state elections. “They’re not quite Republicans. They are free agents. They’re done with the overreach of Olympia. They’re not sure they’re Republicans but they want a new home politically and philosophically.” You can find out how Rep. Walsh wants to “give them a new home” here… Washington State Standard.

Whoops, sorry for the simple Shift headline mistake. Turns out it’s a massive project that stretches “as far as from Seattle to Tacoma” that is the subject of a legal hearing next week, but since it is in Eastern Washington and the Democrats are jamming it through as part of their clean energy dreams, you may not have seen much coverage of what the Tri-City Herald reports is a “proposed project that would stretch 24 miles along the Horse Heaven Hills from south of Finley to south of Benton City. Up to 244 turbines” will be part of the extensive eyesore that will not bother any of the Puget Sound liberals pushing it.

This legal battle has been heating up in recent months and you can find out more about why a “public comment hearing is set on the proposed Horse Heaven wind farm project, but not everyone will be allowed to speak” here.. Tri-City Herald.

Shift will leave with little further comment this news story uncovered by Jason Rantz of KTTH that “Denise Yun is running for Federal Way City Council on a campaign of protecting businesses from crime. But she’s also accused of shoplifting from a local business, and it’s not the first time.”

The candidate in question is claiming innocence, but you can see for yourself if this is how you normally handle the check out line, as the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH obtained the original surveillance footage, here… MyNorthwest.com.

The Sunday Seattle Times featured a timely business column which asked the headline question not of Seattle, but rather its little sibling to the South, Portland. As the Times Jon Talton writes, “Once upon a time, Portland was a quirky, endearing city with much to recommend it… Lately, Portland is known for rampant homelessness, drug addiction and crime.”

You can decide for yourself if the writer’s friend, who provided him with the central question of his piece above, also provided a warning shot to liberals here by admitting “we did this to ourselves from equal parts denial and sentimentality. Our preoccupation with grand abstractions such as ‘social justice’ midwifed a crisis that will take years to resolve.” Seattle Times.

Shift has had a lot of fun at Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s expense since he started “exploring” his run for Governor two months ago, mainly because he has made it so easy with his clumsy attempts to break campaign finance laws and avoid accountability for his office’s multi-million-dollar mistakes (as Shift has covered). But his latest fundraising effort shows just how much AG Ferguson is rooting for Donald Trump to win the 2024 election – claiming he is “the only candidate running for Governor who knows how to successfully defeat an extremist administration.” You can learn that he isn’t actually talking about the Inslee administration here… Shift, Bob Ferguson campaign email.

Please consider making a contribution to ensure Shift continues to provide daily updates on the shenanigans of the liberal establishment.

Forward this to a friend.  It helps us grow our community and serve you better.

You can also follow SHIFTWA on social media by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter.

If you feel we missed something that should be covered, email us at [email protected].