Last month, “Take a Breath” marked a year profiling Whidbey neighbors who inspire all of us to be better citizens. It’s been an education, and a great honor, to write a few words about them.

The columns highlighted the human side of our public figures, shared their dreams for our community, and heard their thoughts on civility in a time of polarization. We’ve challenged readers to engage, to look past our differences for the common ground we share.

The community response has been eye-opening. Calls and emails knocked a favorable column about “that guy.” Strangers have said thank you. A letter to the News-Times called me a Republican’s PR man, just weeks after social media comments that an earlier feature was too liberal.

“Welcome to my world,” said the News-Times’ editor.

The reactions say a lot about our community. We expect excellent leadership, but don’t always agree what that means. We empathize with their struggles, we’re grateful for their hard work, but we – like a few of those leaders themselves – could work on our civility.

What do these 12 unique individuals have in common, other than generosity with their time? There’s a pattern. They don’t each hit a perfect 10 from every judge, but a few things were clear.

Brains

We have some brilliant people here. A professor talked me down off the ledge, figuratively, with research that told him no, our nation is not headed for civil war. And a county commissioner calmly related daily details of her job that most of us never stop to consider.

They think on the fly, they process complex data, they filter it through their own values, they do their best to account for the will of the voters. And somehow, they almost always get it right.

It’s enough to give us all pause. In a complex world, simple answers are for simple minds. It’s our duty to dig deeper, to find the truth.

Courage

They know it won’t be easy, it won’t always be fair, but they sign up anyway. They – and the families that love them – find out soon enough they’ll be attacked, they’ll have their character impugned, they’ll be insulted by lazy people because personal attacks are lazy. But they sign up, and they keep going, regardless.

A former chamber director did what she knew was right, and she did it in the face of nasty comments about wokeism and broken tradition. A former party leader stood so strong for his beliefs that he now faces what he calls a bogus felony charge.

They didn’t shy from battle; they rode to the sound of the guns. Wherever we stand on the issues, that’s inspiring. Where can we show courage in our lives?

Grace

Bravery in the face of adversity doesn’t require boorish behavior, especially if you just won an election. Our best leaders strive to validate the people who oppose them.

The president of Civility First is a strong-willed Republican who enables respectful, productive dialogue with people across the political spectrum. District 10’s lone Republican in Olympia makes his arguments clearly and unequivocally, but with kindness and respect.

Their confidence and empathy challenge us to stand strong for our own values while we still do the difficult, vital work to understand those who believe differently.

Passion

Hall of Fame coach John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success placed Energy and Enthusiasm as its cornerstones. His wisdom resonated in the excited eyes of our own Whidbey leaders who exude those traits every day. One told me she felt physically transformed at the moment she was sworn in.

There was the city councilman whose fire hasn’t dimmed in 15 years since he and his dog managed to change a law. And the mayor, fueled by gratitude for the beauty and kindness he sees in his fellow citizens.

Wooden told us we’ll get nowhere without passion for our work. These leaders know exactly what that means.

Patience

It’s a rare new boss that walks into the office on day one, throws down a few executive orders, and sits back while perfection unfolds. The good ones see the value in the long game. Even Coach Wooden acknowledged that success can be elusive. Faith and Patience were the final building blocks atop his Pyramid.

We have a city councilman who engages respectfully with angry Facebookers. A much-maligned nonprofit’s director actively seeks honest discussions, whether one-on-one or peppered by hostile questions in public forums.

Leaders like these may never sit in the shade of the tree they plant today, but they water that tree anyway. So we ask ourselves: what tree are we watering for tomorrow?

Integrity

It’s easy to call someone a liar from our easy chairs, while they take the heat in the spotlight. But the ones in the arena, tasked with decisions that affect all of us, don’t worry about critics. Every truth they speak may be, in Rudyard Kipling’s words, “twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools.” But they speak truth anyway.

A superintendent’s high standards challenge teachers, staff and students to be their best, while her public transparency drove a recent levy’s overwhelming success. A nonprofit executive serves hundreds of survivors of violence every year and stands up for them with painful truth against ignorance and denial.

Love

It’s the piece that binds all 12 together and connects them to all of us. They are devoted to us, their community. One confessed “I don’t think I could take it” if her hometown rejected her. One wore a “Be Kind” T-shirt to the interview. Another described his leadership style with “just be nice.”

“Servant leadership” gets a lot of press these days. But to the 12 neighbors featured here, it’s far more than a buzzword. Love drives them. They love Whidbey. They love us.

It’s a shame we don’t always love them back, but love sometimes doesn’t work out. Three of those profiled here no longer serve in their positions. Others have faced controversy splashed across this paper’s pages. But without a doubt these brave public servants will lean into love, sprinkle in some faith and patience and find a path forward.

To Sandi Peterson, Shane Hoffmire, Michele Hines, Tim Hazelo, Ronnie Wright, Bernd Fischer, Michelle Kuss-Cybula , Bryan Stucky, Dannah McCullough, Jill Johnson, Ron Muzzall, and Andrea Downs, many thanks for your devotion and love for our community.

William Walker’s monthly “Take a Breath” column seeks paths to unity on Whidbey Island in polarized times. Walker lives near Oak Harbor and is an amateur author of four unpublished novels, hundreds of poems, and a stage play. He blogs occasionally at www.playininthedirt.com.