As John Ladenburg winds up his tenure as Pierce County executive, what should we make of his eight years in office?

I’ve posed that question to more than two dozen local political, business and community leaders. Now I’m asking Political Buzz readers.

I’m working on an article about Ladenburg’s time in office. I’ve been asking folks to list his top accomplishments as well as mistakes or missed opportunities. I’ve received some interesting responses.

The folks who have responded so far often mention Chambers Bay Golf Course as a top Ladenburg accomplishment. Others talk about his attention to regional economic development and transportation issues.

More than one respondent mentioned Ladenburg’s leadership style as both an asset and a flaw. They say he brought a former county prosecutor’s aggressiveness to the executive’s job. That style could win political arguments but also make enemies.

Feel free to post your own thoughts. To get the conversation started, here’s a thoughtful response to my question written by Bryan Flint, executive director of Tahoma Audubon.

Despite our disagreements on the cross-base highway our members feel that John Ladenburg is the most environmentally minded County Executive Pierce County has had. Some of the accomplishments include: purchasing of floodplain for salmon habitat and flood control, championing low impact development, a county wide tree protection ordinance, championing the bonding of conservation futures so that we could buy larger pieces of habitat, and pushing for farm protections. The executive was willing to stand up to the development community on key issues in the Directions package, that now does a better job of protecting streams, wetlands and natural areas. When it came time to hire a new parks director, Ladenburg listened to our concerns and even let the conservation community interview the top candidates and give input. His ultimate decision replaced an all-ball-fields-all-the-time director with one who truly values the natural parks and their potential. Even his controversial golf course, if it pans out financially, will fund an environmental learning center.

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We have not always agreed with the Executive but believe in giving credit where credit is dues and applaud the work he has done to protect the environment. At his inauguration speech to begin his second term over 50% of his speech was given to environmental accomplishments and goals for the future. I hope that his two terms will be seen for that important work. It truly is a legacy that can outlast any man made accomplishments.

His leadership style is that of a prosecutor. By that I mean he decided his position early, never wavered and spent most of his energy prosecuting his case. It is a style that made him hard to work with at times. He did not appear to consult with a lot of people before making up his mind and then there was no changing it. It is a strong style that served him well, and also got in his way. The certainty of his position can blind him, leaving him vulnerable to being out foxed.

I think you are well aware of the battle we had over the cross-base highway. One thing I learned from that was not to take Ladenburg on unless you are ready for the toughest political fight of your life. He will unleash the dogs.

Bottom line, John Ladenburg is a strong and good public servant who has a deep sense of justice mixed with an insatiable drive to leave a legacy. He is willing to take risks and fight for what he believes in. While he could use some listening skills, we could use more leaders like him.