James Fritz led off the praise for retiring Jefferson County Commissioner Phil Johnson with the understatement “I’ve not heard anyone say a bad word about him.”

George Yount drew laughter when he reported, “Phil, I still have your ‘Back on Track’ T-shirt, even though it has holes in it now.”

Like many attendees at the commissioners’ Dec. 12 meeting, Yount had followed Johnson throughout his 12 years in county government, and even recalled their shared rides to Olympia to lobby legislators.

“I was impressed with the number of folks you knew,” Yount said. “You were a catalyst. And when the one chairman kept ignoring us, and you read him out, I enjoyed that, too.”

County Clerk Ruth Gordon first met Johnson when she signed on to his initial campaign for commissioner, although she admitted to being so disgusted with his opponent that “I would have supported a yellow dog.”

Johnson proved to be far more than that in Gordon’s eyes. She cited his “inspiring character” and “genuine love of the county,” the latter of which she deemed evident in his commitment to preserving the Jefferson County Courthouse and the environmental health of Puget Sound as a whole.

“You forged relationships with those with whom you didn’t always agree,” Gordon said. “I hope to see that collegiality again. You were not self-serving, but generous and gracious.”

HOMETOWN COMMITMENT

Johnson, 70, graduated from Port Townsend High School and earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington. He served in the U.S. Army and was a commercial fisherman and construction worker. He also has been a contractor, building new homes and restoring older buildings, including the Terry Building and The Rose Theatre in downtown Port Townsend.

He won election in 2004 over a Republican incumbent by one of the widest margins ever in a county election.

Johnson was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2006, which he has battled admirably while remaining dedicated to his job. His health was raised as a campaign issue by an opponent in 2008, at a time when Johnson regularly bicycled around town. In all of his election campaigns, Johnson drew more than 10,000 votes.

STRONG LEADER

John Fabian of Shine recalled reading in The Leader a dozen years ago that the county’s leadership at the time was heading for a budget “train wreck.” He credited Johnson and the other commissioners who came in with “changing the course of the county,” through their concern with the lands and those who live here.

“Since Kate is taking your chair, it’s important that she hear this,” Fabian said referring to Kate Dean, who was the top vote getter in last month’s general election for the four-year District 1 (Port Townsend) seat. “Since you were perfect, we expect the same from her.”

Dean’s father, Bill Dean, has only lived in Port Ludlow for the past year and a half, but it was long enough that he was “pleased to see [Johnson] revered for your thoughtful dedication.” He extended his compliments to Commissioner Kathleen Kler for “listening and learning” about issues impacting Port Ludlow.

Kate Dean noted the number of traits she’s proud to have in common with Johnson, from their love of natural resources to the fact that they live just a few blocks from each other, and she pledged to live up to his service-minded example.

“I will try my best to fill your large shoes,” Dean said. “I know you will keep me honest.”

“Phil loves words and reveres poetry, so perhaps it’s fitting that he would seek to protect our county’s environment, since so many great writers have written about the beauty of nature,” Kler said. “As I’ve watched what’s been happening in North Dakota, I’ve heard the term ‘water protector,’ I feel lucky that, in Phil Johnson, we had our own water protector.”

POPULAR SUPPORT

Commissioner David Sullivan grasped the breadth of popular support for Johnson during his own door-belling as a candidate, when one of the first questions he was asked was “You’re not running against Phil, are you?”

“He was not a one-issue candidate,” Sullivan said. “He looked at all sides of an issue. Negative campaigning never worked against him, because people would say, ‘Oh, I’ve known Phil for years, as a logger or a builder.’ Through his many walks of life, his reputation and connections stayed with him.”

John Austin, who served eight years with Johnson as a commissioner, thanked Johnson and Sullivan for being “so helpful” in working with him. Treasurer Stacie Prada commended Johnson for “sticking to his guns.”

County Administrator Philip Morley described it as “an honor to serve under Phil Johnson,” whose conscientious integrity he saw demonstrated in countless “little moments.”

“He’s given so much, in his private and public life, that we owe him a debt of gratitude,” Morley said.

Johnson responded by asserting that his achievements in office were a reflection of those he worked with and for.

“I was always backed up by the people sitting on either side of me,” said Johnson, who elicited chuckles by singling out Sullivan for his “goddamn memory,” before noting how Kler “dove into this job.”

“And it’s great that all of you come down here every Monday,” he affectionately chided the meeting’s attendees, “but don’t you have lives?”