SPOKANE, Wash. — One year into the COVID-19 pandemic, Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward delivered her second State of the City address on Wednesday, March 17.
The virtual conversation began at noon on Wednesday. Greater Spokane Incorporated is provided a free livestream of the event on its Facebook page.
Woodward was elected Spokane mayor on Nov. 5, 2019 after a 28-year career in television news. She was born and raised in Washington state and has raised two children with her husband, Bruce, in Spokane.
Woodward ran for mayor on three main issues: homelessness, property crime and economic development. But those issues were dwarfed by COVID-19. During the pandemic, Woodward has advocated for reopening businesses to aid Spokane's economic recovery.
She covered a handful of different topics during Wednesday's address, including homelessness during the pandemic, the opening of the Downtown Spokane Police Precinct and housing availability.
The downtown precinct is home to the Behavioral Health unit, which pairs mental health professionals with police officers. Woodward said the unit is growing with two more teams in 2021.
"In the past year, the co-deployment model has kept people experiencing a crisis from going to jail or the hospital 78% of the time," Woodward said.
One of the "tremendous bright spots" that has come out of the COVID-19 pandemic is its role in helping the city address housing options for homeless residents, Woodward said.
"Managing the city's housing needs will require creative solutions, smart use of density and a close look at the many factors that influence housing and neighborhoods," she added. "That includes transportation, employment and income, access to services and parking. Appropriately timed funding strategies aligned to the right uses, even if they may be different than originally imagined, will also be important considerations."
Woodward also expressed hope for the future amid the pandemic.
"We are extremely hopeful and positive about what is just ahead for our region. Thanks to the selfless, hard work of our community, [COVID-19] case counts are as low as they've been since mid-September and are consistently lower than the holiday peaks," she said. "Vaccine distribution is growing by the thousands each week."