Many historians credit America’s “citizen-soldiers” with winning

World War II. Men and women saw military service as a part of their lives and

duty, rather than as a career. When their country needed them, they left

their farms, factories and families to enlist in the armed forces; trained

and fought; and then returned home to resume their lives.

My dad was a citizen-soldier. When duty called, he packed up

the 1937 Chevy, took my mom to Seattle and

reported to Fort Lewis. My mom went to work at the

Todd Shipyards and my father went off to war. My

father was shot, but luckily he survived. Later, he used

the GI Bill to become an electrician and he and my mom

returned to our small hometown in Montana to raise our family.

My father, like his dad before him, also believed in the

“citizen-legislator.” My grandfather, a copper

miner, served three terms as an alderman in our small town during the

Depression, and my dad served as mayor for 12 years.

Rather than put their faith in professional politicians, both believed

that the public was best served by elected officials who lived in the same

neighborhoods they governed _ men and women who were elected to

office temporarily, kept their jobs outside government, did their best and

then turned over the reins of government to their neighbors.

I was reminded of these values recently when I talked with Rep.

Tom Huff, R-Gig Harbor, co-chair of the powerful House Appropriations

Committee, which writes the state’s budget. Tom spent more than 30 years

as a manager with Sears Roebuck Co., retired and was elected to the

Legislature in 1994.

Like my father, Huff knows what it means to return home and be

accountable to his neighbors. Like my dad, he also knows how tough it is

to make payroll. “If you’ve never `sweated payroll’ you just

haven’t lived,” my father would say.

“When you don’t have the money, you just find more creative ways to do

things, whether you’re in government or in business.”

Tom Huff recently announced he is retiring and will not seek

re-election this fall.

“I came in under term limits and I’m abiding by it,” Huff said.

“I’ve given it my all for six years, and now it is time to go home and enjoy

my family and grandchildren.”

Serving in Washington’s Legislature is meant to be a part-time

job. However, many legislators find that serving and running for election

consumes most of their lives. It is not an easy job. It requires long hours

and dealing with voters who are increasingly skeptical about politicians

and our political process as a whole. Elected officials bear the brunt

of much criticism — some justified and some unwarranted. Their lives are

not private and their efforts often go unnoticed.

If our political system is to continue to work, it needs people like

Tom Huff to give part of their lives to public service and then to make way

for other citizens to follow in their footsteps, just as my father and

grandfather did.

Don Brunell is president of the Association of Washington

Business, Washington state’s chamber of commerce. Visit AWB on the Web

at www.awb.org.