Resident upset by Pasco’s fluoride vote protested with this catchy tune
David Cohoe strolled up to the podium at a Pasco City Council meeting this month, carrying a banjo and a music stand.
“I was told you’ve never had a musical public comment,” he said to the council.
He went on to sing a catchy song in protest of the council’s vote to stop fluoridation of the city’s water. It was in the tune of the classic folk ditty, “She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain When She Comes.”
Cohoe is a retired military veteran from Eastern Oregon and lives in Pasco.
He told the Tri-City Herald that he’s critical of the council for its “lack of accountability” and “lack of clear decision-making” on the fluoride issue.
Fluoride vote
After more than 25 years of adding fluoride to its city water system, the Pasco council voted Nov. 17 to halt the practice.
The decision came despite opposition from hundreds of citizens and dental professionals who wanted fluoridation to continue.
Initially, the council voted to put the issue on the ballot next year, but that ended in a 3-3 tie because the council was down a member. In the end, the vote was 4-2.
Mayor David Milne, Mayor Pro-Tem Charles Grimm and councilmen Joe Cotta and Leo Perales voted to stop adding fluoride.
Councilwomen Blanche Barajas and Melissa Blasdel wanted to continue adding it.
A song with teeth
Cohoe wanted to make his protest message more accessible, so he wrote a song. He worked on it over a few days.
In it, he makes some arguments for why stopping fluoridation may be harmful. His lyrics reference that the number of children’s cavities would increase and tooth pain would lead to more school absences.
It also criticizes some of the council’s decision-making based on “fringe” scientific studies. Cohoe feels the council members who voted to remove fluoride disregarded decades of scientific evidence and didn’t consider the impact of the vote on children, low income families and people of color in Pasco.
There’s a growing debate about whether the benefits of continuing to add fluoride to water supplies outweighs its risks.
Before making his vote, Cotta referenced a federal court ruling in September 2024 that showed a potential risk from fluoride to children’s IQ.
Cohoe still wants to know how the council weighed “decades of research versus emerging studies.”
He emailed Cotta, who represents District 4, on Nov. 18 to ask him about his vote to remove fluoride.
In emails obtained by the Herald, Cotta referred to the city’s public survey and wrote “there was not an overwhelming amount of comments in favor of keeping fluoride, it was more of a 50-50 split.”
The results of the city’s survey show more than half of 2,100 participants supported keeping fluoride in the water supply.
A majority of those who responded, or about 52%, favored keeping fluoride. About 49% supported removing it.
Ultimately, Cohoe hopes the council will reconsider its decision.
He has been contacted by public health professionals and dentists in the area who have heard the song and want to share it.
