After all, it survived tens of gallons of ice-cold water dumped on them from a bucket loader during Wilmington’s Festival of Colors. Jay Supervisor Randy Douglas, Keene Supervisor Bill Ferebee and Wilmington Supervisor Randy Preston were under that bucket, and they all made news this week at the Essex County Board of Supervisors meeting.

Douglas is moving on from local politics, giving up his jobs as town supervisor and county board of supervisors chairman, for a state job. His county vice chairman, Ferebee, was elected as the new county board chairman, and Preston was chosen as the new vice chairman. The torch passes from one amigo to another and then another.

And why not? Ferebee deserves the chance to lead county government, as does Preston in the future. The supervisors from larger towns such as North Elba and Moriah are powerful enough with their weighted votes, so having supervisors from smaller towns in the county’s leadership positions is more than appropriate.

We cannot overstate how much Randy Douglas will be missed, both on the town and county levels. He’s been able to cross aisles and work magic between local and state governments in order to help build and rebuild his town and the county after natural disasters such as Tropical Storm Irene. He’s been the No. 1 cheerleader for the town of Jay, all of Essex County and the Adirondack Park. Someday, if he’s so inclined, we’d support him for higher office in Albany or Washington. For now, we’ll just wish him the best in all his endeavors and thank him for his service, above and beyond the call of duty. Thanks, Randy, for everything.

We’re also confident that he left county government in good hands, with the amigos from Keene and Wilmington. And we wish Bill Ferebee and Randy Preston the best in their new roles.