Pollard, mayor of America’s Vancouver, and Potter, the Portland mayor, settled a bet Monday night at the Vancouver City Council meeting. There were plenty of laughs and lots of good will all around.

Those of the all-business-all-the-time persuasion might call it silliness and a waste of time. Perhaps some would even consider the light-hearted, good-natured hijinks an insult to the serious business of municipal policy-making and oversight. But, those would be your sourpusses.

Our take is that it was not only fun but good for inter-city relations and even invigorating. Bob Miller, the weekday-morning host on KPAM radio (860 on the dial) who presided over the 15-minute event as “Mayor of the Moment,” had it right. Tuesday morning he reported on the event to his drive-time audience and said, “I’ve been cranky” lately due largely to politics. But the event at Vancouver City Hall, he said, showed him that politics and government can be fun and positive.

This all started when Miller was launching his annual KPAM “Operation Santa Claus” fund-raising drive to help needy families of troops deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq have a good Christmas.

Miller, who often interviews Portland-Vancouver area political figures on his radio show, arranged for a Pollard-Potter bet. Whichever mayor raised the least money for Operation Santa Claus would be the loser and have to pay homage to the winner’s town.

Despite having all those people in his city, Potter raised a mere $1,100. Pollard, in little old Vancouver, raised $22,000. (Thus far, any victims of Pollard arm twisting, cajoling or waterboarding in pursuit of donations have not come forward.)

Monday was time for Potter to pay up. Columbian reporter Jeffrey Mize reported that as KPAM’s Miller settled into the Big Chair to be Mayor for the Moment Pollard warned him, “Don’t get too comfortable.”

Potter, not as given to the wild and crazy rah-rah role as Pollard, was nevertheless gracious and funny as he read 15 reasons Vancouver is better than Portland. Some were serious: (great schools, summer concert series at Esther Short Park, farmers market, etc.). Most were reminiscent of a Hollywood roast: (Vancouver is so safebecause so many Portland police officers live here).

Still, despite the feel-good aspect to Monday’s event and Potter’s good intentions, we must point out some things he forgot:

• We are a half-hour closer to big-league league baseball than most Portland residents.

• We’re closer to Portland International Airport than most Portland residents.

• Lewis and Clark camped on this side of the River both coming (1805) and going (1806) while they shunned the Oregon side.

• Many of our downtown retail-area parking meters give 20 minutes free.

• We have the Cinetopia theater.

• You can afford a condominium here without selling a kidney.

• We get to pump our own gas.