September 12, 2016 at 2:53 p.m.
A principled public servant
A principled public servant
A town supervisor since 2002 and long-time owner of an area business, Mr. Jennings's knowledge of the community was both wide and deep, and his experience and insight made him an invaluable member of the town board as it navigated issues critical to the community's future.
But there was something else about Mr. Jennings that was more important than his knowledge, insight, and experience. Something far more important.
Bryan Jennings was a principled public official.
That's something you don't see in politics much these days. For most, public life is about the politics; for Mr. Jennings, it was about the people and the town he represented. You would never see him decide an issue of conscience by sticking his finger into the air to gauge public opinion.
Once he made up his mind that he supported or opposed a certain position, either because he believed it would help or harm the community, Mr. Jennings would not be swayed. He would vote his conscience, he would vote for what he believed to be the best interests of his constituents and the town, and he would stay the course.
That's the mark of a principled public official, and it's admirable.
During his 14-year journey on the board, Mr. Jennings and his colleagues faced many thorny issues, but perhaps none was pricklier than the issue of ATVs and town roads. Mr. Jennings was not a fan of ATVs on town roads, to say the least.
For years he was outnumbered on the board and castigated by many for his opposition. Lakeland Times stories about various ATV votes would look like reprints of previous articles because many of them invariably contained the same line, "with supervisor Bryan Jennings casting the lone vote against."
He knew for years his position had failed to carry the day, but the principle of his conscience and his vote was what mattered to him, and it should matter to us that it did, for in the end a devotion to principle rather than to politics delivers the best government in a democracy.
That said, Mr. Jennings was not dogmatic in the least. His principle derived not from knee-jerk or ideological judgments but from evidence-based and fact-gathering deliberation. On a great many other important issues, he knew he needed more information before making up his mind, and he went and got the facts.
We watched for many years as Mr. Jennings asked penetrating questions and pondered the various consequences of policies openly at town meetings. He would work to the core of an issue, ruminating about the possibilities, all the while unafraid to change course if the facts took him another way.
That honest deliberation and critical thinking is another mark of a principled public servant.
Through it all, Mr. Jennings could be challenged, and he would challenge others, but always with decorum and civility, showing respect both for the people he was addressing and the democratic institution he was representing. He asked his questions and made his points with a gentle, quiet demeanor.
His was the voice of calm and reason in often contentious rooms, and that is yet another mark of the principled public servant.
Along the way, The Lakeland Times had its share of policy disagreements with Mr. Jennings. He never took it personally, responded when he thought he needed to, and calmly articulated the reasons for his positions.
We at the The Times might have sometimes questioned the outcome of his thinking, but we never questioned the sincerity and integrity behind it, or the seriousness with which he pursued the truth.
With sadness, then, we acknowledge the end of an era in Minocqua and send our deepest condolences to his family. Bryan Jennings will be sorely missed.
During his years, Mr. Jennings achieved many good things for our town and area, but his greatest achievement lives on: his legacy. His principled work was a far more important achievement than any specific accomplishment, though many of those there were, for it sets an example for all current and future supervisors to follow.
Bryan Jennings the man may no longer grace Minocqua town board meetings, but his example will always be there for all to see and, hopefully, emulate. For while the physical journey of any man or woman is finite, always punctuated by the sadness of an ending, a role model's work is never done.
A role model lives forevermore, and so does Bryan Jennings's example, the very definition of a principled public servant.
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