Remembering Dr. Jim Kadlecek

By Bill McCamley

On Sunday evening, Jim Kadlecek passed away. Many on this site knew of him, as he was a regular contributor as a columnist. I had the good fortune of knowing Dr. Kadlecek both as a co-worker and a friend. Jim will be sorely missed by many in New Mexico for many reasons.

As a columnist and novelist, Jim had the ability through writing to bring to life commonsense policy solutions that many lacked the courage to articulate. Please examine his articles in the archives on this site for numerous fine examples. However, while many in our society comment on politics and policy, few have the guts to withstand the slings and arrows of a life in the public sphere in order to make their society a better place to live. Jim did both. Unlike so many others commenting on the political process, Jim had the courage to serve in a public office, sitting as a Colorado state senator in the late 70s and early 80s.

This service was highlighted by Jim’s seat on the budget committee, which any legislator will tell you is one of the most powerful yet frustrating jobs in American politics. However, his willingness to compromise with those on the other side of the aisle and his talent in analyzing minute details made him a valued member of the Senate.

Though he had retired from this office before he and I were introduced, I was able to recognize the qualities of the man and take many lessons from him through his local service. He had firm opinions on how to make communities stronger and the tenacity to stick with these issues even after they left the arena of public discussion.

Jim was a leader in the southern New Mexico chapter of Common Cause, making sure that such issues as the sale of Memorial Medical Center and the allowance of public input at New Mexico State University Board of Regents’ meetings were discussed fully by our community. Jim was passionate about affordable housing, and worked tirelessly as a board member of Las Cruces Affordable Housing and the managing director of the New Mexico Rural Development Council to generate more opportunities for working people to get the housing that is in such desperate need for many living here. He also wanted to make sure everyone had the ability to get good jobs, and worked for both Las Cruces and Doña Ana County as one of the first executive directors of the Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance.

However, Jim knew that compromise was necessary for the movement of law and policy, and that a democracy is made up of many people with diverse opinions. He understood when things didn’t go exactly as he wanted every time. He had the patience and perception to accept gradual change and celebrate larger accomplishments. His combination of resolve tempered by appreciation for the system is a rarity that should be celebrated.

Jim was also a scholar and a teacher, and through this profession his love for America became most clear. Using the knowledge gained from life as a public servant and through his education (earning a doctorate in public administration at Western Michigan University), his instruction at Doña Ana Community College and Central Michigan University brought vitality to American government for his students in a way that few teachers could. Of his many gifts to the communities that he served, his ability to instill an appreciation of our nation to hundreds if not thousands of people over the years may have been one of his greatest.

Jim’s largest quality: He cared

In my opinion though, Jim’s largest quality may have been the one that those who knew him best took most for granted. He cared. There are many people in this world who go through life only concerned about their own problems. Not Jim. He made an active effort to identify with all people and to understand their problems and possible solutions.

While some simply empathize with others who have problems, Jim turned his empathy into action by running organizations, serving on boards and teaching where many others refused to get involved. It is this quality that I will probably miss the most.

In his columns, Jim loved to use quotes from famous people. To honor this, I will close with an adage from the French writer Marcel Proust:

“People do not die for us immediately, but remain bathed in a sort of aura of life which bears no relation to true immortality but through which they continue to occupy our thoughts in the same way as when they were alive. It is as though they were traveling abroad.”

I hope that Jim’s memory continues to travel as much as possible.

McCamley is the District 5 Doña Ana County commissioner.