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Candidates for Spokane City Council District 1 and Spokane Public Schools board square off in local debates

Top row: Spokane City Council candidates for District 1. From left, incumbent Jonathan Bingle and challenger Sarah Dixit. Bottom: Candidates for Spokane Public Schools board. From left, incumbent Hilary Kozel and challenger Jessica Anundson.
Courtesy photos
Top row: Spokane City Council candidates for District 1. From left, incumbent Jonathan Bingle and challenger Sarah Dixit. Bottom: Candidates for Spokane Public Schools board. From left, incumbent Hilary Kozel and challenger Jessica Anundson.

This week, Inland Journal is continuing our spotlight on local elections. We’re rounding out our series with the one more debate between candidates for District 1—incumbent Jonathan Bingle and challenger Sarah Dixit.

They share their thoughts on gun safety, housing, public transit, and the role of religion and fringe ideologies on the dais.

"The values that I bring come from a deeply tied respect that I have for my God and for my religion," Bingle said. "There are laws that are specific for Christians...but 'Don't murder,' that applies to everybody. 'Don't steal,' that applies to everybody."

The debate airs tonight, Thursday the 23rd, at 7 pm on Channel 7. It’s also available anytime on ksps.org.

The second half of the hour is devoted to two Spokane Public Schools board candidates.

North Central High School’s Civic Engagement club hosted incumbent Hilary Kozel and challenger Jessica Anundson for a debate at the beginning of October.

Hear candidates talk about educational equity, funding, police in schools and social justice issues.

"I think schools are a place of safety," Anundson said. "Everyone should feel safe no matter who they are, where they're coming from, how much money they have and how they identify."

Eliza Billingham is a full-time news reporter for SPR. She earned her master’s degree in journalism from Boston University, where she was selected as a fellow with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting to cover an illegal drug addiction treatment center in Hanoi, Vietnam. She’s spent her professional career in Spokane, covering everything from rent crises and ranching techniques to City Council and sober bartenders. Originally from the Chicago suburbs, she’s lived in Vietnam, Austria and Jerusalem and will always be a slow runner and a theology nerd.