Spokane County commissioners elect leadership, adopt proclamation and approve consent agenda

The Spokane County Board of Commissioners voted on Jan. 6 to elect Mary Cooney as board chair for calendar year 2026 and to name Josh Kearns vice chair, adopted a county proclamation designating January 2026 as Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and approved multiple consent-agenda items.

Commissioner Jordan moved to elect Mary Cooney as chair; the motion was seconded and, after a voice vote, four commissioners signaled “aye” and one participant, identified in the record as Al, announced a recusal. The motion passed with a 4‑0 tally and one recusal. Jordan also moved to elect Josh Kearns as vice chair; that motion was seconded and approved unanimously on a voice vote.

The board heard and adopted a proclamation declaring January 2026 Human Trafficking Prevention Month in Spokane County. A staff member read the proclamation noting trafficking as a public‑health and human‑rights issue; commissioners moved, seconded and approved the proclamation by unanimous voice vote.

Following the leadership elections and proclamation, the board approved items 5a and 5b and items 6a through 6e on the consent agenda after a motion and second. The meeting then recessed to an executive session under RCW 42.30.110(1)(g) for a performance review of a public employee; county staff estimated the session would last about 10 minutes and said no action was anticipated.

No additional detail about the contents of the consent items or executive‑session discussion was provided during the public portion of the meeting.