(The Center Square) – As politicians and public safety advocates call for a new jail, Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown told The Center Square that she’s ready to return to the table but that the county hasn’t responded to her.
Voters had an opportunity to pass a tax increase last year that could have raised roughly $1.7 billion over 30 years for a new jail. Several county and city officials sounded the alarms as the current downtown facility grapples with a lack of capacity amid a need for modern infrastructure.
While voters ultimately had the final say, with over 60% opting against the tax increase, many blamed the then-mayor-elect for its failure. Brown told The Center Square that she’s ready to sit back down at the table for a renewed effort coordinated by the county and the city of Spokane.
“It was pretty clear to me: the city and the county needed to come together, put a plan forward together and stand up together on board with that measure,” she said. “I had no ability to do that as a candidate, but the previous administration absolutely failed to do that.”
She attributed her lack of support to poor planning. Brown said the county was considering a capital plan, but what’s needed first, in her opinion, is a sustainable operational plan that outlines the city’s role and ongoing financial commitment to the county’s Detention Services.
The conversation wouldn’t just center around the jail but public safety and regional needs in general. Brown said that includes investing in behavioral health facilities, which a lot of funding comes through the county, and housing and homelessness, which the city handles a lot of.
“I think it’s a big picture plan that we need to put together and go back to voters,” Brown said. “I was open to having that happen by this November, but as I said, I got no response.”
Brown sent a letter to the county right after being sworn into office, noting her intention to collaborate on a new jail measure. She thinks Commissioner Al French didn’t want it on the ballot this November as he seeks a final reelection bid, so she said he rushed it last year.
French, others within the county government and business community advocates have criticized Brown for what they perceive as a lack of transparency. French told The Center Square that he had contacted the mayor several times a few months ago but had not received a response.
Brown said her communication is more formal with the Board of County Commissioners. She meets regularly with Commissioner Mary Kuney, who chairs the board, and has also met with a few others individually, though not French.
She confirmed that French left a message about meeting privately with him and Commissioner Josh Kerns, but she felt like it was a “very out of the office, behind the scenes kind of thing.”
BoCC Communications Manager Pat Bell told The Center Square that the commissioners did discuss Brown’s letter a few times in public meetings, but never sent a formal response; however, he said two commissioners did reach out to Brown personally.
French believes Brown is part of an effort to remove him from office, alleging that she was involved with a recent recall attempt ultimately thrown out by the judge.
His last victory was in 2022 over Maggie Yates, who served as the county’s regional law and justice administrator. While now acting as Brown’s deputy city administrator, Yates was open during the election about not supporting a new jail at the taxpayers’ expense.
During her campaign, Yates received donations from Brown, then-director of the Washington State Department of Commerce, and FUSE Washington, a liberal activist group, who backed Brown’s mayoral campaign and the recent recall effort against French.
While Yates lost in 2022, with the recall effort following last month, FUSE Washington and Brown are both contributing to the campaign of French’s current challenger, Molly Marshall. Brown has contributed at least $2,400 since March 2024, with $1,200 as recently as Sept. 22.
The Center Square asked Brown about the extent of her involvement with FUSE Washington and the recall attempt, but she could not respond in her official capacity due to city policy.
“I’m not unwilling to have a campaign or political conversation, but we really aren’t allowed to utilize public resources for that,” Brown said. “I have those conversations outside of city hall and utilizing my personal device.”
