The North Kitsap Herald Editorial Advisory Board finally caught up with our new commissioner last week. And even battling a full blown cold, he shone.

To say Steve Bauer came off polished during our hour and half sit down is an understatement. It was difficult to believe that he’s only served in the capacity for a few months.

Of course, he’s been serving North Kitsap area causes for much longer.

With his extensive and impressive list of accomplishments on both the local and state level, Commissioner Bauer has a firm grasp on what it takes to get the job done.

Bauer is highly educated and extremely articulate. He’s also already developing quite a broad fan base and seems to be more than willing to extend his hand across the partisan line to give a hearty handshake.

He has a realistic view of where North Kitsap is now, why it is struggling with growth, its infrastructure and best yet — where it seems to be heading. As Bauer put it, while the North End and Bainbridge have developed as bedroom communities to higher paying jobs on the east side, the time will indeed come when such businesses begin to land in Kitsap as state ferries costs become more and more exorbitant.

Until then, though, “I like that we’re not smokestack chasing,” he said of development before adding, “We need to concentrate on the businesses that are already here.”

He’s put 5,000 miles on his car in Kitsap in the past two months and seems to be picking his battles wisely as opposed to making empty promises.

Bauer admitted that the in the wake of Initiative 747, and like that of the Kitsap Regional Library, the county budget is in pretty sorry shape after being spent down over the past several years. On this note, he didn’t apologize for suggesting that the county cut services in order to make its financial point with the public.

He estimated that 40 county positions would need to be axed as the commissioners mulled difficult decisions in terms of expenditures versus level of service.

But on this note, Bauer said, from his perspective it made more sense to let the public help determine what is kept and what is cut in that doing everything mediocre would simply further weaken how the government does business in Kitsap — something he said would prove counterproductive in the long run.

In his short tenure, Bauer is already being praised as a refreshing change that was helping with the commissioners’ group dynamics.

“I hear we’re working well,” he said. “I feel we’re working well.”

His 14 years as a lobbyist and the idea that “Your adversary today is your ally tomorrow,” is definitely helping build bridges in Port Orchard as well.

But above all, it was Bauer’s sense of duty to the people of Kitsap County that we found impressive. He was retired and financially stable before he agreed to fill out former Commissioner Chris Endresen’s term after all.

And while he’ll be missing out on some prime sailing, his other passion of serving the public is helping propel him through the turbulent and changing waters of county government.

We welcome him aboard and thank him for taking such a chance.