Where I Stand — Brian Greenspun: Jones a tough act to follow

Thursday, Feb. 18, 1999 | 11:44 a.m.

IT CAN'T BE about politics. It must be about leadership.

The race for Las Vegas City Council seats and the all-important job of mayor of the city the world loves to watch is well under way, but the only excitement that has been generated thus far is the rather disappointing decision by Mayor Jan Laverty Jones to sit this one out.

Mind you, I didn't say call it quits because people like Jan don't quit. She will be back. But it will be in her own good time and on her own terms.

Most people just assumed the good mayor would keep her rather active hat in the ring. It has been a political ring, I might add, that suited her and her Las Vegas constituency quite well. So when the news came in typical Jan Jones fashion -- while she was doing something else and with little fanfare -- I must admit many people were surprised.

I would suggest that far more people should also be disappointed because Mayor Jan Laverty Jones is one of those people who doesn't come along all that often and offer herself, her time and a goodly portion of her sanity to the betterment of her community through elected office.

Certainly, there are others among us who have served and are still in office who are also deserving of singular attention but they haven't yet decided that enough, for them, is enough. That's why we should focus on our good mayor because her office, my friends, is one of the places that helps make or break all it is that we do in this most exciting of cities.

I have listened to many people talk about her decision not to seek a third term and the handicapping that is going on relative to those who have announced for the job and those who just like reading about themselves thinking about making a run. The airwaves and news pages are filling up fast with reasons why voters should support this candidate or repel another candidate at all costs. I admit, even I have done some of that, especially the part about indentifying those who should be kept far away from the public trust.

But no one has defined the issue more succinctly than my friend Fred Smith. Fred's family has kept Las Vegans in foodstuffs for many years. He moved here not too long ago and has made an effort to enmesh himself in community issues which, naturally, involve politics. Since Jan nee Laverty was a significant player in the food business in Las Vegas many years ago, Fred has taken a special interest in her political career.

It was somewhere around the 14th hole during one of our rare golf outings that he asked me, "How are we going to replace Jan's leadership?"

It was a simple question, to be sure, but it is the simple things that conjure up all that is complex in today's political world. Whether it is on the national level or on the local scene, more and more people are questioning the validity of running for office. They ask themselves what is it in public service that makes the ugliness that elected officialdom must endure worth the effort. And, more often than not, the answer to that question falls well short of a reason compelling enough to make them run.

Now there are some who would say, "Good, who needs them. There are plenty of other people who can do the job." And I say to those people, "Baloney."

While there are clearly many more talented people who choose not to enter public service than there are those who actually take the plunge, the truth is that it takes a special kind of person to get the very difficult job of representing the public done.

That person must be honest -- that's a trait which should be a basic requirement for every job whether in the public sector or private arena. That person should also be more than willing to give so much of his or her time that it often, unfortunately, is at the expense of friends and family. And that is a person who has grown at least thick-skinned enough to withstand the slings and arrows of outrageous people and their oftentimes absurd and vicious attacks.

There are many more attributes for proper public service in the 1990s and beyond, but the one requirement that is most needed and which is often missing in action is the ability to lead. And that is a quality that Jan Jones has in abundance.

Leadership includes the ability to see clearly a future that others cannot or will not indulge themselves, and to fight untiringly to achieve that vision. Leadership is what endures when an individual's overwhelming desire to get from point A to point B attracts the kind of detractors who make life not only miserable but, in many cases, unbearable. And leadership is the willingness to take on unpopular causes, many of which have little or no chance of success, just because it is the right thing to do. Not being a good leader is not a bad thing. But not having the skills to lead when the job requires it, is bad for everyone.

In all such matters of leadership, Jan Jones has been that kind of mayor for Las Vegas. That's why Fred Smith's question goes right to the heart of the matter as we approach the spring elections. We can elect people who can say and do those things that are popular. And we can elect individuals who will represent some constituencies better or more consistently than others. And we can elect someone who says what we want to hear which, to many people, is good enough.

But are we capable of choosing a person who has the desire to lead and the ability to make it happen? The answer to that question is twofold. First, that individual must be on the ballot. And second, the people must be able to recognize him when they see her (that's as politically correct as I can get), especially when that candidate will most likely be covered with mud and obfuscatory sediment that is heaped high by those who view themselves with too much to lose.

In Jan's case we knew it when we saw her. We saw it when she spoke. And we benefitted from it when she acted. Her style of leadership may differ from others but there is no question she has what it takes.

Who will be our next mayor? I don't know. Will the new mayor be a leader? I hope so. Otherwise, Jan Jones will be missed far more than we already believe.

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