The bicycle advisory board has nine members appointed by the city council according to the procedures of Section 4.01.030.
Members of the board are appointed to three-year terms with initial terms being either one, two, or three years, selected on a random-draw basis. No member may serve more than two consecutive full, three-year terms.
Current member term data is here.
Interested in joining the BAB? Go here.
Members
Bill Bender is a neurologist, Chair of the Ethics committee at Deaconess Medical Center, and Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington. He has been a regular bike commuter for the past 24 years in Spokane, previously doing so in Los Angeles and Chicago. Eighteen years ago he started “The Morning Ride”, a group who meets before work to get a good workout ride and fend off middle age. His family knows that biking is good for whatever ails you, physically or spiritually. Bill would like to share that experience with as many Spokanites as possible. He wishes for people of all ages to see biking in Spokane as an attractive and safe means of transportation and exercise.
Bradley Bleck is an avid bicyclist, commuting as much as family circumstances allow and enjoying long and short road rides by himself or with his wife and son. He rides for recreation and exercise on road and off, solo and with his son on a tandem, having long ago given up a short and lackluster career as a competitive cyclist. As a commuter and recreational cyclist, and the fourth generation of his family to make Spokane home (despite being raised in Seattle), he is committed to making bicycling in Spokane and the surrounding environs a safer and more enjoyable experience for cyclists of all levels and desires, whether it be a quick trip to the store, a family ride to the park or on a trail, a training ride with friends or a commute to work.
Sam Compogno grew up in Spokane, is a graduate of Rogers HS, and graduated from EWU in 1974 with a BA. in Ed. and a major in Elementary Physical Education. I taught Elementary P.E. for 8 yrs. in Boise, Idaho and I am currently in my 25th yr. as an Elementary Fitness, Health, and P.E. Specialist for the Spokane Public Schools. I have also coached a wide variety of sports at the elementary level in both the intramural and interschool sports programs. I was also the co-meet director for several years for both the All City Cross Country Meets and the All City Track Meets for the Spokane Public Schools. For the past several years I have taught a bicycle safety course to the fourth grade classes at my school. I consider it the most important safety and lifetime activity class I teach my students. I was an adjunct faculty member at Whitworth College in the Kinesiology Department and taught the Elementary P.E. and Health Methods class for about 10 yrs. My wife of 32 yrs. and I have four grown children who are as physically active as we are. We enjoy a variety of outdoor sports and activities because of the four seasons we have in Spokane. We have always enjoyed biking in the Spokane area because it is something we could do as a family and as a couple. There are also a multitude of places you can ride in and around Spokane to get away from the crowd and enjoy the beauty of the Spokane area.
Amy Cowin is our student BAB member. Here's what she has to say about herself: "I'm 16, a junior at Rogers. I do track in the spring, I am the secretary of the Class of 2009, and I am a DECA member, oh! And I made it to state for DECA competition which takes place in March. I'm proud of that."
Cindy Green is a program manager in Health Promotion at the Spokane Regional Health District. She and her husband first came to Spokane 15 years ago by bicycle. They were on a 3,600 mile bike trip in the west looking for a new pace to live. Having flown from Washington, DC to Seattle to start the trip, they traveled by tandem bicycle with a one wheel trailer for 2.5 months. They chose Spokane over other western towns because of its four seasons, great road riding, friendly people, housing prices, and the ability to get jobs. Cindy received her Masters in Public Health from the University of Michigan. She bike commutes and is a strong supporter of getting more people on bikes more of the time for recreation and transportation.
Bob Lutz, Chair, is an urgent care physician for Empire Health Services. He received his Master's in Public Health from the University of Arizona. Since moving to Spokane in 2004, he has become actively involved in health promotion efforts, to include co-chairing a sub-committee for SRHD's Healthy Family Active Kids; serving on the Advisory Board for Spokane Public Schools in the formation of their Health and Wellness Policy; and serving as the incoming Chair of the Inland Northwest Business Council on Health thru the Chamber of Commerce. He is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing at Gonzaga University. He and his wife, Amy, are recreational athletes who enjoy the outdoors and the four season-opportunities available in the Inland Northwest.
Kurt Niven, Secretary, is the Electrical Department Manager with Coffman Engineers. He has served on the Spokane Bicycle Advisory Board as Secretary for one year. He has been a regular bicycle commuter in Spokane for 8 years and previously in Los Angeles for 5 years. He is an enthusiastic recreational cyclist who has participated in numerous triathlons and century bicycle rides; has completed six single-day double century rides, and has extensively bicycle toured across Washington, the Canadian Rockies, the Oregon Coast, Upper Michigan, and the C & O Canal Trail. He is a member of numerous Bicycle Advocacy groups and a member of the Five Mile Prairie Neighborhood Association.
Jerry O'Neal is a professor of anthropology at Spokane Falls Community College and has been a resident of Spokane for almost 40 years. He has been an active member in the community, to include serving as the President of the Bloomsday Board and remaining a Board member. He is an avid recreational cyclist and a strong advocate for increasing opportunities for cycling throughout the inland NW.
John Speare grew up in Spokane, riding his BMX bicycle, then "10 speed," all over the city. John is a graduate of Lewis and Clark High School and EWU. After college, John moved to Seattle where he worked in the software industry. Although he loved the mountains and the greenery of the west side, John could never shake the fondness he felt for the city of Spokane and rugged beauty and the distinct seasons of the inland northwest. Today, John still works in software from his basement of his south hill home. His favorite past time is cycling all over the city with his wife and 5-year-old daughter and exploring every dirt road within Spokane county on his "10 speed."