Robert Michael Isaac

West Point, 1951

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Jose A. "Andy" Chacon on October 14, 2008:

Robert Michael Isaac Born January 27, 1928 - Died May 2, 2008 Robert Michael "Ike and/or Bob" Isaac was born in Colorado on January 27 1928. He was appointed to West Point from the Third Congressional District of Colorado. His classmates had Ike pretty well pegged way back in 1951. This is what they had to say about him: "Here is a man whose very likeness should be carved on the bow of a four-masted schooner. Effortlessly a hive, Ike found time in abundance to assist the less endowed of us. A billiards ace of considerable proportions, a dasher with the ladies, a connoisseur of the higher arts and of good horseflesh, Ike doubtless will someday, cigar firmly clenched between his teeth, lead the pack." Whoever penned those words was right on target. On graduation, Ike went in the Infantry and after attending the Basic Officers Course at Fort Benning served as a Company grade officer with an Infantry Regiment. In 1957, he resigned his commission to pursue a career in Law. He obtained the LLB degree from the University of Southern California in 1962 and from then on it was as his classmates had predicted, "cigar firmly clenched between his teeth, leading the pack." Ike served as Deputy City Attorney, Assistant District Attorney, then later as Municipal Court Judge of the City of Colorado Springs, Colorado. From 1975 to 1979 Ike was a member of the City Council and in 1979 was elected as Mayor of Colorado Springs and served for eighteen years. He also served as President of the National Mayors Association. The May 1991 Assembly noted, "From CO Springs Hank Evans brings late news of '51's favorite western mayor. Bob Isaac, that city's mayor since 79, will seek another term; we wish him our best and look forward to seeing him and Carolyn in May." He resigned unexpectedly effective 17 January 1997. The Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph carried the news and paid many tributes to Bob's outstanding service. To quote just one, "He's cared so much about this city. He's really made incredible contributions above and beyond what a city necessarily has a right to expect from a Mayor." To that we add, Well done, Mayor Bob. Upon his retirement, Bob was a Radio talk show host, did some consulting, and taught American Government at Pikes Peak Community College. Bob, err, Ike, made his home in Colorado Springs, CO. The Gazette reported: May 2, 2008 - 6:19PM By RICH LADEN and WAYNE HEILMAN THE GAZETTE Bob Isaac loved his hometown of Colorado Springs. And during nearly two decades as mayor starting in 1979, a time when he dominated the political landscape with his forceful personality and keen intellect, much of the community returned the favor. City voters appreciated his years of dedication as an unpaid, volunteer leader. Frugal taxpayers liked his meat-and-potatoes approach touting basic city services and low taxes. "My goal as mayor," Isaac wrote in an essay on his personal and public life, "has been to serve the community and to see it improve - to see the environment maintained and to see Colorado Springs become a place where people enjoy living and working." Robert Michael Isaac, the most powerful politician and influential community voice for a generation of Colorado Springs residents, died Friday from complications of pneumonia. He was 80. "He did not have in mind his self-interest," said Jim Colvin, the retired city attorney who worked with Isaac for years. "His self-interest was the city's interest." Known to most simply as "Mayor Bob," Isaac was the son of an immigrant father who went on to become a West Point graduate, lawyer, assistant district attorney, judge, civic leader and, finally, the mayor of a city where residents often view government with suspicion. Isaac, however, had a style, personality and upbringing that bridged the gap between politicians and the public. As mayor, he advocated no-frills public works projects such as roads, power plants, water delivery systems and, most significantly, a new Colorado Springs Airport that opened in 1994 and whose terminal building was named in his honor. He influenced city colleagues with his vast knowledge and expertise on local, state and federal issues, which allowed him to dominate City Council meetings, steer votes his way and, on a broader level, win support among state legislators and federal bureaucrats. An accomplished debater, he often used a quick wit and dry humor to appeal to supporters and knock opponents off balance. Local residents saw Isaac as one of their own. He grew up here, went to local schools and returned after college. City voters elected him as a councilman in 1975, then as mayor four years later. He won reelection four times before he retired in January 1997, with two years left on his last term. "The man was a man of very strong integrity," said current Colorado Springs Mayor Lionel Rivera, who was Isaac's campaign manager during his re-election campaign in 1991. "A very strong leader. If you looked at the things he accomplished as mayor, he has a couple of things named after him. The airport terminal is an indication of the work and effort he put in to get that thing built." For all of his ballot-box popularity, Isaac had critics. They accused him of stubbornness, political gamesmanship and, at times, a confrontational manner. Colorado Springs' form of government calls for nine elected council members to serve as a board of directors, setting policy for a city manager and staff of professional administrators. Critics complained Isaac transformed the part-time mayor's job into a full-time office and sought to run day-to-day city affairs, even though he was supposed to be only one of the nine equal voices on the council. "I'm really glad Bob Isaac is our mayor," Dottie