Politics has been called the art of the possible, but possibilities don't become probabilities without somebody playing all the angles. Those somebodies are legislators, and it is understandable that they get the reputation of being wheeler-dealers (if we like what they're doing) and connivers (if we don't). They make compromises, you see, which seems somehow disreputable if not downright shady.

We tend to forget that most legislators are hardworking people who do see their service as a calling and try to ably and faithfully represent the people who send them. Sometimes, it takes the abrupt and unexpected departure of one of the good ones to remind us of all that.

The departure of Sen. Robert Meeks, R-LaGrange, is such a reminder. He announced that he won't seek a sixth term because of health concerns due to a partially blocked artery in 2007 and a stroke in February.

Actually, what he said was that his doctor gave him a death sentence if he continued working in the legislature. And he put this spin on it, which is an indication of why he is admired in the General Assembly: He said his body “won't allow him to perform his job” at the level his colleagues and the people deserve.

One of those admirers is House Speaker Patrick Bauer, D-South Bend, who has negotiated several two-year state budgets with Meeks. “He studies the issues, he was fair, he looked out for the best interest of the state. Your word is important around here, and you could absolutely take him at his word.”

As the Associated Press put it, “Meeks earned his respect the old-fashioned way - by working hard, talking straight, being upfront, keeping his word.”

Much of his hard work was on fiscal matters, at which he became expert and on which he was a ferocious watchdog. “There is no money,” he became famous for saying, as he helped the state dig itself out of a financial hole. He was “pretty much the Rock of Gibraltar in the Statehouse on the budget for three or four years. He has been the guy who said no,” says Senate Tax Chairman Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville. He even said no to Gov. Mitch Daniels, who wanted more authority in the toll-road lease than Meeks thought he should have.

Meeks will be hard to replace. If we're to continue having a citizen legislature - and we certainly should want to - we need to keep getting the best citizens to serve. Meeks has certainly been one of those.