In an age when it is hip to be cynical about government, let's recognize the progress unfolding in front of our eyes in Kaka'ako on the Honolulu Waterfront.

The concept was born well over 20 years ago, with Marilyn Bornhorst taking John Waihee down to the old city dump, 'ewa of Point Panic. Right there in the midst of cracked toilet bowls, rusted mattress springs and the rubble of 100 years, she asked him to imagine the possibilities for the future.

That is what I first thought of as I attended the dedication of the John A. Burns School of Medicine in Kaka'ako. I remembered the architectural competition in the late '80s to create the initial vision for the waterfront. The dream was to create from the Waikiki neck all the way to the Aloha Tower Marketplace a variety of land uses — from industrial fishing to educational, cultural and recreational to commercial. Some day we would be able to walk along a pathway of that beautiful coastline and get a full experience of life where land meets sea.

This was followed by the development of the waterfront park in the John Waihee years and the opening of the Hawai'i Children's Discovery Center led by another Waihee, Lynne. Along came a new administration with fewer bucks to spend and a tough-guy governor who turned his truculence into determination in the name of a premiere university medical center atop what was once a wasteland. Ben Cayetano saw it and he did it.

Moving forward, Gov. Linda Lingle's talk at the commemoration along with her administration's recently announced development plans for Kaka'ako confirm that this vision is sustained and dynamic. Sure it will change, and it should change, in concert with public views and the resources of the government.

So what are the key elements that move this vision forward?

First, though the dumb things that government does are usually immediate in their impact, front-page news and subject to political thrust and parry, the good stuff tends to happen in increments and not be hot news. Good things are also usually the result of more than one administration, party or point of view. They crawl, sleep and sometimes sprint over time. And you have to consciously open your eyes to see them.

Second, no one has a monopoly on a good idea. There was no medical school in the original design for the Kaka'ako Waterfront, but it is now a perfect part of the plan. And just like the building of the Waterfront Park spawned the construction of the medical school, now that it's there, the medical school will spawn new possibilities not thought of before.

Third, enough about the known leaders. There have been teams of talented people over the years making the development possible at the next level down. I'm talking about Harold Matsumoto, Rex Johnson, Jan Yokota, Sam Callejo, Allan Ah San and many others. Dutifully they listened to speeches about vision and then implemented it with blueprints and shovels, sometimes beating back the bureaucracy they served and bringing home the project. No plaques for these guys, but we really need them.

And finally, a strong sense of common purpose will trump the prevailing skepticism about government, if we make it a real expectation of our leaders. So let's fight back the tendency to put the lowest common denominator of public opinion on a pedestal and ask for more. Let's place the proper value on competent and steadfast public servants who can see the future even when it's years away.

As a result, maybe we find a cure for disease at our medical center. Or maybe, we are able to walk along that waterfront coastline, stem to stern, and drink in the latest setting sun.

Chuck Freedman, vice president of corporate relations for Hawaiian Electric Co., was a spokesman for former Gov. John Waihee.