Harman, a member of the City's Planning Commission, said of Isaac many years ago, "even though I resent his style." Isaac was born Jan. 27, 1928. His father, Al, a Lebanese immigrant, came to Colorado Springs in the early 1920s from upper Michigan along with his brother, Mike. They started a small business - Isaac Brothers Jewelers. "Dad fixed watches, and Uncle Mike fixed clocks," Isaac said of the pair, whom he described as his childhood heroes. Isaac grew up just off South Nevada Avenue in Ivywild, when Colorado Springs was a city of neighborhoods, not subdivisions. He attended Ivywild Elementary School, South Junior High (since razed and now the site of the Police Operations Center) and graduated from Colorado Springs - now Palmer - High School in 1945. After graduating from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and a stint in the infantry, Isaac entered law school at the University of Southern California. He graduated, returned to Colorado Springs in 1962, and entered private practice. Shortly after, his public service began when he was named an assistant city attorney. In 1965, he became an assistant district attorney for the 4th Judicial District, and then the presiding judge of Colorado Springs' municipal court. It was during this time that Isaac built a reputation as the favorite son who had embarked on a career that mixed public service and community activism. In addition to his early work as an attorney and judge, Isaac headed YMCA building efforts, served as president of an organization for disabled children and adults and actively led attempts to build a convention center in the 1970s. In 1975, he was elected to a four-year term on the City Council. That year, voters made an important change to the city's electoral process. Up to that point, voters elected the nine-member council, and council members chose the mayor from within their ranks. A change to the City Charter put the mayor's election in the public's hands starting in 1979. Isaac ran for mayor that year and won handily. He became a takecharge political leader from the start. For instance, in the late 1970s, Isaac led the fight to annex the Broadmoor area in southwest Colorado Springs. At the time, residents of the posh neighborhoods enjoyed city services, but weren't paying city taxes. Eventually, the dispute went to court and the city prevailed over residents who had opposed the annexation. The fight left many southwest side residents embittered toward him for years. It was the first of many decisions Isaac made for what he felt was the good of the community, regardless of opposition or political repercussions. He opposed annexation of the Banning Lewis Ranch in 1988 because of its massive, 20,000-acre size; argued with council colleagues over who would make the best city manager; and wanted to build a convention center downtown at a time when civic leaders supported a sports arena, which voters overwhelmingly rejected. "Every time you take a position on principle, people are going to distort motives," Isaac said in a 1984 interview. "If you hear all the input, make your decision and it's what you consider to be a vital decision for the future of your community, you have an obligation to do everything you can to bring it about under the law, and stick with it. And when you do that, you make some enemies. And that's unfortunate." A fiscally conservative Republican, Isaac usually sought more money for government when it was for key pieces of infrastructure to serve a growing community. He advocated major road projects, such as the U.S. Highway 24 Bypass on the city's south side, street upgrades around Peterson Air Force Base and an extension of Powers Boulevard near the Colorado Springs Airport. He supported the building of the Ray Nixon Power Plant south of town, as well as the Homestake project that brings water to the Springs via a system of mountain reservoirs and pipelines. Isaac's signature accomplishment was the Colorado Springs Airport, which opened in October 1994. He led the fight in the early 1980s for the airport at a time when many people wondered why the city needed a bigger facility. He traveled to Washington, D.C., frequently, lobbying the federal government for money and regulatory approvals to build the airport. City residents supported his vision, backing the project in a pair of public votes. In 2002, council members named the terminal building for him. The city's downtown municipal courthouse also was named in his honor. "Greater than any single project that he enabled to materialize was his laserlike focus on what was best for the long-term interest of the community," said Colorado Springs developer Steve Schuck. "He had extraordinary vision and was valiant and courageous in his conviction. His leadership will benefit many more generations than those who happened to be here while he was in office. But Isaac wasn't just a policy maker. He connected with rank-and-file residents and voters because of us upbringing. Colvin, the former city attorney, said Isaac's childhood on the city's south side - not the tony North End - made him appreciated by local residents. Isaac enjoyed shooting pool, carousing at the exclusive El Paso Club in downtown Colorado Springs but also enjoyed fishing, played racquetball and cheered on the Denver Broncos, Colorado Springs Sky Sox and other favorite sports teams. Tall and solidly built, Isaac was married and divorced three times, and was the father of five children. His gravelly voice came from years of smoking and drinking. "He connected with both sides of town, and I think that's why Bob was in touch with everybody," Colvin said. "He came from everywhere. When it came to politics, Isaac also made some controversial decisions. In 1980, as a Republican, he endorsed Democrat Gary Hart for the U.S. Senate, which angered his GOP colleagues for years. Yet in 