A smile that leaves a void (5/11/04)

Cynics assure us that nice guys and politics don’t mix.

But those folks never met Bob Davenport.

The former mayor of Dunkirk was one of the least likely politicians you could imagine. He was also one heck of a nice guy.

We first met Bob several years ago, doing a story on one of his mission trips for the Nazarene Church. It was something he loved to do, and his enthusiasm was infectious.

Anyone who talked with him about his missions work knew that Bob’s wide grin and bright eyes had made an impression on countless others. He was an ambassador for his faith and for his community.

As mayor, Bob sometimes found his niceness making the job more difficult. He hated to have someone leave a meeting or his office unhappy, and sometimes that desire to please complicated the decision-making process.

Bob is the only public official we’ve ever known who would publicly acknowledge that he’d turned to prayer to try to resolve a neighborhood parking problem.

And he made the acknowledgment in total sincerity; anyone who knew Bob knew that he was simply telling the truth.

In Dunkirk’s churches and coffee shops, there will be Bob Davenport stories traded this week.

For the past several weeks, the conversation has often turned to his deteriorating health.

For our part, we’ll remember that smile. — J.R.

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