Scotty and I had the distinct pleasure of Pullman Mayor Glenn Johnson's company today on The PES.
As a Pullman resident, I consider myself very lucky to have Glenn as mayor. His love of this city is obvious and contagious. Most people probably don't know how he often donates his salary as mayor back to the city, such as purchasing a bike for the police department.
He is completely in support of expanding our retail tax base, laying out the case in detail this morning. Pullman only gets about 26% of its revenue from sales taxes. Other cities in Washington are in the fortieth percentile. Also, 55 cents of every dollar spent by the city of Pullman is spent on police and fire services, the basic function of any local government. That doesn't leave a lot for extras.
In addition to being mayor of Pullman, most of you know that Glenn has been the "Voice of the Cougs" during football and basketball season for 26 years now. He shared some great sports stories. I didn't get a chance to share with him my favorite Glenn Johnson story.
He mentioned how he got a chance to travel with the football team to Notre Dame and Arizona a few years back. Well, my wife attended grad school at the University of Arizona in Tucson from 2000-2002 while I stayed here in Pullman and visited once a month or so. That's why on September 29, 2001, I happened to be at Arizona Stadium watching the Cougs play the Wildcats. We were sitting in a surprisingly packed-out visitor's section. Sitting a few rows behind us was Glenn Johnson. Away from the microphone and thus relieved of PAC-10 regulations, Glenn would lustily yell out the forbidden "AND THAT'S ANOTHER...COUGAR.....FIRST DOWN!!!!" to the delight of the assembled fans. The Cougs romped over the 'Cats 48-21 that night on their way to a 10-2 record and a Sun Bowl victory. Next to the 1998 Rose Bowl and the 2002 USC game, that is my favorite Coug moment.
Mayor Johnson did not mention his plans for 2007, but if he runs for reelection, I'll be the first guy in line to help with his campaign.
2 comments:
I tuned in to the interview and it was a good one. We are fortunate to have Glenn Johnson as our mayor. He has wit and he is definitely in touch with the mainstream in Pullman. I am grateful that he has taken the time to serve our city.
Pullman is fortunate to have so many talented people pulling in the same direction, at the same time. We have a great city council, great administration, a wonderful chamber of commerce and many private citizens who are willing to stand up against fear and negativity. This is a defining moment in Pullman's history. The stars are finally aligned right for Pullman.
I will like to the audio of that interview on thepes.com website. Just goto Audio Library and you will see it there. Along with the April Coggins interview two weeks ago!
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