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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Geraghty, Brewer Thanked For Years Of Public Service Council Colleagues, Friends Lace Farewell With Humor

The farewell tribute to outgoing Spokane Mayor Jack Geraghty and Councilman Mike Brewer had a bit of everything: wine and song, toasts and roasts, poetry and proclamations.

On Tuesday, nearly 250 people gathered at Cavanaugh’s Inn at the Park to say goodbye to the two men who won’t be lighting up the vote tally board in the council chambers anymore.

With a sweet little song sung to the tune of “Bicycle Built for Two,” council members Jeff Colliton, Phyllis Holmes, Roberta Greene, Cherie Rodgers and Orville Barnes bid adieu to their departing colleagues.

“You can’t help us make a quorum, but you can join the forum and heckle us … and we’ll call you the gang of two,” they sang - occasionally off-key - to a laughing crowd.

Brewer decided not to seek reelection after two terms. Geraghty lost his bid for a second term to John Talbott, who won by 433 votes.

Colliton summed up Geraghty’s and Brewer’s most recent council history, saying the two - along with their colleagues - “settled with the Gypsies, bought a restaurant … borrowed money to fix the streets and started a slight controversy over how to pay for the Lincoln and Monroe Street bridges.”

“The only problem is, we can’t afford to pay for anything,” Colliton said with a grin, adding he’d be soliciting donations from the crowd.

Colliton praised both men for a combined 70 years of public service. Before becoming mayor, Geraghty served as a county commissioner, helped launch Expo ‘74 and worked as a reporter for the Spokane Chronicle.

Brewer served 11 years on the Plan Commission before running for the council. Once there, he served as a board member for the Spokane Transit Authority, the Public Works committee and the Spokane County Health District.

Brewer’s community service extends so far back, Colliton said, “the reason Mike wants to change the city’s name to Spokane Falls is he started when the city was the city of Spokane Falls.”

Attorney Mike Geraghty said he’d intended to roast his older brother, but decided against it.

“Half the voters plus 430 have already roasted you … I thought I’d be a little more gracious,” he said.

The council gave each man a memory board, a collection of photos and remembrances from their years in public life.

Geraghty’s included an Expo ‘74 admission ticket and a photo of Geraghty as a grinning, dark-haired youngster, fresh from his first political victory as a student body officer at North Central High School.

Brewer’s included his election buttons, photos of his cherished lake property, and train and transit memorabilia.

While Brewer kept his farewell speech brief - he thanked his family for their support - Geraghty offered a summary of his more memorable moments in office.

He mentioned his stint on David Letterman, where he quoted a made-up motto for Spokane, and Letterman said he looked a lot like Phil Donahue.

He noted the speech he gave the morning after the ice storm began when he said he’d taken a “Viking shower,” a quote that later landed him in the New York Times.

He talked seriously about his last campaign, which he described as a difficult experience for everyone involved.

And when he thanked his supporters and friends, they rose to their feet and applauded him.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo