Longtime Pasco councilman, ex-mayor dies

Mike Garrison, who served the city of Pasco and its residents for 28  1/2 years, has died.

Garrison, 72, was the longest actively serving councilman in the Tri-Cities.

He was first elected to the Pasco City Council in November 1987, and during his tenure had been mayor for six years and mayor pro tem for nine.

“Really, he started on Pasco council when things were pretty rough for the city, and he and the council at times made some tough decisions,” said Pasco Mayor Matt Watkins.

He recalled that Garrison was mayor when Watkins was first elected to the council in 2004, and Watkins had to sit at the far end of the dais as the newest member.

Since Watkins became mayor in 2010, the “elder statesman” was seated next to him.

“He’s been the rudder for Pasco council all of these years, and we’re really going to miss him,” Watkins said.

Garrison was a councilman for District 2, which covers a large portion of central Pasco. He was the council representative to boards for Tri-City Development Council, Hanford Communities and Visit Tri-Cities.

He had been absent from the last few council meetings.

City officials said he was recently diagnosed with leukemia and was taken to a Spokane hospital late Tuesday and died overnight. His family reportedly was with him at the hospital.

Garrison and his wife, Beth, were married for more than 30 years. They had three children, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, according to Pasco officials.

After graduating from high school in Atchison, Kan., Garrison served in the Air Force for eight years. He attended Perry Technical Institute in Yakima, graduating from the instrumentation and industrial automation course.

Garrison spent his career in the welding supply and gas distributor business. He used to own A-L Compressed Gases on Oregon Avenue.

Pasco City Manager Dave Zabell said city staff were shocked and saddened to get the news Wednesday from Garrison’s family.

“I’ve only been in the city a couple of years, but Mike is known out there in the state because of his tenure on the Pasco council,” he said. “He was very, very pragmatic; a practical elected official. We’ll miss his presence.”

Rebecca Francik, who was first elected in 1996, was the second longest-serving council member behind Garrison. She said her colleague served the citizens of Pasco for a lot of years very well.

“He was a kind man. I can remember riding with him in his pickup at some parade because whoever was going to transport us hadn’t come,” said Francik, mayor pro tem. “He loved model airplanes and golf and good wine, and he had a real commitment to making government services work for everybody. He believed in fairness and I think he was a very reasoned moderate voice on that council.”

Webster Jackson agreed with Francik, saying Garrison was “one of the most fairest” council members that he can recall during his nearly 35 years with the city.

Jackson retired in 2006 as administrative services director, a position that required him to wear several hats, including city clerk.

“Mike based his decisions upon what he felt was good for the community and he listened to the citizens when they came to the council meetings,” he said. “He was a really good person in that position.”

Jackson said it speaks volumes for Garrison’s reputation that he was re-elected seven times.

“His family is in my family’s sympathies and condolences,” Jackson said. “The family and the citizens of Pasco have experienced a great loss in the loss of Mike.”

Zabell said the city will coordinate a recognition for Garrison in the near future. And information is not yet available on funeral services.

Garrison’s four-year term was to expire in December 2017. Watkins said it’s too soon to talk about how his position would be filled.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we need to,” he said. “This week we grieve.”

This story was originally published July 27, 2016 at 5:12 PM with the headline "Longtime Pasco councilman, ex-mayor dies."