Jonathan Bingle will run for re-election to Spokane City Council
"I am really proud of what we have accomplished so far, but I am not satisfied," Bingle said in speech at Minnehaha Park.
Public safety has been and will continue to be his top priority, he said. If elected, he will also fight for affordable housing and "policies that reduce addiction, not just manage it."
Bingle represents District 1, which includes part of downtown and the northeast section of Spokane. He ran for Congress against Michael Baumgartner in the Republican primary last year.
Councilman Michael Cathcart said that prior to Bingle joining, Cathcart was the lone conservative voice on city council.
"The last three and a half years of having Councilmember Bingle alongside has meant the world to me," Cathcart said. "I have been so fortunate to work with him and learn from him, frankly, and fight with him, alongside him."
While they are in the minority on the council, together they have had an influence on legislation and positive things happening in the city, he said.
"We really need to have somebody like Jonathan — Jonathan specifically, coming back to the city council," Cathcart said.
Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels also lent Bingle his support and praised Bingle's collaboration with the county.
"He knows that regional approaches to some of the problems we face, not only in District 1, but county-wide — the solutions lie in working with both city and county government. Jonathan knows how to do that," Nowels said.
Bingle called for a return to the basics.
"We don't need new laws, we don't need new money," he said. "What we need is new direction. Direction looks like getting back to the basics. Getting back to the basics is keeping people safe, investing in infrastructure that a growing city needs, and staying focused on things that actually make a difference in people's lives instead of getting caught up in issues we can't effect."
Two other council seats are up for election this year. Councilman Zack Zappone is also running for re-election. Councilwoman Lili Navarrete announced Tuesday she will not run for a new term, citing health concerns.
James Hanlon's reporting for The Spokesman-Review is funded in part by Report for America and by members of the Spokane community. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor.
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