As the editor of a thriving nonprofit watching my staff consistently produce stellar work, I am regularly exhilarated.

But as a longtime follower of politics and media, I am saddened every day.

Candidates who are manifestly unqualified for important offices or who are launching nonsensical accusations against opponents. Hypocrisy over honesty, drivel over substance. Plus ça change….

Media outlets that act as handmaidens for private interests or political parties, owned by people so enmeshed in the political and economic fabric that conflicts are inevitable. A president who wants to de-legitimize the press, and despite this being in many ways the golden age of journalism, some organizations are unindicted co-conspirators. The fault, my dear colleagues….

With all of the reasons to lose faith in the essential institutions of government and media, last week gave us two shining examples, one in each sector, of decades-long practitioners who are models of rectitude and dedication. They are like the laser-like drive you hit after enduring a day of spraying the ball all over the course, the shot that gives you determination to come back for another try at this game, the one that makes you believe good things are possible.

Gubernatorial Chief of Staff Mike Willden, who announced his retirement this week after 45 years as the longest-service state employee, and Cy Ryan, the dean of the capital press corps treated shabbily by the Las Vegas Sun but given a second life at the Nevada Appeal, are exemplars of their professions. I have known them both for decades, and I can’t think of anyone in state government or the media I respect more.

I come not to eulogize either of them — Willden will retire but will not be retiring, and Ryan will continue producing cogent copy until his last breath. My purpose here is to say that when I think of them, my faith is revivified in journalism and politics/government.

The indomitable Ray Hagar broke the news of Willden’s retirement, which those close to him realized was inevitable with the end of Gov. Brian Sandoval’s term. I can’t say this about too many people, but I literally do not know anyone who does not respect Willden.

That was in evidence as an outpouring of well-wishers took to social media after Hagar posted his story. Willden’s encyclopedic knowledge of state government, his passion for his various jobs and compassion for people have been his hallmarks.

His influence on policy cannot be overstated, especially during his tenure as the head of the Department of Health and Human Services. Willden not only cared about the people he was charged with serving, but he was always cognizant of doing it in a fiscally responsible way. When there were problems, big and small, you sensed Willden took them to heart.

Take whatever caricature you have of the slothful bureaucrat feeding at the taxpayer trough and think of the opposite and you have Mike Willden. He has been Sandoval’s right-hand, helping steer the similarly no-nonsense but empathetic governor through his tenure.

He would never say it, but I believe Willden played a pivotal role when Sandoval was mulling whether to expand Medicaid. When he became the first Republican governor to do so, Sandoval surely relied heavily on Willden’s knowledge of how health care was being delivered – and not delivered – to the state’s less fortunate.

He also has been very accessible to journalists through the years, willing to explain the arcana of policy while eschewing the politics that affected so many lawmakers in making important decisions. I knew that when I got a call from Willden telling me I was wrong about something (let’s say for the sake of argument this actually happened), it truly had an impact.

There will probably never again be someone like Willden in Nevada government, the unique combination of longevity, knowledge and passion. Whatever his next chapter is, I wish him well.

Ryan is similarly sui generis, a nonpareil government reporter who has been practicing his craft for longer than Willden has been in state government. Now an octogenerian, Ryan can still write crisp, clean prose and his vast storehouse of facts about Carson City is unmatched.

I found out last week that after the Sun shamefully would not accommodate Ryan’s need for some time to deal with health issues, my pal and another great capital scribe, Geoff Dornan, persuaded the folks at the Appeal to give Ryan a freelance gig. Good.

I still vividly remember my first encounter with Ryan in 1986 as a cub political reporter covering a fundraiser at Lake Tahoe for U.S. Senate hopeful Jim Santini. I and other journalists had meekly assented to be placed behind a rope, unable to mingle with guests and seek interviews.

This man approached the gaggle of reporters, looked at the rope and asked what was going on. I explained we had been told to stay behind the rope. I don’t remember his exact words – I believe they were “F—k that!” – and he walked into the crowd and began talking to people.

I don’t know of anyone who has covered a Legislature who has not learned something from Ryan. He has broken so many stories, asked so many piercing questions, framed so many debates.

Every session is the same: Ryan standing in the back of a press conference, his clipboard in hand, suddenly and gruffly barking a question that none of us had thought to ask. And the lawmakers or governor stammering or dodging, and Ryan being relentless.

He has taught me so much over the years, and he probably has no idea how many journalists who are here or passed through Nevada that he has influenced. He is the consummate pro, a lodestar for all of us to follow.

Donald Trump would have you believe all news is f—e. Cy Ryan has been keeping it real for half a century. I hope he keeps doing what he has been doing for many years to come.

The truth is that Willden and Ryan are not exceptions to any rules – most government staffers are diligent and dedicated, most journalists are honest and fair. But as we continue through the campaign season that will feature hollow candidates and tendentious journalists, remember these two men who have set the highest of standards in their chosen professions.

Jon Ralston is the editor of The Nevada Independent. He has been covering Nevada politics for more than 30 years. Contact him at [email protected]. On Twitter: @ralstonreports