Leadership Spokane Can Count On

Focused on What Matters

Michael has stood up for fiscal discipline, open government, and accountability, even when it wasn't popular and even when it wasn't the easy path.

Michael shows up. In nearly six years on the Council, he has never missed a vote. Not one. That's hundreds of meetings, long nights, tough debates, hard decisions, and controversial issues that aren't always easy. Michael comes prepared, shows up, asks the tough questions, and votes every single time. Voters deserve a representative who's in the room when decisions get made, and Michael has earned that trust the only way it can be earned. By doing it.

If you've spent any time at a Spokane City Council meeting, three phrases will sound familiar coming from Michael: public safety, transparency, and fiscal responsibility. Neighborhoods deserve to feel safe. Tax dollars deserve to be treated like what they are, which is money entrusted by taxpayers. And residents deserve to actually see how the decisions that affect their lives get made.

Michael has worked to reform the city's budget process and consistently advocates to make it easier for ordinary residents to participate. He has pushed for new rules that would require the city to clearly publish how it spends taxpayer money. And he has consistently fought to expand, not shrink, the public's right to be heard. Just this year, he pushed back on rule changes that would have cut public testimony short, arguing residents deserve more chances to weigh in on the decisions that affect their lives, not fewer.

Fixing what is broken.

He also led the charge on a charter amendment that took redistricting out of the hands of the politicians who benefit from it. Gerrymandering isn't something we should support, no matter who it benefits. When something is clearly broken, you fix it.

For Michael, accessibility isn't just about open meetings. It's about making sure everyone can actually understand what their government is up to, whether that means plain-language write-ups of proposed legislation or language access for residents who aren't proficient in English. If a neighbor can't read a public notice, follow a meeting, or talk to their elected officials, they're stuck relying on someone else to tell them what's going on, and a lot can get lost in translation. You can't hold government accountable if you don't know what government is doing. That same principle is exactly what Michael wants to bring to the Auditor's Office.