Some Personal Reflections On Dick Bolender

I was as shocked and saddened as anyone when I heard the news Sunday morning that Oak Creek Mayor Dick Bolender had passed away.

My deepest condolences go out to his family and friends and particularly his wife, Chris, whom I've gotten to know over the last year and is one of the warmest people I have ever met. I can only imagine what they must be going through after a death that sudden.

If you'll indulge me, I'd like to offer a few personal thoughts on my experience with the mayor.

I've often told friends and colleagues that Dick Bolender was one of the most colorful and fascinating people I have ever covered in my career.

And more importantly, one of the most honest.

Dick certainly did not seem to have a filter between his thoughts and his words. As a reporter, I loved that. He was a quote machine. I could never make up quotes as good as the ones that he said, either in interviews with me or in the public domain. His off-the-record conversations were even more entertaining.

He was always brutally honest. And I hope people can appreciate that, even if they got ticked off or annoyed by it (and believe me, there were many who did). It's a quality that is all too rare with elected officials.

That's part of why I enjoyed talking with Dick so much. I spoke with him, on average, about once a week. Sometimes for just a few minutes, sometimes for an hour or more. Obviously I needed his perspective as mayor, as well information about what was happening with various Oak Creek issues. But I also just simply liked talking with him. He always had interesting things to say and never beat around the bush on anything, ever.

I , but one of the things I found so fascinating about him was that his politics could be so diverse. On the surface, he was unapologetically Republican, but at the same time, I've always felt he served as mayor in a very progressive way. He never shied away from the fact that Oak Creek was shedding its agricultural roots, urging people to embrace change and the inevitably of growth.

And this was a guy who still owned his farm. He had that kind of intelligence that he could look objectively at things and put aside his own personal feelings.

The other thing I will always remember, and appreciate, was his accessibility, something I picked up on the first time I met him back in the summer of 2009.

He always returned my calls and answered every question I ever had. Not only did he understand the media-government dynamic and what I was trying to accomplish, but he genuinely seemed respectful of the press' role as a watchdog.

Even when I would write stories that didn't paint city government in a positive light, he understood it and knew that it just came with the territory. I always got the sense that he would rather have a lot of news stories written about the city, even if some could be perceived as negative, than no news stories about Oak Creek at all.

At the end of nearly every conversation, he would tell me, "Anytime you need anything or got any questions, just give me a call." He did so again Wednesday when I talked to him . It would be the last time I talked with him.

Honesty and accessibility. As a journalist, that's all I can ask of public officials. Whenever I think of Dick Bolender, those will be the first two things I will think of.

May he rest in peace.