A bipartisan mayor who's fond of prayer

The former Seattle Mariners third baseman is a Republican and evangelical Christian minister who has spoken out for legalized immigration and for tax increases to improve public services.

Dave Edler is known for bipartisanship, has urged a conservative Republican to step down from the City Council for dirty campaigning, and has publicly praised a Democrat running for an open state house seat. And recently, he criticized city staff for trying to force porn businesses to move out.

Yet he's so well-liked and popular that even conservative Republican firebrands on the City Council who completely disagree with him on issues like immigration speak about him with marked respect and admiration.

The good-looking, charismatic Edler parlayed his athletic fame, eloquence, and youth coaching triumphs into becoming the head pastor at one of Yakima's largest evangelical churches and the mayor of his home town. His widely praised leadership style blends Alcoholics Anonymous, pop culture, sayings from his legendary baseball coach Bobo Brayton, and lessons from the life of Jesus.

While he often speaks of the importance of faith and prayer, he shuns moral condemnation and generally avoids mixing church and state. He often makes jokes at his own expense, and frequently brings up his own youthful struggles with addiction and with his alcoholic father.

"We start to look for love in all the wrong places," he said in a recent sermon on addiction delivered to an audience of 400 at the Yakima Foursquare Church. "I can sing you Mickey Gilley's song because I danced to it."

Now, having helped Yakima achieve success in crime reduction and economic development, Edler, 51, stands poised to move on to a bigger political stage, observers say. His pro-business stands, combined with his willingness to consider new taxes, belief in the role of government, and support for legalizing undocumented workers give him bipartisan appeal.

On illegal immigration, a hot-button issue in Yakima, Edler says simply: "Building walls and deporting people — that's insanity to me. People have always come to this nation wanting opportunity."

"I think he has the potential for higher office and would have no problem getting elected," says Yakima County Democratic Party chairman Paul George, who served with Edler on the city council. "I would hope he'd run as a Democrat."

Edler, who has aspired to be a U.S. senator since his youth, recently passed up a chance to run for an open state House seat, which many observers believe he could have won handily. He praises both general election candidates, Democrat Vickie Ybarra, the Yakima School Board president, and Republican Norm Johnson, a City Council member, although he has endorsed Johnson.

He notes, however, that he would like to see more Hispanics like Ybarra elected to office in Yakima. Edler explained his decision to pass on the open seat by saying he's enjoying his pastoral and City Council work, and the time wasn't right. He and his Hispanic foster son, the associate pastor at his church, are busy launching a new branch of the church, set to open in October. But Edler says he'll consider such political opportunities in the future.

"He's a true natural leader, and I think he has aspirations to serve at a higher level," says fellow City Council member Neil McClure, also moderate Republican.

If and when he attains higher office, Edler promises to eschew partisan politics and build broad coalitions, as he has done in Yakima during more than four years on the City Council, the last two as mayor. He believes the U.S. political system is "broken" due to excessive partisanship, and that is blocking the nation from solving "the huge issues of our time."

"If anyone could change partisan politics, it would be Dave," McClure says. "He has great presence and is a real calming influence. His strength is standing back and saying, 'Where do we want to go and how do we get there?'"

Wild and headstrong

Edler entered politics in his mid-40s, after playing pro baseball, counseling young people, and leading a large evangelical church. He had a stellar career in American Legion and high school baseball, including pitching his team to the 1975 American Legion World Series championship.

Entering Washington State University (WSU) in 1975, he pitched and played both infield and outfield, helping the Cougars win the Northern Division championship all four years he played. In his second year, he helped the team advance to the College World Series. In his fourth year, he led the Pac-10 in hitting.

But Edler's years as a Cougar — and later as a Mariner — were marked by heavy drinking and drug use. He got chewed out many times by Cougar Coach Brayton for his wild and headstrong ways. Once, Brayton caught his young star using marijuana, but Edler told the coach that his father didn't mind.