We were all momentarily shaken to learn that our City Councilman, Bill Rosendahl, was recently diagnosed with cancer in the area of his pelvis (see his letter to his constituents, page 11). I know I speak for all Brentwoodians in wishing Bill a full and quick recovery.
I have always liked Bill. He’s not as cautious about possibly “saying the wrong thing†like so many other politicians; as a result, he’s usually refreshingly right. And when he’s wrong, he quickly admits it, he adjusts, and moves on. He doesn’t allow his ego to get in the way of good policy.
He’s a big believer in dialogue, hoping all parties can eventually come together on solutions. He does his homework – he listens well – and he understands all sides.
This approach can add to the time it takes to get something resolved – and probably frustrates those who want Bill to “stick it to the other side†– but that’s not Bill. It would be hard to accuse him of being an ideologue who is pushing some narrow agenda. He has always seemed exceedingly fair in his deliberations.
He’s also a lot of fun. Bill is quick with the bear hugs, he hands out eggs from his backyard chickens to those he wants to honor, his enthusiasm is contagious. Bill looks like he’s enjoying himself. In turn, we enjoy having him around.
Years ago, on the cover of a Brentwood News, we called Bill a “political rock star.†Rock stars possess a high level of energy that most mere mortals don’t. But even rock stars need a little down time now and then.
I purposely said at the beginning of this piece that we were all “momentarily†shaken to hear of Bill’s cancer.
The reason I said “momentarily†is that I’m guessing most of us concluded a second or two after hearing the news that Bill will be just fine.
Bill is a force of nature; you can’t keep this guy down. However long our political rock star needs, Brentwood will still be here when Bill is ready to pick up his instrument and play again. We look forward to once again enjoying the fine music he makes; he’s just in between sets right now.
