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<<If the first 100 days of an executive's term represents the best chance for making quick, sweeping changes, then Mayor John Powers' start has been disappointing. However, if the first 100 days serve as a getting-to-know-you period and a building block for the four-year term, then Powers's term has started off as planned.
Many within Spokane's political scene and even publications such as the Spokesman-Review and the Journal of Business, which endorsed Powers, have publicly complained about Powers's perceived slow start. S-R even ran a headline, "Still Waiting to Hear from Powers on Garage." This from a publication that couldn't wait to watch former Mayor John Talbott ride off into the sunset.
When asked about his accomplishments in his first 100 days, Powers refers to his inaugural address given on January 12, consciously attempting to show that he's followed a plan. He ticks off his administration's efforts: building his team and administration, recruiting and hiring a city administrator, getting to know the organization, getting behind the comprehensive plan and getting the public to know its importance, and establishing fiscal responsibility by reforming the budget process.
It was this move toward fiscal accountability that sparked some of the first conflicts between the mayor's office and the city council. Powers's push to create a "true" reserve fund was at first deferred due to questions about whether the fund would allow the mayor to usurp the council's power to allocate funds....