Safe Water Spokane
Statement on Sept. 14 2020 City Council Fluoridation Votes
On September 14, the Spokane city council voted on two proposals. One was an emergency ordinance to require water fluoridation. The other was to sign an agreement with the ARCORA foundation, a branch of insurance company Delta Dental, accepting up to $3 million that will start exploring the costs and engineering of the project.
In a 7-0 vote in an afternoon session, the city council indefinitely tabled the ordinance mandating fluoridation. This was a partial victory for the hundreds of citizens who raised their voice in opposition to the ordinance, and it has slowed down the implementation.
But in its evening session, council voted 6-1 to sign the agreement with ARCORA, setting the wheels in motion to begin the process of constructing the injection infrastructure.
The ARCORA agreement, while not requiring fluoridation, is most assuredly a slippery slope toward that end. If the city decides not to proceed with fluoridation at any step in the four-year process toward implementation, it would be obligated to pay ARCORA back the money it “donated.”
The council must bring back the ordinance requiring fluoridation within four years, most likely once it’s spent some or all of the $6 million in start-up costs. That would potentially require councilors to choose between approving fluoridation or throwing away millions of dollars at the expense of ratepayers.
Moreover, the city couldn’t even issue a press release on any aspect of fluoridation without ARCORA’s agreement, essentially giving Delta Dental veto power over what the city could say. This is outrageous, ceding Spokane’s sovereignty to a private corporation.
The process leading up to the vote has been devoid of transparency and proper community notification. Council president Breann Beggs, who led the process:
Held two study sessions featuring fluoridation advocates, but repeatedly refused to hold even one for Safe Water Spokane to make our scientific, medical and ethical arguments opposing the practice. In response, Safe Water Spokane hosted their own forum that you can view at view here.
Didn’t make the final provisions of the ARCORA agreement public until hours before the city council vote September 14.
Linked “City Council Fluoridation Facts & FAQ,” on the city’s website to the pro-fluoridation American Dental Association’s statement, a flagrant misrepresentation.
Used the city website to provide pro-fluoridation Smile Spokane campaign responses to questions from Councilor Cathcart, but did not post Safe Water Spokane’s responses to those same questions.
This obvious bias is an affront to both science and democracy. Safe Water Spokane pledges that it will do everything in its power – which is growing every day – to stop fluoridation in our city.