1990, he was asked by many Republicans to challenge incumbent Democratic Gov. Roy Romer, a request Isaac eventually turned down. In the 1980s, he supposedly had opportunities to move to Washington, D.C., to serve in the Reagan administration, but rejected them in favor of remaining mayor and living in the Springs. His toughest re-election bid in the city came in 1991, when he defeated then-City Councilwoman Mary Ellen McNally and a handful of lesser candidates. She described him Friday as a brilliant strategist who wanted was best for the city. Others echoed that sentiment. "Rather than focus on any specific project or limit his legacy to a particular project, his greatest legacy is his selfless and principled commitment to the community's interest," Schuck said. "His most important contribution was his obsession and preoccupation with doing what was right in the long term and big picture despite opposition, resistance and personal attacks he would suffer. He was extraordinary in that regard." DAMCGANN@AOL.com wrote: Comments on Bob Isaac's Services in Colorado Springs (COS), Friday, May 9, 2008, follow. The family of "Mayor Bob" Isaac and the people of COS opened their hearts in showing their love, respect and admiration for our distinguished classmate. What a TRIBUTE! Old Glory was at half staff on all city and state buildings. Well deserved testimony was paid at two beautiful services -- one a Private ceremony at Grace and St. Stephen's Church conducted by The Rev. Donald Armstrong and the public service at The City Auditoriam of Colorado Springs directly across the street from "The Robert M. Isaac Municipal Court House" with Pastor Matt Heard officiating. Bob was the first Mayor of COS elected by the people. Previous Mayors were selected by the City Council. He diligently served in this non-salaried position for nearly 20 years (1979 - 1997). Actually, he was elected for two more years than he served but chose not to serve the last two. As one of the most popular and successful Mayors in the country, Bob was elected President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Classmate Frank Fischl, Mayor of Allentown, PA also served on this Conference. The church where the Private Communion Services was conducted is a gorgeous church. The service was dignified, beautiful, and yet, warm. It was followed by a short service at the Columbarium where Bob's ashes will reside. Rev. Armstrong obviously knew Bob rather well. He commented on his being strong willed -- and had made some suggestions to him about running the church -- but he also added he was most compassionate. However, we were left wondering whether Bob may not now be suggesting to God how to run heaven. There was a Memorial Procession from the church to the City Auditorium directly across from the magnificent "Robert M. Isaac Municipal Court House." Both the building dedication and a funeral procession are rare honors. (Note: The COS Airport Terminal is also named after Bob.) The procession was lead by a sparkling 1867 James Cunningham & Sons Antique Funeral Coach powered by a 13-year-old horse named Lady. The Coach carried Bob's ashes. The family followed in 4 Limos. Behind were friends. Again Pastor Matt Heard officiated with opening and closing prayers and comments. He covered spiritual and living considerations eloquently. The present COS Mayor Lionel Rivera and Sally Clark a County Commissioner had known Bob very well and worked with him through the years. He was described as a mentor, confident and treasured friend to both. Their comments were glowing and masterfully presented. I said a few words and recognized classmates and wives present: Ernie Rose, Lew Casbon, Bob and Mary Ann Chapman and my wife Elaine. Stated was the fact that all classmates from CO -- indeed ALL classmates -- were there in SPIRIT. On behalf of all classmates to Bob's entire family, I offered our deepest sympathy, condolences and prayers. Our purpose today however is to honor Bob, to reflect on and celebrate his life. His sense of humor was magnificent; His accomplishments astounding; And he was a giant among his peers. Bob should certainly be proud of his extraordinary legacy -- his 5 children. They and his sister Helen have just been wonderful. Some have attended the class of '51 COMINI'S (CO Mini reunions timed for the A-AF football games). In more recent times Helen and Tiffany have kept us informed of Bob's condition and gotten emails from classmates to him at the Printer Union Home. Leslie's obituary appeared in "The Gazette", local COS Newspaper as extremely well done and most helpful. Her well worded comment "His intelligence, integrity, and firm sense of ethics earned him the respect of both political parties" was a theme common to a number of the speakers. I related it to Duty, Honor, Country. A few words about the Printers Union Home is appropriate. This is where Bob stayed in his final year(s). While Buzz Aldren was in COS for a NASA Convention, Ernie Rose and I joined him to visit Bob. He was just okay physically, seemed alright mentally and his sense of humor was always evident. They were proud that the Mayor was their guest. Yesterday about 10 of their workers attended the service at the Auditorium. Another tribute! The best for last. Outstanding among the speakers were Bob's children. It is not easy to talk about one's Dad at his funeral, but they did it as a team and did it extremely well. Additionally, though we can not yet disclose names or specifics about an old rumor, it now can be reclassified as a happening. It involves the NAVY GOAT. Current confirmed testimony reveals -- "IT DID APPEAR". In closing for Bob's entire family but especially for his children Leslie, Julie, Melissa, Tiffany and Chance, and his sister Helen, our thoughts, best wishes and prayers are with each of you. We love you all and -- God Bless, Don

admin