Last week we lost a dedicated public servant, former Babylon Village Mayor, town and county GOP leader Gilbert C. Hanse, who was, to those who knew him personally, also a kind, caring and decent gentleman.

Hanse was a man who lived by his word, and believed that other people should as well. And while that is an optimistic expectation of human behavior generally relegated to priests and social workers, the fact that Hanse was a politician who demanded that of himself and all public servants spoke volumes about who he was and how he viewed his role as a representative of the people.

That’s not to say that Hanse would avoid a good political fight if one came his way. Over the years, many did, and he could duke it out with the best of them. But his distinction was that after all was said and done, he could sit down with his opponents over a cup of coffee or a drink and agree about most other things. He knew the importance, and limits of politics in his world.

Hanse left several legacies. His first is his family, which includes his son Gilbert Hanse Jr., who serves as the Town of Babylon’s Fire Commissioner with his own distinction, and then his beloved Village of Babylon, which thrives today largely because of his unique and long leadership. But he also leaves a legacy of commitment and trust that serves as a model of leadership in politics and life that we would all do well to emulate.