Oct. 10—Two candidates vying to represent Position 6 on the Cheney City Council differ on city zoning policy and causes of homelessness.
Agriculture company employee Pete Montague said he is running because there needs to be a good option for a candidate who is not a single-issue contender. He called for increased credibility on the council.
"I'm not running with a chip on my shoulder," he said. "It seems to me in our current times, everybody tries to politicize everything. I thought I would run and give people an option that isn't political. I'm not running for City Council to make new ordinances and such."
Jacquelyn Belock, a dinosaur paleontology professor, said she's running for office because people feel like the current City Council isn't listening to their needs. She wants to rework city zoning law to build more housing and combat the city's housing shortage.
"Most of our town is low-density, single-family homes, commercial or industrial zoning," she said. "There's better use of our space. ... I want to make sure there is an option on the ballot of someone who will listen."
Causes of homelessness
Belock said apartments are raising rents at "unprecedented" rates in Cheney because there's no competition.
"We have students sleeping in their cars," Belock said, "Because they can't afford to live in the city that they're going to school in. We need to find a solution that's not just jailing and fining people for a circumstance that they probably weren't able to prevent."
In Montague's eyes, homelessness has nothing to do with a housing shortage. He pointed to his own circumstances, saying he's "not rich" but has lived in Cheney for a few years and owns a home with his wife on a single income.
"People should be able to go buy a house, have a decent job and support their family," Montague said. "I don't think there's a shortage of that. I'm not saying all homeless people are bad. Some people are truly in a bad spot and need help. But if you choose to live on the street and do drugs, go get a job and buy a house. It's not rocket science."
Montague said drug use in Cheney has gotten worse in recent years. When asked why, Montague said Washington's legalization of cannabis — a "gateway drug" — started it.
"It's become what people think is normal, and what people are used to," Montague said. "That didn't used to be the case. And there's not a lot the police can do — the law has stripped away a lot of ability to do something."