But Ed was not some remote saint whose virtuous life was unattainable to us mortals. We loved Ed because he was very human with a multitude of wonderful vices. (The last time I saw Ed in October, he was mapping out fantasy football trades from his hospital bed.) During many legislative sessions, he held court at Diamond Lil's with Democratic legislators, labor leaders and a few brave Republicans where we gorged on prime rib and apple pie. His hunting follies are the stuff of legend, and he loved visiting Wendover with Karen.

We loved Eddie because he was sincere, real and never deviated from his fundamental philosophy that every person was entitled to dignity, compassion and the opportunity to work. This is not a new concept. Indeed, three weeks from now many of us will be celebrating the birthday of another activist who articulated similar beliefs.

Goodbye, Eddie. We will miss you.

Webb: As I have worked with candidates and clients over the years, I've often thought about what makes a terrific political leader. I don't believe there is a perfect formula or personality type for either political or business success. A variety of types of people can be high achievers in the political and business worlds if they have the smarts, gumption and are willing to work extremely hard.

But clearly certain character traits are requisite for a long and successful career in politics. One is simple genuineness. People like leaders who are who they seem to be, flaws and all. A phony can fool folks for a while, but the real person behind the facade eventually comes through. Voters, over time, are pretty good judges of character.

A second requirement for long-term success is to truly care about people. People can sense if someone cares, particularly by the way they listen. It comes through in how they interact with people, how they work a room, give a speech, work with constituents and deal with problems and crises.

Ed Mayne clearly exemplified those two traits. I was obviously not in his circle of friends, but I interacted with him on many occasions and always found him to be warm, gracious, genuine and willing to listen.

Over the years I have dealt with many people of wealth and power. Some of them were unhappy and miserable.

A great lesson of Mayne's full, rich and happy life is something we all know, but too often forget in our busy, try-to-get-ahead world. It is that in the end what really matters, what is most important, is relationships. Family. Friends. Love. Caring. Service. The simple secrets to a happy and fulfilling life.

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Republican LaVarr Webb was policy deputy to Gov. Mike Leavitt and Deseret News managing editor. He now is a political consultant and lobbyist. E-mail: lwebb@exoro.com. Democrat Frank Pignanelli is Salt Lake attorney, lobbyist and political adviser. A former candidate for Salt Lake mayor, he served 10 years in the Utah House of Representatives, six years as House minority leader. Pignanelli's spouse, D'Arcy Dixon Pignanelli, is a Utah state tax commissioner. E-mail: frankp@xmission.com.