Every December, something important happens in democracies that we rarely pause to appreciate.
Across the country, leaders step down. Seats change hands. New voices arrive as experienced ones quietly exit stage left. Budgets close, calendars turn over and The government keeps moving. In stable systems, transitions are so routine that we forget how fragile, and how remarkable, they really are.
Here in Thurston County and across the South Sound, we’re experiencing that familiar but meaningful moment again. Several longtime public servants are closing the chapter on years, sometimes decades, of elected service. And before the year ends, I want to do something simple and overdue: say thank you.
Public service isn’t glamorous. It’s long nights, thick agendas, emails you can’t ignore, and meetings where no one applauds the vote you just took. It’s sacrifice that rarely makes headlines and decisions that are often only noticed when something goes wrong.
But it matters and so do the people who show up, year after year, to do it.
One of those people is John O’Callahan, who is stepping away after a remarkable run on the Tenino City Council dating back to the mid-1990s. I sat alongside John for a decade, first as a councilmember and later as his mayor, but I knew him long before that, growing up as one of my friends’ stepdads. John has always been a fierce defender of conservative principles, local jurisdiction, and fiscal responsibility, especially when it came to what he lovingly called “his great City of Tenino.”
But labels don’t tell the whole story. What mattered more was that John showed up. He served not only on council, but on regional boards like the Transportation Policy Board, he also volunteered as a firefighter, served as a Navy veteran, and simultaneously held elected office as a fire commissioner. Love him or debate him, you always knew where John stood, and you always knew he’d be there. Communities are steadier because of people like that.
In Tumwater, Mayor Debbie Sullivan is closing a chapter defined by resilience, warmth, and grace under pressure. Debbie served through tremendous personal loss, with the death of her husband, while never allowing her grief to derail her responsibilities to the city. That takes a kind of strength you don’t learn in policy manuals.
She led during difficult debates, including emotionally charged conversations around public safety and heritage preservation, and she did so with an inviting demeanor and a steady presence. I always appreciated having Debbie in the room. Even in the tensest moments, she managed to keep a genuine smile and a reminder that disagreement doesn’t have to mean disrespect.
At the Port of Olympia, we’re saying thank you to Bob Iyall, a public servant I deeply respect. Bob joined the Port Commission at a time when the agency was locked in what can fairly be described as a toxic spiral, internal conflict, fractured trust, and a mission that was losing clarity. While it may carry the Olympia name, the Port serves all 300,000 residents of Thurston County and provides critical economic and emergency-response infrastructure, from trade and jobs to Airlift Northwest, fire attack helicopters, and Washington State Patrol aircraft.
Bob arrived as a no-nonsense, fiscally disciplined, mission-focused commissioner.
Alongside a new generation of thoughtful leaders, he helped stabilize the Port, refocus it on its core purpose, and bring an end to damaging infighting. Just as important, Bob was one of the few countywide elected officials from a local Tribal nation. That representation matters.
For a community so often excluded from seats of power, Bob’s leadership helped break a barrier and for that, we owe him particular gratitude.
I also want to say thank you to Port Commissioner Amy Evans Harding, who is concluding her first and only term after an impressive run of dedicated service. Amy stepped into the role at a time when the Port was rebuilding trust and direction, and she quickly became one of its most steadying voices. She brought sharp analytical skill, a calm and collaborative approach, and a clear commitment to fiscal responsibility and open government. Amy asked the tough questions, listened carefully, and consistently kept her focus on what would benefit all residents of Thurston County not just the loudest voices in the room. For a first-term commissioner, she made an outsized impact, and her thoughtful leadership will be felt long after she steps away.
