Even with one out of three of the Salt Lake County commissioners out of town, the commissioner head count totaled 11 during a special presentation at the Wednesday commission meeting.
Nine former commissioners joined commissioners Bart Barker and Tom Shimizu during an event that was part of Local Government Day - which was part of County Government Week, a public relations effort by the county designed to better acquaint county residents with the form and function of county government.The gathering of former commissioners was a first, and the collecting of their biographies after serving the county will become an important part of county history, Barker said, adding that a reporter tried to get a list of all of the former commissioners several years ago and was unable to because no one in the county had kept track.
Shimizu said the former commissioners are the mentors for current commissioners. "Because of the good work you've done and the direction you've given Salt Lake County, our job is easier today."
Barker said a plaque would be made for display in the government center that will have not only the names of all former commissioners, but the names of other elected county officers as well: the auditor, treasurer, sheriff, attorney, recorder and surveyor.
But the reunion story doesn't end there. Nine of 11 former commissioners showed up at the meeting, and each was given an opportunity to make a short speech.
John Hiskey, a Democrat appointed to the commission for five months after Dave Watson resigned in 1988: "My brief time in the county is one of my most memorable. Indeed this is a very dynamic county. It's a county with a tremendous future."
William E. Dunn, Republican commissioner from 1971 to 1981: "It was eight years ago that I left the county commission. But seems like just yesterday."
William L. Hutchinson, a Republican commissioner from 1977 to 1980: "There are some good times and some bad times, but county government seems to survive and go forward." Hutchinson also plugged his travel business: "Our company has been listed with your purchasing department, but we have not been contacted for any travel," he said. "If anybody needs some good travel arrangements, let me know."
Pete Kutulas, Democratic commissioner from 1972 to 1978, said the most humorous experience he had was trying to explain double taxation to his mother after raising her taxes.
Ralph Y. McClure, Democratic commissioner from 1971 to 1976: "It was indeed a period of time I will never forget." He apologized for not wearing the bright yellow suit that once prompted a reporter to ask "Where does a 200-pound canary sit?" to which he quipped, "Anywhere he wants."
John Preston Creer, Democratic commissioner in 1965 and 1966, said he rode in the ambulance with the first patient transferred from the old county general hospital at 2100 South State, later used as county office space, to the new University Hospital.
Marvin G. Jenson, Democratic commissioner from 1963 to 1968, joked that he brought boxer Gene Fullmer with him every time there was a serious hearing. He added that the two Republicans on the commission would routinely steal a picture of Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson and hide it every morning.
"I put a note on it saying, `Keep your dirty hands off,' and one of the newspapers took a picture of it and sent it to the president. I got a great letter back from him thanking me for taking care of his image."
W.G. "Bill" Larson, Democratic commissioner from 1959 to 1963 and again from 1965 to 1969, said the Wednesday meeting was a happy reunion because he hadn't seen one of his counterparts on the commission, Lamont B. Gundersen, for 25 years.
"There were quite a few characters around here in my day - I was one of them, I guess. But we got a lot of work done."
Lamont B. Gundersen, Republican commissioner from 1952 to 1960, had the earliest service on the commission of those attending Wednesday. Back in 1952, the county initiated a program to install sewer systems in the county at the insistence of the Federal Housing Administration.
"We got the sewer in the ground and operating in two years."