Spokane Community Court faces shakeup this fall with upcoming election, retirement

(The Center Square) – Spokane Community Court may undergo a major shakeup this fall as the lead judge faces competition in her reelection bid and a veteran administrator retires in October.

As one of five therapeutic courts overseen by the Spokane Municipal Court, the tribunal focuses on reducing recidivism with wraparound services. Community Court takes on low-level offenders and allows them to enter treatment and/or housing services in exchange for a reduced penalty.

Oftentimes, that outcome is a dismissal. Many participants are individuals living on the streets in Spokane. Judge Mary C. Logan helped start the initiative in 2013 as a way to change lives and break the cycle of incarceration, but her challenger this fall says it’s time for Logan to step aside.

“Community Court is designed to provide compassionate accountability and get defendants out of the cycle of crime,” Lynden Smithson, former city attorney, wrote on his website. “Community Court is failing, it is not holding defendants accountable, and therefore they swirl in a continuing cycle of crime, drug use and homelessness. It is time for new leadership and accountability.”

His endorsements include former Spokane Police Chief Craig Meidl, two superior court judges from other counties, some local businesses and former Mayor Nadine Woodward at the top.

Woodward appointed Smithson as city attorney in 2022, who was later confirmed almost a year later by the Spokane City Council. He worked for the City Prosecutor’s Office for about 20 years before that, with private civil and defense experience as well.

Smithson committed to operating Community Court in a “transparent manner,” with a promise to publish data on participants and the overall effectiveness of the program if he wins in November.

Had Woodward won her reelection bid in 2023, Smithson would have likely still held the spot now occupied by City Attorney Mike Piccolo. Mayor Lisa Brown, who endorsed Logan, appointed Piccolo before overhauling the city’s approach to homelessness, which offers more individualized care than Woodward had.

The Brown administration started what she calls a “scattered-site” shelter model, which relies on several respite centers and smaller shelters with about 30 or so beds. Under Woodward, the city ran several congregate-style shelters, with some housing up to hundreds of people every night.

“The last time we had [a study] done,” Logan said in June, updating the council on her statistics from the first quarter of 2025, “it was indeed determined that we reduced the amount of recidivism.”

Logan’s report focused on participants over the first few months of 2025, though she referenced data from May that showed violent crime had fallen about 15% compared to the year prior. She noted that her court doesn’t handle violent crimes but said that doesn’t mean it’s without impact.

According to the June 2 presentation, Community Court offered services to nearly 1,600 people from January to May, or about 80 each week. Throughout Q1, 686 cases were filed, with about 45% transferred out, mainly to align with pending cases in other courts, and 36% dismissed.

Logan said the last study cost a prior administration $30,000, which might be hard to find under the city’s $3.8 million shortfall. Meanwhile, Spokane released its 2025 Point-in-Count Monday, which found that countywide homelessness fell to 1,806 people, or 10.6% compared to 2024.

The annual decrease in overall homelessness is the second in a row after increases since 2016.

If Smithson manages to beat Logan this fall, he could usher in a new era for Community Court, as Brown’s shelter model seems to finally lift off the ground. They’ve both raised about $15,000 in donations, but Logan pulled out another $7,500 in loans, according to campaign finance data.

Regardless, the city may face a major hurdle as Municipal Court Administrator Howard Delaney retires this October after about 20 years. Presiding Judge Kristin O’Sullivan said that a national search is underway for his replacement, but the court doesn’t anticipate finding someone until after Delaney leaves amid ongoing concerns over sustainability.

“Obviously, this is a big transition for the court,” O’Sullivan told the council on Monday.