Commentary: 'Johnny Ellis was a good man and good at his job. But after he died suddenly last week, the voices I heard talked instead about his sweetness.'
Johnny Ellis was a good man and good at his job. In his lifetime of service as one of Alaska’s most effective political leaders, he improved countless lives. But after heEllis was only 61. He retired from the state Senate six years ago due to ill health. Before that, he served in the Legislature for 30 years. If those numbers don’t seem to add up, here is the key to the equation, and to Ellis’ story: When he was first elected to the state House, in 1986, he was just 26 years old.
The list of his accomplishments is astounding. Serving in the minority and majority, Ellis concentrated on improving the lives of the mostly low-income residents of his North Anchorage district, finding money for schools, recreation centers, a health center, summer jobs for kids, and many, many other improvements. He also advanced the University of Alaska and state library, archives and museum.
“We scraped for nearly three days, getting to know each other as we used razor blades to peel the paint off the windows. On the third day, another campaign worker showed up and said, ‘What are you guys doing?’ We told her we were scraping paint because the lease was going to be up soon. She took a washcloth and water and proceeded to show that all you ever had to do was wash the paint off, as it was water-soluble. Tired arms notwithstanding, we all burst out laughing.
I didn’t know him as well as that, but I realized how thoughtful Ellis could be when I first got involved in community affairs in the 1990s. Although he was an important person who I read about in the newspaper, after the first time we met he always remembered my name and my wife and children’s names, and exactly what I had told him about their doings.
That never stopped. After I left Alaska a few years ago, he continued to send me jokes and news by text. On Tuesday, he reached out to ask me for pictures of my current trip to France. Senate Minority Leader Johnny Ellis, D-Anchorage, and Senate Majority Leader John Coghill, R-North Pole, talk on the Senate floor before being sworn in on the first day of the 2013 Alaska Legislature in Juneau.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Johnny Depp hires famed attorney Kathleen Zellner in Amber Heard battle“I have spent the last 30 plus years defending individuals who have been falsely accused of wrongdoing. I welcome adding Johnny Depp to that list…”
Read more »
‘AEIOU — A Quick Alphabet of Love’ Review: An Oddball German May-December Love StoryThe title is a bit misleading in German writer-director Nicolette Krebitz’s offbeat romantic comedy “AEIOU — A Quick Alphabet of Love.” Despite its promise of deeper meaning attac…
Read more »
Johnny Depp hires famed attorney Kathleen Zellner in Amber Heard battle“I have spent the last 30 plus years defending individuals who have been falsely accused of wrongdoing. I welcome adding Johnny Depp to that list…”
Read more »