Who will defend the taxpayers?

The message from voters was crystal clear, but elected officials apparently don’t want to hear it.

In 2019, nearly 80% of voters in the city of Spokane approved an amendment to the city charter – in essence, a local constitutional amendment – requiring collective bargaining talks between the city government and city unions be open and transparent. It’s a simple concept – since the salaries of government workers make up such a large portion of the city’s budget, taxpayers have a right to know how the single-largest spending item is being negotiated.

The openness rule doesn’t give an advantage t...