Masters has grown into leader role

It’s always interesting to watch public officials grow in office.
Elected, sworn in, they often don’t know what the heck they are doing.
Sometimes — far too often — they learn that they ran for the wrong office in the first place.
But the best of them grow.
That’s certainly the case with Mike Masters, the insurance agent who holds the city of Dunkirk seat on the Jay School Board.
When Masters was first elected, observers sometimes had trouble figuring out what was on his mind. He asked a lot of questions, but sometimes the queries seemed cryptic, and sometimes you had to wonder what he was driving at.
But over time, that has changed.
What was on his mind — then and now — was fiscal responsibility for the school corporation. And if his questions seemed cryptic early on, it’s because he was still sorting his way through public education finances and because he was still building a level of trust with the people who were providing the figures.
Today, there’s nothing cryptic about where Mike Masters is coming from. He wants the best education possible for Jay County’s public school students, and he wants to see that goal reached with the best possible bang for the buck for Jay County taxpayers.
Sure, he has a special spot in his heart for students from the west side of the county. But his larger goals involve every kid in every part of the county.
For the past year, Masters has found himself in the role of president of the Jay School Board. It was a role that occasionally seemed like a rough fit. He hadn’t sought out leadership, but it had been thrust upon him. Sometimes, he looked as if he’d be much more comfortable on the sidelines.
But he led. And in doing so, he’s managed to help find the center — the unspoken consensus — on a variety of issues.
He has also managed to maintain a civility of discussion that many in our government would be wise to emulate. Voices are heard, but voices are seldom raised. Tough decisions are made, but they’re made with open minds.
This week, the Jay School Board decided Mike Masters should continue to be its leader. From our standpoint, that looks like one smart choice. —J.R.