Sears’ legacy: Unselfish public service

When Marin Supervisor Kate Sears took office in 2010, she was not widely known outside of Sausalito.

She worked as a state lawyer and had served on Sausalito’s planning commission. She was named to replace Charles McGlashan, the supervisor representing Southern Marin who died in the midst of his second term.

Sears was picked for the job by her former boss, Gov. Jerry Brown.

It was a mid-life, unexpected career change.

McGlashan had been a Bay Area-wide force for environmental advances that were needed to help combat climate change. Sears took up the mantle and in her own way moved it forward.

It was not an easy transition, but Sears met the challenge, both in furthering McGlashan’s work and bringing her own insight and objectives to the job.

Support for her method and mettle was reflected in her twice winning re- election to the job.

Her method was quieter than McGlashan’s. She’s not a political dynamo. She wasn’t known for giving stirring speeches. She’s known for saying a lot, calmly and efficiently. She’s provided the level of well- studied, wellintentioned leadership she felt was needed to bring varied stakeholders together to reach a strong consensus.

If the public tried her political patience, she rarely showed it. She just kept on trying to grow effective change, whether it was her work in bringing greater public attention and forwardthinking planning in the face of the threat of climate change-fueled sea level rise or creating a political tenor for reaching decisions rather than generating political vitriol.

Her introduction of starting board meetings with a brief musical performance by local talent is an example of her trying to create a temperament that engenders constructive dialogue.

At a time when there appeared to be a lowering of people’s tolerance for others’ views and listening, Sears’ start- of-meetings addition was welcomed.

She was not an ambitious politician, aiming for higher office or worrying about leaving a legacy as a political powerhouse. Instead, she sought to be a conscientious catalyst for change and to address issues facing Marin today and, even more important, in the future.

Some of those issues proved to be tougher than others.

For instance, Sears was unable to resolve the longstanding debate over how best to proceed with the costly repairs and renovation of the county’s Golden Gate Village public housing complex in Marin City. Moving it forward should be a top priority for her successor, Mill Valley City Councilwoman Stephanie Moulton-Peters, with whom Sears had developed a strong working relationship.

There are still decisions that need to be made regarding the future of the seminary property in Strawberry and meeting the state’s clean-up orders regarding boats anchored in Richardson Bay.

In some cases, the time that has been taken in an effort to grow communitybased consensus has opened the door to new voices and agendas that appear to have created and widened breaches that have stood in the way.

Sears’ input, perspective and experience could still prove helpful in closing those gaps.

We didn’t always agree with Sears. Nor are we expected to. But we’ve never questioned her commitment to serving the community and doing what she felt was best for its residents.

Sears’ decade of unselfish service and work for the betterment of Marin deserves respect and set a fine example and clear goals — providing a worthwhile template for others to follow in guiding our country’s future.