Latest news with #LiliNavarrete
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alejandro Barrientos, business executive and independent Democrat, running for Spokane City Council
Jun. 25—Alejandro Barrientos, chief operations officer for the SCAFCO Steel Stud Company, is making a bid for the Spokane City Council. Barrientos is running for a seat occupied by Councilwoman Lili Navarrete, who recently announced she is not running for a new term. If elected, he would be one of two council members representing District 2, which includes most of the city south of the Spokane River. Councilman Paul Dillon is the district's other representative and is serving a term through 2027. He is running in the Nov. 4 election against Kate Telis, a former prosecutor who has more recently worked on the campaigns of several Spokane-area candidates, including Dillon's. Barrientos is a self-described Democrat, but likely one of the defining pitches of his campaign will be his independence from the progressive cohort that has taken a supermajority on the Spokane City Council and works closely with Mayor Lisa Brown. He opposed most of the recent package of homelessness laws Brown proposed , which were meant in large part to replace the 2023 voter-approved anti-camping law struck down earlier this year by the state Supreme Court. He argues that they failed to deliver the immediate response voters had asked for and would have left people on the streets to die. While city council positions are ostensibly nonpartisan, party politics still animate the positions, and the South Hill is one of the city's most reliably Democratic voting blocs. This may explain why it has been years since a self-described Republican has made a serious run for one of District 2's seats; Dillon's opponent in 2023 was Katey Treloar, who ran as a self-described moderate unaffiliated with any party and tried, not always successfully, to avoid being associated with more right-leaning candidates and politicians. Whether Barrientos' explicit alignment with the Democratic Party will spare him the same characterization remains to be seen, including whether he can manage to secure a county Democratic Party's endorsement, which eluded Treloar. Many of his donors are reminiscent of Republican-affiliated candidates of years past: RenCorp Realty owner Chris Batten, Alvin and Jeanie Wolff of the Wolff real estate empire, and unsuccessful county commission and city council president candidate Kim Plese. Treloar has donated $100. Barrientos acknowledges that some have pointed to his employer, developer and SCAFCO owner Larry Stone, a well-funded opponent of Spokane progressives for years, to question his Democratic bona fides. But he believes that when voters meet him, they will know that he is a sincere believer in Democratic values. For instance, with family ties to Colombia, he says supporting immigrants amid the current campaign of mass deportation is important to him . He attended the June 12 protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement's detainment of 21-year-old Cesar Alexander Alvarez Perez, who is seeking asylum from Venezuela, and Joswar Slater Rodriguez Torres, a Colombian national also in his 20s. "I am a Democrat because those are the values that align more with who I am and how I grew up," he said in an interview. "I had a conversation with (former Democratic Senate Majority Leader) Andy Billig about that specifically, because he's somebody that works for (Spokane Indians and Spokane Chiefs teams owner) Bobby Brett." "He said, 'You know what? Sometimes you just have to prove it over time.' And so I just need to build that trust with people." Barrientos has lived in Spokane off and on for the past 17 years, and with his two children, the oldest of whom is 8, he said he has planted roots here for the long haul, prompting him to consider getting politically involved. It was on the Big Red Wagon last year, after his young daughter grabbed a piece of foil and Barrientos was gripped by fear that she may have come into contact with fentanyl, that he decided to run for Spokane City Council. He was born in Miami, where his grandfather and parents moved when his grandfather, a prominent attorney in Colombia, fled from a cartel he had been prosecuting. He moved to Medellín, Colombia — the country's second-largest city — at a young age. He attended Gonzaga University, drawn by a smaller university with a Jesuit tradition familiar from growing up in Colombia. He studied abroad in Italy for a stint, then moved to Mexico City to work in an international relations liaison position with Rocky Mountain Construction, a roller coaster designer and manufacturer, where he was promoted into various executive roles. Through that job, he had also lived in Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands, each for short periods. Throughout this jetsetting career, Barrientos said he regularly returned to Spokane, but returned for good after being offered a job by CWallA, another business in Stone's Stone Group of Companies. "I've lived in a lot of places, and a lot of big cities as well," Barrientos said. "And big cities, you know, at a young age, really attracted me for the different pace of doing things, but when you're raising kids and having a family, for me, there was no better place than Spokane." But Barrientos also believes that things have changed in the city in the past 17 years, some positives, but also some challenges that he has "seen and witnessed here in Spokane that I never saw growing up in Medellín." He believes that current leadership has struggled, or failed to try, to collaborate successfully with right-leaning governments in the county and surrounding jurisdictions. "We know that our county commissioners hold most of the mental health resources, and our city holds the housing resources, and I think it's crucial that we get our city and county working together," he said. "And sometimes party and politics gets in the way of that. "I can be that bridge to come to the table and connect people and work together."
