John Wayne Mixson
(1922–2020)
I was saddened to see that Governor Wayne Mixson passed away last week. I started in the Capitol in 1978 and he and Governor Bob Graham assumed office in 1979. I was in my 20’s and spent lots of time on the Plaza Level of the Capitol because one of Governor Mixson’s aides was a dear friend. On a break, we would walk the 22 flights of stairs in the Capitol every day…was in the best shape in my life!
I learned a great deal by watching Graham and Mixson and still recall some of their sayings, habits and accomplishments. In my interactions with him, Mixson was irascible at times, would refer to problems as “rascals” with a smile, and referred to the ill-fated Unitary Tax of the late 1980’s as the “Urinary Tax” for pissing all over business, by trying to tax their worldwide profits. He certainly achieved his tongue-in-cheek goal of being the Governor who did the least harm to the state during his three-day term. Blessings to Governor Mixson’s family and I was proud to know him!
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LMA Newsletter of 7-20-20
