Gone too soon

It wasn’t supposed to end this way.

After 42 years in elected office, the last 24 in Congress, Mike Enzi said farewell to the U.S. Senate earlier this year. At 77 years of age, retirement was overdue, and in addition to a little hunting and fishing, he most looked forward to time with his family.

“I was able to see my kids grow up before I went in the Senate,” he told the Gillette News Record when he announced in May 2019 that he planned to retire. “Now I want some grandkid time.”

Unfortunately, life is uncertain, and what Mr. Enzi no doubt considered a leisurely evening bicycle ride through the town where he served as mayor for eight years ended in tragedy. Gillette, the rest of Wyoming, his former colleagues in Washington, D.C., and everyone he touched along the way was shocked to learn of the incident after he was airlifted to a Loveland, Colorado hospital. They were deeply saddened to learn of his passing a little more than four days later.

It would be easy to take this space to remember a man who started out as a humble shoe store owner, never intending to seek public office. A man who – thanks to a bit of encouragement from another Wyoming statesman, former U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson – successfully ran for the job he considered the hardest, yet most rewarding, of his career: mayor of Gillette.

We could highlight the legislative achievements of his 10 years in the Wyoming Legislature, or the way he earned the trust of his colleagues in Congress after replacing Mr. Simpson in the Senate, working his way up to the post of chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. We could detail some of the more than 100 pieces of legislation he drafted that were signed into law by four U.S. presidents.

But while those things are important, we think the lasting legacy of Mike Enzi will be his role as what state Sen. Chris Rothfuss, D-Laramie, called “a statesman and a builder.”

As former Cheyenne Mayor Marian Orr and many others have said, one of the main teachings Mr. Enzi will leave behind is his “80/20 rule,” which was to work hard on the 80% of issues where you agree across the aisle, rather than argue over the 20% of issues you’ll never agree on.

“Mike Enzi and his 80/20 rule made him 100% of a leader,” Ms. Orr said. Mr. Rothfuss added, “He worked hard. He sought common ground. He got things done. ... And he remained ever optimistic.”

What a stark contrast to the prevailing tone in our nation’s capital these days. Though we never got a chance to sit and chat with him about it, we can’t help but think it must have saddened Mr. Enzi to see the extreme political polarization that kept Congress from getting much done for the people who sent them there to act in their best interest.

We do know that as chair of the Budget Committee, he worked hard behind the scenes to try to reform the federal budget process. Through news releases and in speeches, he expressed his frustration that political divisiveness prevented Congress from doing its job of passing a balanced spending plan each year.

He also couldn’t have been thrilled with the internal strife within the Republican Party or the bombastic approach of its latest figurehead. Yet, ever the diplomat, Mr. Enzi refused to join in the cacophony of criticism – either from members of the opposing party or those within his own.

That silence was met with anger and frustration by some Wyoming residents – primarily Democrats – who, like us, felt that especially after he had announced his retirement, Mr. Enzi should have spoken up and condemned the divisive rhetoric and worked harder to bridge the divide. But that’s just not who Mike Enzi was.

Finally, in a 20-minute farewell address on the Senate floor, the “most effective lawmaker you’ve never heard of” told his colleagues what they should do.

“There is a lot of vitriol in our politics and our world right now, but you can stay true to what you believe in without treating others badly,” Mr. Enzi said on Dec. 2, 2020. “Nothing gets done when we are just telling each other how wrong we are. Just ask yourself, has anyone ever really changed your opinion by getting up in your face and yelling at you, or saying how wrong you are? Usually that doesn’t change hearts or minds. That might make someone feel better in the moment, but it doesn’t do much for getting anything accomplished.

“Following the 80% tool will not get you notoriety, fame or even the headlines,” he continued. “Most media coverage requires ‘blood in the water.’ However, the ability to work among your peers using this method can – and will – move us forward and get things done.”

In the very beginning of that farewell address, the former accountant, in typical humble fashion, said, “It’s been an honor of a lifetime to serve the great people of Wyoming in this position for the last 24 years. I’ve really enjoyed being a senator, not for the title, not for the recognition, and certainly not for the publicity. I love solving problems for folks in Wyoming and America.”

If only more people felt the same.

No, it’s not fair that Michael Bradley Enzi died six months after his retirement began. It’s not fair that a man so dedicated to his life’s work was robbed of the opportunity to relax and enjoy his golden years, and that his family was robbed of his love and support in the years to come.

But rather than focus on what we’ve lost, we should instead focus on what we gained from knowing him and having him representing us. Mike Enzi was a good man, a dedicated public servant and a true leader. May his 80/20 rule and the rest of his rich legacy live on for generations to come.

-Wyoming Tribune Eagle