A private-sector group making an aggressive push to effect change in the Spokane area has selected a longtime public-sector executive known for his effective communication style and ability to collaborate as the first leader of the young organization. 

Gavin Cooley, who served as chief financial officer for the city of Spokane under five mayors, started in his new role as CEO of the Spokane Business Association on Aug. 12.

Speaking to the Journal in his first day on the job, he says he's ready for action now.

"There's got to be a sense of urgency. We can't spend the next year or two studying how to resolve these issues," Cooley says, referring to the organization's goals of improving public safety, cleanliness, and economic stability.

Rick Romero, retired utilities director for the city who continues working on regional revitalization efforts through Innovia Foundation, says, "Gavin is really the perfect choice for the position that he's in, because his strength is finding ways to unite people and getting people working toward the same goals rather than against each other."

Romero worked with Cooley for 12 years. He says they had a lot of experience working together to "find win-wins" for citizens.

"He's equally comfortable in a business setting as he is talking to an environmental group and really just about any setting because of his experiences as the CFO for the city," Romero says.

Theresa Sanders, another former colleague from the city of Spokane, says, "I've had the good fortune to work with Gavin for more than a decade and greatly admire his smart, creative, and collaborative approach to solving even the toughest challenges."

Larry Stone, Spokane Business Association board chair, says the organization's board of directors is comprised of people who are committed to seeing Spokane become a better place for businesses and residents. The board's search for an executive leader returned "an enormous number of applications from very good, strong candidates," he says.

Efforts to select the group's first leader were focused on finding a person with the skills to effectively work with city council members, mayors, county commissioners, and other government executives to advance solutions that work for everyone involved.

"We feel very confident in our selection of Gavin Cooley to do just that," says Stone.

Prior to his formal first day, Cooley says he had already met with some of Spokane's elected officials, including Councilwoman Lili Navarrete and Mayor Lisa Brown, to discuss legislative action regarding homelessness.

Addressing homelessness has been a notable point of contention among various business groups, health care entities, and other nonprofits. Cooley says, however, all the invovled entities are typically working toward the same goal of helping those individuals receive what they need to find housing. 

Cooley says he'll call upon his previous experience with the Spokane Regional Collaborative, an advocacy group that had proposed a multijurisdictional authority to provide homeless services in the Spokane area and brought stakeholders together to progress the issue. 

He'll also look to examples from other cities in the U.S., such as Houston. Cooley has invited Houston's mayor to visit Spokane in September to share what worked to drop homelessness there by 90%, he says.

The business association plans to address other Spokane area economic and public safety concerns with a sense of urgency in the first 12 months of operation.

"We could probably go to places right next door, like Boise ... where they've identified a lot of win-wins, where everybody's talking to each other, and they're getting data so they know exactly who the people are experiencing homelessness, where they are, what their needs are, and help to intelligently feed those individuals and families," Cooley says.

"There are cities doing really good work and not only that, they really want to share what they're doing," he adds. "(Former Spokane Mayor) David Condon used to call it R&D, rip off and duplicate," he adds laughing.

In order to accomplish the organization's goals, the Spokane Business Association has specified 14 initiatives it will prioritize, including supporting the enforcement of Proposition 1, the voter-approved measure from November that prohibits camping on public property or within 1,000 feet from the perimeter of a park, child care facility, or a school.

Other priorities for the association include cleaning up downtown, increasing the police force, addressing Community Court backlogs and rapid release, combatting open drug use, small crimes, and graffiti, and code enforcement. Additionally, the association will revisit options for a new corrections facility, the relocation of the Spokane Transit Authority's downtown plaza, promote affordable housing, oppose rent control, and advocate for businesses throughout the entire city.

"Prop. 1 runs through Community Court. For instance, we could sit down and understand very quickly what the backlogs are in community court," Cooley says. "We can make big differences supporting the Downtown Spokane Partnership and others that are working on graffiti issues and small crimes. And we have a new police chief coming in with a lot of energy, and the mayor is feeling very collaborative on that."

There will be some overlap with other entities such as the Downtown Spokane Partnership and Greater Spokane Incorporated, he says, but the Spokane Business Association doesn't intend to be in competition with their interests.

"The goal in front of us is how do we create partnership relationships between all the folks and organizations we need to get the outcomes that the Spokane Business Association is really going to demand?" Cooley says.

Business membership will be another key to progress, he adds.

Stone says Cooley has a good reputation and is well-known in government circles and in business as an intelligent collaborator.

Romero concurs and says he looks forward to working with Cooley on future initiatives.

"He's not just a co-worker, he's a good friend, and a good human being," Romero says. "He's one of those people that can come from the heart and he can come from the brain at the same time."

He adds, "That's what we need, whether it's on the business side or on the public health side or on the housing side, in order to achieve any success here."