I was not surprised to hear that Dr. Isaac Pope would not run for reelection on the Chehalis City Council.
I was, however, sad.
This man is one of a kind. His dedication and impact in the community as a civic leader and physician spans almost 40 years. I first met him in the mid-1980s as a doctor. He took the time to call a very worried father in the middle of the night, to provide lab test results regarding one of my small children.
He had seen our baby in the emergency room after he stopped breathing. I got to know him better in the following years in our community when we were both working with the chamber of commerce and United Way as board members.
Everywhere you looked, if something was happening in our community, Dr. Pope was sure to be involved. If there was a need, he answered the call.
As a business owner, I learned to appreciate Dr. Pope even more so when he was elected to the city council. He listened to the public. He put the citizens needs first over politics. Very unusual for almost all elected officials.
Pope's Place, providing care to our counties' children, is famous throughout the region. It's truly a model program. It was Pope's gift to provide health care to underserved children.
Dr. Pope can be a bit on the outspoken side from time to time. Passionate people can be that way. He's not shy. But you always know where he stands, and it's always on the side of the community and it's citizens. He's not going to look the other way or turn his back in the middle of a controversy. At times this can set one up as a target of attacks.
Even if you don't agree with him, you most often will respect him for his good heart and his logic for his stance on the issue.
In my professional life I have worked with, under or side by side with dozens and dozens of city council members. I can count on one hand the number who have impressed me with their work ethics and lack of ego. Dr. Pope is one of them.
Our community is lucky to have had some outstanding community leaders that are no longer in the spotlight, When I think of them I think of Pope, Roewe, Fuller, Campbell, Schwartz, Rickard.
I hope the city of Chehalis will honor Dr. Pope in an appropriate way. His name belongs on a street sign, a building or a park.
Thank you Dr. Pope for all the years you have given to making our community a better place to live, play, raise a family and run a business.
Your leadership will be missed.
Bradd Reynolds
Chehalis
