20 Questions With… Mayor Andy Morin

 

It didn’t take long to realize that the mayor is one busy guy! Andy Morin’s been in the mayor’s seat for a few months now, and it’s probably one of the most disrespected and unloved jobs in the world. We’re willing to bet for every 1 “atta boy” note to the mayor’s office, he gets 100 complaints about potholes or traffic signals. All this on top of his day job! With all this, he took the time to answer our hard hitting questions we’re known for.

1. Why did you decide to run for city council?
The short answer is my interest in preserving and enhancing the quality of life in Folsom. I had lived in Folsom since 1987, my wife since 1966, and in the late 1990’s as my kids reached school age I found myself becoming more involved in city and school issues. I ran unsuccessfully for school board in 2000. I then served on the planning commission for 2 years and chaired the Measure C school bond campaign in March 2002 before running for city council in November of 2002. 
Editor’s note: that’s the short answer?

2. What do you do in your free time?
Golfing, biking, jogging, snow skiing, boating, barbequing, helping with my kids scout troop, watching the Kings, college basketball, college football and listening to my wife.

3. Little-known fact about Folsom that most residents probably don’t know?
In the early 1960’s, traffic across Rainbow Bridge was worse than today during commute hours when Aerojet had nearly 20000 employees.

4. What’s the closest you’ve ever come to death?
A near fall when I was free climbing in the Trinity Alps in Northern California in the mid 1980’s.


#7 )


#10 )

5. What’s a type of store you’d like to see when the railroad block on Sutter Street is in?
A hobby store with rockets, trains and all sorts of remote control stuff.

6. How has city council life changed you (personally)? 
I don’t take comments and emotions personally when dealing with heated topics. 

7. What’s your guilty pleasure?
Coors Light.

8. If you had to move out of California, where would you move?
I’ll never leave Folsom but if I had no choice, I may give Canada a try since my Dad is Canadian and I have family up there.

9. How much time does it take out of your life to be mayor?
2 to 5 hours a day which hopefully helps explain why I didn’t get these answers to John many months ago!

10. Celebrity you think you most resemble?
I don’t know, Ingemar Stenmark the Swedish alpine skier of the ‘70s and ‘80s?

11. Favorite restaurant in Folsom (why)?
The Red Robin on Riley Street. Sports on TV’s, good, prompt service, food and drink and a small arcade.

12. What’s in your cd player right now?
The best of Queen, with Aerosmith, Def Leppard, Simon and Garfunkel, and Billy Joel nearby.

13. What’s the biggest “sore spot” at city hall (touchy subject)?
Working with our employees to manage our health care costs. It is a difficult issue because the unending escalation of health care costs hurts employees and employers. The employees of the City of Folsom are helping make this a manageable challenge. 

14. Why is it taking so long to get an In-N-Out in Folsom???
The proposed location is the parcel below Costco between Old Placerville Road, US 50 and East Bidwell. The city actually owns about an acre of the property and negotiations between the owner of the rest and Folsom are taking some time.

15. Where do you see Folsom in 20, 50 years?
A carefully growing, fiercely independent community preserving its history, quality of life and vitality. Population now is 60000, in 2025 maybe 100000 and I don’t have a guess for 2055.


This Queen? (#12)



#14 )


#16)

16. 3 website you would like everyone to know about?
Our new Folsom website, www.folsom.ca.us, the California-Nevada River Forecast Center(all things weather and water) site at my work, www.cnrfc.noaa.gov and of course right here at www.myfolsom.com(What a suckup! It worked though.) 

17. If you could change one thing about Folsom what would it be?
That more residents were informed and involved in the City of Folsom.

18. What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you?
When I was about 12 in Ohio where I grew up, I was golfing with my brother and some friends at a makeshift course at an elementary school down the street. I tried hitting my shot over the building and blew it right into a classroom window during parent teacher conferences. As I stammered and stuttered with the teacher, my Dad, a teacher in another classroom arrived. He told me later it wasn’t the broken window that disappointed him but the poor golf shot.

19. What made you move here initially (or did you grow up here)?
My wife and her family. I met my wife on a blind date here in Folsom at the Lake Bowl in 1985. She has lived here since a kindergartener in 1966. We were married at the old St. John’s church in 1987 and I have lived in the same house on Rocky Cove Court since then.

20. Boxers or briefs?
Briefs.

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