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Nadine Woodward

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Nadine Woodward
Woodward anchoring KXLY-TV news
47th Mayor of Spokane
In office
December 30, 2019 – December 31, 2023
Preceded byDavid Condon
Succeeded byLisa Brown
Personal details
Born (1962-01-27) January 27, 1962 (age 62)
Vancouver, Washington, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationUniversity of Portland (Bachelor's degree)

Nadine Woodward (born January 27, 1962) is an American politician who served as the mayor of Spokane, Washington from December 30, 2019 to January 1, 2024. She succeeded David Condon in December 2019. Prior to her election, Woodward worked as a news anchor.[1][2] Woodward lost her bid for reelection in 2023 and was succeeded by former Washington State Department of Commerce Director Lisa Brown.[3]

Early life and education

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Raised in Vancouver, Washington, Woodward graduated from Hudson's Bay High School in 1980[4] before attending the University of Portland, graduating in 1985 with a Bachelor's degree in Communications Management.

Career

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After working at television stations in Idaho, Woodward moved to Spokane, Washington in 1990, where she worked for KREM and KXLY-TV.[5][6]

Woodward's campaign for mayor was initially managed by Eleanor Baumgartner, wife of Republican politician Michael Baumgartner, and supported by incumbent mayor David Condon. Despite being nonpartisan, Woodward was supported by a number of Republican-leaning groups, and she stated her opposition to Hillary Clinton in the 2016 United States presidential election.[7][8]

On August 20, 2023, during her reelection campaign and after the primary election for the 2023 Spokane mayoral election, Woodward appeared on stage alongside Sean Feucht and former state representative Matt Shea at a Christian nationalist prayer event[9] hosted at The Podium in downtown Spokane, which was part of Feucht's national tour of the United States.[10][11] Woodward prayed alongside Feucht and Shea, and was prayed for while on stage by Feucht and Shea, which led to nationwide coverage[12] as Feucht is a self-described Christian nationalist who has been criticized for anti-LGBT rhetoric[9] and Shea is controversial far-right figure who was expelled from the state Republican Party after an independent investigation found him to have been engaged in domestic terrorism.[13][9] Woodward subsequently claimed she was unaware of who Feucht was prior to the event, and that she did not know Shea would be involved in the event.[14] The fallout from Woodward's appearance at the event led to calls for her resignation[14] and a push for censure from members of the Spokane City Council.[15] On September 8, Woodward gave an interview to KHQ-TV in which she stated her intention to "get ahead of [the controversy]" in which she denied knowing Shea would be part of the event and stated she did not previously know who Feucht was. Woodward stated she attended the event to pray for those affected by wildfires like the Oregon Road and Gray Fire which had been burning around Spokane County at the time.[14]

During her time as mayor, Woodward was an advocate for increased housing supply in Spokane. In 2021, she stated that Spokane was in a housing emergency. In 2022, she supported to relax zoning regulations in Spokane on an interim basis, permitting duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes and townhomes in all residential zones of Spokane. In 2023, she supported legislation to permanently allow up to six units per lot in residential areas, as well as allow nonresidential businesses (such as grocery stores) and facilities (such as schools and churches) in residential areas.[16]

Woodward lost her bid for re-election in the 2023 Spokane mayoral election and officially conceded on November 13, 2023.[17]

On July 19, 2024, Woodward filed a lawsuit against the city of Spokane seeking upwards of $1.4 million in damages, claiming that the Spokane City Council interfered in the 2023 mayoral election and violated her right to free speech by passing a resolution condemning her for her appearance on stage with Feucht and Shea.[18]

References

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  1. ^ Deshais, Nicholas; Hill, Kip; Shanks, Adam (November 6, 2019). "Woodward claims victory in race for mayor". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  2. ^ Robinson, Erin (2019-11-06). "'It's about people who want change': Nadine Woodward to be Spokane's next mayor". KXLY. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  3. ^ Corrin, Noah (2023-11-10). "Lisa Brown beats Nadine Woodward to become mayor of Spokane". KHQ. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  4. ^ "Ben Stuckart and Nadine Woodward on the issues" The Spokesman-Review, October 18, 2019
  5. ^ Shanks, Adam. "Spokane's Next Mayor". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  6. ^ "Woodward claims victory in race for mayor | The Spokesman-Review". www.spokesman.com. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  7. ^ Walters, Daniel. "Mayoral candidates Ben Stuckart and Nadine Woodward both critique Mayor Condon's record — but from opposite ends of the political spectrum". Inlander. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
  8. ^ Walters, Daniel. "Nadine Woodward is running for mayor on a platform of 'Spokane Solutions,' but doesn't yet have any". Inlander. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
  9. ^ a b c "Spokane City Council formally denounces Mayor Woodward for appearance at Christian Nationalist event". www.krem.com. September 25, 2023. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  10. ^ Hedge, Aaron (18 August 2023). "Political Pastors: Christian nationalism comes home". Range. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  11. ^ Hollingsworth, Brandon (21 August 2023). "Woodward distances herself from controversial pastor after Sunday prayer event". Spokane Public Radio. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  12. ^ Jenkins, Jack (24 August 2023). "Sean Feucht event sparks political controversy in Eastern Washington". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  13. ^ Camden, Jim (19 December 2019). "Rep. Matt Shea expelled from GOP caucus after investigation finds he engaged in domestic terrorism". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  14. ^ a b c Owsley, Sean (8 September 2023). "Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward addresses Matt Shea controversy". KHQ. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  15. ^ White, Rebecca (10 September 2023). "Spokane City Council members propose censuring mayor for appearance with Matt Shea". Spokane Public Radio. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  16. ^ "Spokane permanently relaxes regulations allowing more multiplexes and development flexibility". The Spokesman-Review. 2023.
  17. ^ "Woodward concedes, Brown to become Spokane's 46th mayor". Spokane Public Radio. 2023-11-14. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  18. ^ Sullender, Amanda (19 July 2024). "Woodward files claim against Spokane alleging council condemnation over appearance with Sean Feucht, Matt Shea violated her rights". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 20 July 2024.


Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Spokane, Washington
2019–2023 		Succeeded by
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