Council Member Ed Pace completed his sometimes controversial four-year term on the Spokane Valley City Council by saying thanks and giving handshakes Tuesday night.
Pace lost his Position 4 seat to former Council Member Ben Wick in November, when Brandi Peetz and Linda Thompson were also elected to reshape the council for 2018.
“I just wanted to thank everybody,” Pace said at the conclusion of the meeting. “It was a privilege to serve.”
City Manager Mark Calhoun said Pace – who boasted a perfect attendance record – was “fully engaged” as a council member. The retired Lutheran pastor served on several boards and committees representing the city.
Calhoun said he also enjoyed Pace’s “dry sense of humor” before presenting him with a commemorative plaque for his service.
Pace defeated the late Gary Schimmels – the last remaining member of the original council elected after incorporation in 2003 -- in 2013.
Last year, in a divisive move, he joined Council Member Sam Wood, Deputy Mayor Arne Woodard and Mayor Rod Higgins in asking for the resignation of former City Manager Mike Jackson.
The fallout resulted in the resignations of Council Members Chuck Hafner and Dean Grafos.
Pace’s far-right-leaning bent – along with appointed Council Members Mike Munch and Caleb Collier – brought to the dais issues such as a declaration of Spokane Valley as a Second Amendment “sanctuary city” and splitting Washington state in two. The trio also recently supported a push to declare “parental rights” to send non-immunized children to public schools.
All three were not elected in the general election, which many have perceived as a signal that voters prefer an emphasis on local issues.
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TheSpokane Valley News Herald