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Spokane City Council seeks applicants for four-month stint on council
May 23—The Spokane City Council is seeking applicants for a roughly four-month stint on the council to fill a seat being vacated by Councilwoman Lili Navarrete. Navarrete formally announced earlier this week that she planned to resign, citing health concerns and other job opportunities, effective July 1. She already had announced she did not plan to seek election to maintain the seat, and Alejandro Barrientos, chief operating officer at SCAFCO Steel Stud Company, and Kate Telis, a former deputy prosecutor from New Mexico, have filed to run for the seat. The winner of the election in November will be sworn in earlier than normal — as soon as the election is certified mid-November. The person selected for appointment will serve on Navarrete's seat in the meantime. Applications will open May 23 and will be available on the city's website, the council offices on the seventh floor of city hall, or at the service desk on the first floor, according to a city news release. Applications are due 5p.m. June 19 . Public interviews will be conducted by the City Council on July 10. The public will be able to provide testimony on the applicants on July 14. The City Council plans to vote to select the applicant on July 28.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Spokane Councilwoman Lili Navarrete's resignation effective June 30
May 19—Spokane City Councilwoman Lili Navarrete will resign effective June 30, she announced Monday. "With great sadness and heavy consideration, I have decided to resign as a Council Member for District 2, where it has been an honor to represent my beloved district," Navarrete wrote in a prepared statement. "I am proud of my contributions as a Council Member, such as introducing the ordinance concerning the Human Rights and Basic Dignity of Individuals Experiencing Homelessness and the Language Access Ordinance," she continued. "I have strived to bring diversity and inclusion to the workplace, and I hope my efforts have positively impacted the City Council and its employees." During her time on the council, Navarrete has shepherded an ordinance to encourage the recruiting of more multilingual city employees, worked on a slate of reforms to increase employment and housing rights for the homeless ultimately whittled down to the hiring protection dubbed "Ban the Address." Most recently, she introduced legislation meant to prevent federal immigration officers from warrantless raids in city parks. The Spokesman-Review reported her pending resignation on Thursday, but at the time Navarrete said she had not yet finalized some of the details of when she would step down. Navarrete already announced in March that she would not run for a new term, citing health concerns. Alejandro Barrientos, chief operating officer at SCAFCO Steel Stud Company, and Kate Telis, a former deputy prosecutor from New Mexico, have both filed to run for the seat. Navarrete's resignation opens the door to a short-term appointment to fill her seat ahead of the election, however. That term would last until the November election is certified, at which point the candidate who won the election would be immediately sworn in. Recent appointments, including Navarrete's own in January 2023, have attracted upwards of 20 applicants.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Park Board wary as Spokane city councilwoman eyes icing ICE out of city parks
May 15—Spokane City Councilwoman Lili Navarrete has introduced a law to prevent federal agents without arrest warrants within areas of city parks where groups are holding ticketed community events or other areas normally limited to park staff. "We're specifically doing this ordinance for federal agents," Navarrete said Monday. "As we have seen, they have been going places without warrants, which is unlawful under the Constitution. "Our intention for this ordinance is for communities that are immigrant, if they have events in parks, that they are deemed nonpublic so they can have their birthday parties, cultural events, in peace and not be harassed by federal agents." The Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prevents unreasonable searches and seizures and prevents the warrantless intrusion of law enforcement into a private home, but its protections are more limited on public property. Navarrete believes that officially designating a part of a park "nonpublic," even on a temporary basis, could grant the same constitutional protections