Working in California politics for 30 years, I’ve seen a lot. My first boss died at sea a few days after his re-election. A close ally was thrown from office and imprisoned for bribery. I gradually transformed from usually loyal Republican to left-of-center Democrat.

Not much in politics surprises me any more. However, Dick Murphy’s decision to step down is something new in politics: an act of grace.

Like Charlton Heston’s pistol, politicians usually give up their gavel only when it is pried from their cold, dead hand. But not Murphy.

I disagreed with the mayor on several issues – most notably his vote to renew the Balboa Park Boy Scout lease and refusal to oppose a constitutional amendment barring same-sex marriage.

But I’ve never agreed with anyone on everything, even my personal favorite, Bill Clinton.

Because many in our community will remember Dick Murphy solely for our disagreements, I’d like to offer an alternative view about this intelligent and gentle person as he steps aside with poise and dignity.

In government, people are policy. Murphy proved that merit and inclusion would be his sole criteria for selecting advisors and commissioners. Some of his appointments included:

Toni Atkins, the first LGBT person to serve as deputy mayor.

Julia Legaspi, the first transgender person appointed a city commissioner, to the Citizens Equal Opportunity Commission.

David Watson to chair the Citizens’ Task Force on Chargers Issues, helping to end the ticket guarantees.

Kevin Tilden and Robert Gleason, both past chairs of The Center, to the San Diego Convention Center Corporation Board. Tilden now also chairs the subsidiary that operates the Civic Theater and is renovating Balboa Theater.

Jennifer LeSar to the Centre City Development Corporation’s Board of Directors.

Nicole Murray-Ramirez to the City Human Relations Commission

Other highly qualified LGBT advisors and commissioners like Linda Barufaldi, Doug Case, Jeff Dunigan, Jess Durfee, Jeffery Evans, Jan Garbosky, Robert Grinchuk, Charlie Herzfeld, Peter Janopaul, Rick Kerman, Aida Mancillas, Karen Marshall, Richard Miller, Steve Miller, Big Mike Phillips, Judy Preston, Craig Roberts, Dr. Jerry Schaefer, Charles Reidelbach, Nancy Rodriguez, Arno Safier, Todd Stevens, Jeffery Tom, current chair of The Center Richard Valdez and Pat Washington.

Some in our community see Dick Murphy as our political enemy; they are wrong. Murphy has a strong value system and one of those values is trying to do the right thing as his conscience and philosophy guide him to see right.

Even as trouble with the pension fund became apparent, Murphy voted to add pension benefits for same-sex domestic partners. Murphy also voted to amend the city’s Human Dignity Ordinance, providing legal protections to transgender San Diegans. To help celebrate The Center’s grand re-opening, he gave a community development grant to pay for disability access.

Most likely, few San Diegans will remember that Dick Murphy sorted out the mess at the baseball park, fixed the Charger deal, reduced pollution of our beaches and bay by 60 percent and put people from the LGBT community in positions of power and authority. To many he’ll be remembered only as the poster boy for a pension fund gone awry.

But those who got a chance to work with Murphy will mostly recall an extremely hard-working, fair and compassionate man who did the best he could. And when his best wasn’t good enough to satisfy a troubled and angered public, he had the strength to let go of his power and help our city begin to heal.

Lately San Diego government has sounded like the vicious floor of the U.S. Senate, not America’s Finest City or the land of aloha. Let’s hope other politicians will be humbled by Mayor Murphy’s gracious exit and tone down the verbal pollution.

The sooner we all learn to get along, the sooner we can start rebuilding our city for the decades ahead.