There is a simple yet important way to pay tribute to Vic Derman, the Saanich councillor who died Friday after decades of visionary community service.
His untimely passing — Derman was only 72, and fit and active — is a chance to recognize not just his service, but the contribution of so many who serve on municipal councils, on school boards and in other vital roles.
It’s increasingly common for people to snipe and grumble about politicians at all levels, casually to denigrate them and their work.
Derman’s contributions and commitment are a reminder of how lazy and unfair most of those criticisms are.
Derman cared passionately about community sustainability, the environment, climate change and our legacy as a society. He was a co-founder of The Land Conservancy and active in the North Quadra Community Association.
And he inspired generations of students as a teacher who challenged them to think critically and an innovator who brought technology into the classroom.
“Vic is a testament to the outsized influence teachers can have on their students,” recalls Sean Holman, a former student, who is now a journalism professor. “The world is a lesser place without him, for he made it greater for everyone.”
Derman saw municipal politics as an opportunity to have a larger impact.
It took four tries before he was elected in 2002, and he served with a consistent commitment to principled decisions based on what was best for Saanich and the region. Over the past 15 years, Derman championed more effective public transit and a regional transportation strategy, worked to preserve green space and was attentive to the concerns — large and small — of residents. Since 2005, he served on the Capital Regional District board, dealing with the challenging sewage-treatment file.
Through it all, even those who disagreed with some of his positions recognized Derman’s determination to do what was in the community’s long-term interests.
There is not much glamour in municipal politics, nor much money. Saanich councillors are paid about $40,000 a year for long hours, including meetings that routinely last until almost midnight — in part because of a commitment to hear from citizens.
And there is, increasingly, a high price to pay. Not just in hours worked, or the reality that councillors are effectively on the job any time they are out in public.
There has been a disturbing increase in the use of social media and website comment threads for personal attacks, name-calling and gossip. These aren’t debates on policy — they are vicious, false insults.
Vic Derman was not an exception. He might well have had a larger vision than some of his peers, but like most councillors, school trustees and others holding elected office, he strived to serve the public. That’s why they run, and why they continue, despite the challenges.
The best way we can honour his service is to fight back against the cynicism and incivility increasingly plaguing public life.
Coun. Fred Haynes considered Derman a mentor.
“In a way, he spent his life working for the community in one form or another,” Haynes said.
That’s true of so many others in public life. They deserve our support and thanks.
