Friends and Neighbors,
I want to thank everyone who took the time to attend our 3rd Legislative District Town Hall at Spokane Community College last week. I always appreciate the opportunity to hear directly from constituents and hear your ideas about how we can make life in Spokane better for everyone. I’ll be sure to share details as we plan more in-person events this summer.
Out and About
With the legislative session all wrapped for 2026, I have had the opportunity to connect with a variety of people in the Spokane community. In addition to big community events, here is a snapshot of other events I have attended over the last few weeks:
Plantes Ferry Sports Complex
This week I joined with other county leaders to celebrate the new turf and lighted fields at the Plantes Ferry Sports Complex. This will be a place where our young people can recreate, learn and thrive! It was great to work with the community and Spokane County leaders to secure around $1 million dollars to help make Phase 1 of this dream a reality! Read more about the project in this Spokesman-Review article.
GSI Legislative Wrap-up
I had the opportunity to join the Greater Spokane Incorporated legislative wrap up with three of my legislative colleagues from the region. Topics ranged from business taxation to the waste to energy plant. We also had the opportunity to report back on a number of community investments. GSI is the Spokane region’s business development organization, and I always appreciate a chance to engage with leaders who are focused on the health of our local economy and making our local business community stronger.
Downtown Rotary
Spokane’s Downtown Rotary Club is all about providing service above self to make the Spokane community and world a better place. Thank you for inviting me to present and take questions from dedicated civic leaders and volunteers!
Meeting with Whitworth students
I had an opportunity to talk with physical therapy students from Whitworth and hear about a group project tracking existing legislation or advocating for new policy. Students advocated for expanding transportation for para-athletes, expanding outdoor programming to include cross country, and increasing reimbursement for pediatric rehabilitation services. It is always inspiring to meet students dedicated to improving higher education in our community.
YMCA Youth Legislature
The YMCA Youth & Government program is such a great experience for Spokane’s young people to learn about citizen responsibility, problem solving and communication skills. The future of our community and world will be in their hands one day. My fantastic staff took some time to show them around the capitol. Many years ago, I had the opportunity to advise a Spokane YMCA Youth Legislature Delegation many years ago and see the hard work they do in the program firsthand!
Art Salvage
This week I had the chance to stop by Art Salvage, a nonprofit Creative Reuse Center that supports the circular economy in the Inland Northwest by diverting usable materials from the waste stream and getting materials into the hands of artists. I was proud to help the organization recently secure a grant from the state Department of Commerce to continue the good work they do in our community.
Thanks for taking the time to read my newsletter. Follow me on Facebook and Instagram for more updates and please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at Marcus.Riccelli@leg.wa.gov.
It is an honor to serve you!
Sen. Marcus Riccelli
