Pike Place peacemaker dies
 |
|
||||||||||
When news reports in 1984 revealed that Seattle City Council members were the highest-paid in the nation, Councilman Michael Hildt pointed out the difference between Seattle, known for its populist government, and other American cities.
"We're the hardest-working and the smartest," said Mr. Hildt, elected to the council in 1977 at age 35.
Another time he was reminding his colleagues to be careful what they said while being tape-recorded: "A closed mouth gathers no feet."
That was just a glimpse of the humor that Mr. Hildt displayed when he wasn't crafting an agreement at the Pike Place Market or keeping the city from investing in nuclear-power plants.
Mr. Hildt died Friday (Dec. 21) at his North Seattle home after a brief struggle with cancer that even his closest friends didn't know about. He was 59.
"I've known a lot of powerful people, and it's rare to find power and kindness in the same person," said his wife, Karen Gates Hildt. He was also an extremely private person, she said, which is why he kept his illness to himself.
Even John Clise, former executive director at the Pike Place Market and longtime friend, didn't know of Mr. Hildt's death until yesterday. He said that when he returned home Sunday he found a Christmas package on his front porch in Port Townsend from the Hildt family.
"Michael was probably one of the most intelligent people I've ever known," Clise said. "He was willing to make hard decisions, but he did it with intellect and respect."
To illustrate his determination and independence, Gates Hildt said her husband even wrote his own obituary.
Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Colorado, Mr. Hildt worked in a management position at SeaFirst Bank until resigning in 1971 to become director of the Coalition for Open Government, a group of volunteer citizens that sponsored Initiative 276, resulting in the state's public-disclosure law.
He later went to work at City Hall as head of the City Council's policy staff. He worked on many issues, including Energy 1990, a 15-year energy plan for Seattle City Light that led to Seattle's refusal to take part in construction of Washington Public Power Supply System's nuclear plants.
Mr. Hildt was elected to the council in 1977, where he championed low-income housing and negotiated an agreement at the Pike Place Market between farmers and artists.
Known as the Hildt Agreement, it mollified the parties and smoothed relations at the Market, where controversies are endemic. "Some issues were very hot and furious, but he never let it faze him," Clise said.
Mr. Hildt said he was going to serve only two terms on the council, but even his closest colleagues were surprised when he announced he was not only leaving city government but also moving to Port Townsend, where his wife had a home. At the time, he was being heavily courted to run for mayor, Gates Hildt said.
The couple moved to Port Townsend in 1986 and often commuted between there and their home in Seattle.
Attorney Tom Walsh, who served on the City Council staff with Mr. Hildt, said the fact that he kept his illness to himself was no surprise.
"He wouldn't want to burden anyone," Walsh said. "Mike had a good heart, and he believed strongly in helping people. He wasn't your typical politician."
Although he was attracted to the small-town life of Port Townsend, Mr. Hildt wasn't out of politics long. Soon after he moved to the Olympic Peninsula, he was persuaded to take a job as executive assistant to the mayor and later became the city's first city administrator. He resigned in 1998 and had been working as a consultant to public agencies throughout the region. In 1999, he earned his master's degree in business from the University of Washington.
Although he left Seattle, Mr. Hildt remained close to his former colleagues. "He was one of the best we've ever had down there," said former Councilman Paul Kraabel. "He was intellectually honest and a pleasure to work with."
He said one of Mr. Hildt's passions was snuffing out smoking in public places. And he was instrumental in forcing the city's building department to post huge signs letting people know a land-use decision was under way.
Former Mayor Norm Rice said his anti-smoking passion was typical of Mr. Hildt's commitment to issues important to him.
"Once he got to a cause, he was relentless," Rice said. "I don't think we would have had protection of the neighborhoods we have today if not for Michael Hildt. He's the quintessential person who really believes in public service in the best sense of the word."
In his self-authored obituary, Mr. Hildt said two of his favorite sayings were, "There's nothing worse than the truth told at the wrong time" and "It's amazing what you can achieve if you don't care who gets the credit."
He also had a whimsical side. He and his wife entered Port Townsend's Kinetic Sculpture Race, where entrants had to build a vehicle that could travel on land, water and in the mud. The award, the "mediocre" prize, goes to the driver who finishes in the middle of the pack. While the Hildtmobile didn't win, Gates Hildt said they did win the best-teamwork award.
Mr. Hildt was devoted to his 6-year-old grandson Javin Reid, who lives in Port Townsend. He traveled to India with his son-in-law to adopt the baby.
"They spent every waking hour together," said Gates Hildt. "Now Javin has a guardian angel."
Other survivors include his daughter, Kristen Reid, of Port Angeles.
At Mr. Hildt's request there will be no services. Memorials can be sent to his grandson's school, Olympic Range Carden Academy, 62 Ash Loop, Port Townsend, WA 98368, where a fund has been established in Mr. Hildt's name.