New member

Whether it’s the New Testament in Greek, the city’s matrix of land-use rules or the ins and outs of a political campaign, Councilman-elect Bill Gothmann will tell you he’s always in the process of learning something. Voters last week determined that city leadership will be one of Gothmann’s next lessons as unofficial election results list him as the new face on Spokane Valley’s second City Council.

“It ought to be a real challenge,” he said.

Grabbing a burger at Zip’s before running across East Sprague for a planning commission meeting, Gothmann listed what most of the candidates said would be the biggest challenge for the council in the coming years – putting in place the city’s Comprehensive Plan.

“What an exciting thing to be a part of,” he said, describing the goals and policies that will guide the city’s development over the next 20 years.

As a Planning Commission member and its first chairman, he’s already spent countless hours refining the Comprehensive Plan and sitting council members have said they are excited to have his expertise as they go through the plan in coming months.

Although he is no stranger to city business, as a first-time politician Gothmann isn’t quite as recognizable of those already on the council.

“If you look at my office, you’ll get a good idea of who I am,” he said at his home in the Ponderosa neighborhood.

There is a picture of the airplane he built next to a bumper sticker that reads “God is my pilot, I’m only the co-pilot.”

There is a signed picture of George and Laura Bush on one wall, and a white board filled with appointments in blue marker on another.

On the book shelf, thick binders of Planning Commission documents sit beside antique math textbooks. He also has copies of his work: two textbooks on electronics, one on electronics math and a book he published himself two years ago called “Discovering Christ’s Church.”

One of his newer hobbies is studying early Christian texts in ancient Greek, although he never formally studied the language during his nine years of higher education.

“I learned Greek kind of on my own,” he said.

His desk is clean. Above it, framed degrees and certificates take up a good portion of the wall.

In 1962, he earned a bachelor of science degree from Gonzaga University in electrical engineering.

To get a job in that field at the time, though, his options were limited in his hometown of Spokane.

“You had to go with Washington Water Power or that’s it,” he said.

So he and his wife, Myrna, lived in Seattle, Las Vegas, Sacramento and Massachusetts where Bill worked on projects ranging from high-speed photography to one of the earliest desktop computers.

In the early 1960s he was even granted Department of Defense “top secret” clearance. He’s worked on Minutemen nuclear missile systems and on a nuclear rocket engine that was intentionally melted down to see what would happen if it exploded on the launch pad.

Back in Spokane, Gothmann earned a master of arts in teaching at Whitworth College in 1972. Three years after that, he completed all of the work but the thesis required for a master of electrical engineering at the University of Idaho, choosing instead to write an electronics textbook.

“I think he’s a good problem solver,” said Mick Brzoska. He is an associate dean at Eastern Washington University, where Gothmann was an associate professor of technology for nine years and a department chair for two.

Gothmann was well organized and had a way of getting to the point at meetings, said Brzoska, who thinks he will be a good addition to the council.

In a picture he is particularly proud of, Bill and Myrna Gothmann stand beside each other in cap and gown after he received a master’s in business administration on the same day she received her master’s in teaching from Eastern Washington University in 1984.

Myrna Gothmann taught in Central Valley School District for 19 years.

Two photographs of her sit on the base of a desk lamp in the office. One is fairly recent and the other is a high school yearbook photo taken around the time they met.

“I have the best wife. This woman has allowed me to do so many things … like running for office, for example,” he said.

In their more than 30 years in Spokane Valley, the Gothmanns raised three children, and they currently baby-sit their twin granddaughters during the week.

He and Myrna built their own house, and Gothmann that helping people preserve the investment they have made in their homes is one of his primary concerns.

Some of the credit for a neighborhood chapter in the Comprehensive Plan belongs to him, and preserving neighborhood character was one of the key talking points of his campaign.

However Gothmann goes about his legislative goals, he’s likely to find receptive audience among his fellow councilmen.

“He analyzes very well and he gets along with people; and he can lead, direct and, follow,” said Councilman Gary Schimmels. “He’s an all-around good head.”

Schimmels, Councilman Steve Taylor and Councilman Dick Denenny all gave money to Gothmann’s campaign.

“He brings an engineer’s approach to things, which is thoroughness,” said Councilman Rich Munson, who was listed among those who endorsed Gothmann during the campaign.

Outgoing Position 6 Councilman Mike Flanigan said that one of the best parts of his council experience was the friendship the group maintained, even after legislative disagreements. He was also enthusiastic in his support of Gothmann’s new tenure in politics.

“I think Bill will fit in without any problems whatsoever,” Flanigan said.