It’s taken a while to get there, but Greater Spokane Incorporated and the Downtown Spokane Partnership appear to be in a good place, each organization now being led by a former Spokane County commissioner with deep-reaching local roots.

Todd Mielke became president and CEO of GSI on Feb. 1, stepping down from his commissioner’s seat after 11 years. GSI is Spokane’s combined chamber of commerce and economic development council.

Meanwhile, Mark Richard took over as executive director of DSP on Jan. 7, 2013, just days after his second term as county commissioner ended. DSP oversees the Business Improvement District, which includes about hundreds of business and property owners in an 80-block area, as well as the neighboring U District, and provides other services in the city’s core.

Along with both men having served as county commissioners, where they honed their decision-making skills, they are similar in age and have long shared similar common sense, pro-business political inclinations. There are other interesting parallels, as well, in how they arrived at their current high-visibility positions representing business and civic interests here.

Both took over organizations that had been ably served by popular executives—Rich Hadley at GSI and Marty Dickinson at DSP—followed by short-term successors—Steve Stevens and Mike Tedesco, respectively—who came to Spokane from out of state and simply didn’t last.

Stevens, as many Journal readers are well aware, moved back to Kentucky after serving as GSI’s top executive for less than a year and a half, from July 2014 to last fall. Meanwhile, the DSP board fired Tedesco, who came to Spokane from Colorado, in the fall of 2012 after he’d served in the position for just under a year.

The backgrounds of Mielke and Richard and the leadership they’ve shown in their respective positions thus far—though Mielke still obviously is just settling in to his new responsibilities—provide reason to believe that they’ll bring renewed management stability to those organizations.

Both are Spokane-area natives and were able to hit the ground running in their new positions because of their familiarity with the area, their deep-felt desires to see it prosper, and the many business, professional, and political connections they’ve established over the years. 

In Mielke’s case, his founding of a couple of small businesses of his own and his past experience as a state legislator give him unique insights and political skills that should serve him well. Also, his even temperament seem well-suited to setting an example for and managing the hard-working staff he’ll lead. I fully expect to see him bring positive new energy and focus to GSI.

Richard has brought a similar progressive mindset and experience base to DSP, shaped in part—no doubt—by years he spent as government affairs director jointly serving the Spokane Home Builders Association and the Spokane Association of Realtors before running successfully for county commissioner.

It will be interesting to see how the two men imprint their skills and leadership styles on these two important organizations in the years to come.