to a birthday party in the park as to a backyard barbeque. The ordinance largely mirrors a 2018 local law which allows the council to designate any city property nonpublic; however, the council largely does not have authority over city parks, due to provisions of the City Charter. Under the ordinance, designating an area of a city park "nonpublic" would be at the discretion of the parks director, who serves at the pleasure of the mayor, or the Park Board, a largely independent legislative body with nearly sole authority to regulate city parks. But the Park Board appears to oppose the proposal, board President Jennifer Ogden wrote in a May 8 email to the council, noting the pending parks bond that would be on ballots this November coupled with a school bond, collectively marketed as "Together Spokane." "The Park Board is focused on improving parks for all of its citizens in its Together Spokane initiative, not on restrictions," Ogden wrote. "Moreover, Park staff is not comfortable being in a role of enforcement — in fact that is the purview of our Police Department." Ogden stressed that her opposition did not indicate tacit approval of the recent change in immigration enforcement policy and practices. "Let me say that as a human being, and I mentioned this to Councilmember Navarrete, I am appalled at what is happening to our immigrant community," Ogden wrote. "I believe many of my Park Board members are equally sympathetic to the good intentions Lili is demonstrating and I commend her heart in this. "However, as Park Board President I must state in the strongest possible terms that this ordinance is not authorized or approved by the Park Board." Councilman Michael Cathcart raised a number of legal and logistical concerns Monday when the ordinance was introduced. While the law specifically calls out federal immigration agents, Cathcart questioned whether it was legal to prevent one type of law enforcement from entering a space without a warrant while not prohibiting other types, including park rangers. And unlike a private residence, where law enforcement are physically blocked from seeing the inside without a warrant or permission to enter, Cathcart questioned whether "open-field doctrine" would make Navarrete's ordinance moot in an outdoor park area. Cathcart warned that if there were major loopholes to the ordinance's protections, it could give people a false sense of security. He also questioned the potential logistical challenges of enforcing the law. "If it's a paid event, it makes sense to kind of restrict access, but let's say we have Hoopfest in the park and someone says it's nonpublic, do you now need a ticket?" he speculated in an interview. "And if not, who is actually in charge of the park?" Navarrete stressed that the ordinance was an initial draft and encouraged further amendments.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Spokane Councilwoman Lili Navarrete will not seek new term
Mar. 26—Spokane City Councilwoman Lili Navarrete will not run for a new term this year, citing health concerns, she announced Tuesday in a news release. Navarrete was appointed in January to a nearly two -year stint representing south Spokane on the city council, filling a seat vacated by City Council President Betsy Wilkerson. She is believed to be the first Hispanic or immigrant member of the Spokane City Council, at least since the modern conception of the legislative body began in the 1960s. "Since my appointment on January 22, 2024, representing District 2 as their City Council Member has been a great honor," Navarrete wrote in a statement. "I have learned so much from my fellow Council Members, City staff, and constituents." Navarrete immigrated from Mexico City to Spokane in 1988 and wrote in her application for the open seat that while growing up she had not felt represented by city government, noting she had "always wondered why a person of color was not up on the dais" until recently. Prior to her appointment on the city council, Navarrete served as community development officer for the state Commission on Hispanic Affairs and previously as director of public affairs for Planned Parenthood for Greater Washington and North Idaho, where she worked alongside Councilman Paul Dillon, the other representative for south Spokane. There are three seats on the city council up for election this year. Only Councilman Zack Zappone has announced he is running for re-election. Councilman Jonathan Bingle has declined to say either way, telling The Spokesman-Review he will soon announce his "future plans."
