Really, I was surprised, nay,
shocked when the city legislative staff from Seattle actually acted
as if they wanted to learn something from Bremerton. I thought
Mayor Bozeman’s invitation to address the lunch crowd might be
feigning interest in the local. Get the people eating, let somebody
talk while they’re doing it and it is a nice gesture.
Even when Jean Godden said she thought they might learn something
from the mayor, I wasn’t convinced it was sincere.
Then Tom Rasmussen seemed genuinely impressed with the housing
authority’s renewal efforts and I became a believer that they
really were here to learn.
To be fair, not everyone stuck around and I’m sure many of those
who did were doing it out of obligation. Nonetheless, there was a
real show that among the 70 or so attending the event there were a
fair number taking a real interest in what Bozeman was saying.
For one, he’s an energetic presenter. One attendee said it was
quite “the sales pitch.” But there was real interest in how the
projects were funded and a genuine sense that the Seattle folks
were going to take something back and create some changes
there.
Now who would have thought that?
The Bremerton Beat If it's about Bremerton and happening now, it's on the Beat. Written by the Sun's Josh Farley.
Jean Godden’s one of my female journalist heroes. For years, I enjoyed her column, and her writing style was entertaining and unpretentious.