Yakima activist, former City Councilman Ron Bonlender dies at age 68

YAKIMA, Wash. — Ron Bonlender, pugnacious Democratic activist, former Yakima City Council member and downtown businessman, died Friday afternoon of an apparent heart attack. He was 68.

Bonlender was found at his home on North Seventh Street at about 3:30 p.m.

Friends said that Bonlender, who was not publicly known to have serious health problems, had worked at his downtown Sub Shop on Friday morning, but came home early because he did not feel well.

Former City Councilwoman Susan Whitman, speaking for the family, said relatives were not expected to immediately issue a statement. Funeral arrangements will likely be announced next week, Whitman said.

The sudden news shocked those in Democratic circles because Bonlender was practically synonymous with local Democratic politics. On Thursday night, he attended candidate forums and was himself running for a county freeholder position.

"Politics was everything to him. He was always taking on a new project," said Yakima County Auditor Corky Mattingly, who served on the county Democratic central committee when Bonlender was elected chairman of the party's 14th Legislative District almost a decade ago.

Mattingly, who noted that the two did not always see eye-to-eye, said Bonlender's election losses and political fights did not diminish his energy for civic engagement and public and community service. He recently hosted City Council candidates on his cable television show and once suggested local Democrats should have their own radio program.

"Nothing slowed Ron down," Mattingly said.

He lost his first run for the council in 2001. He joined the City Council in 2004, but was defeated in a bid for a second term that involved a bitter feud with opponent Rick Ensey over a political blog written by his wife.

Ensey later admitted during the campaign that his wife was behind the blog that falsely accused Bonlender of drunken driving.

Bonlender sued for defamation and the parties settled.

As a council member, Bonlender targeted blight, pursuing efforts to remove graffiti and force residents to remove vehicles from their lawns.

He also wanted to create a vibrant downtown and championed "cruise the avenue" events and an annual downtown celebration on New Year's Eve.

An entrepreneur, he owned the Sub Shop of Yakima chain, which included a downtown outlet, and was a past president of the Apple Valley Kiwanis.

At a City Council meeting in 2008, code enforcement officers jokingly presented him with doctored photos that showed his house covered with graffiti.

"I'm proud of what we've accomplished, and we have moved the city forward," he said at the time, adding, "It's been an honor to serve here -- I'll be watching you guys on Y-PAC."

As he left the council, he reflected in an opinion piece written for the Yakima Herald-Republic that he had enjoyed his term but would continue with his ultimately successful lawsuit against the Enseys over the blog posts.

"I think it is unhealthy for our city to be controlled solely by one political party, Republican or Democratic," he wrote.

This year, he filed for a freeholder spot on the panel that would consider changing Yakima County's form of government. He described that chance as exciting.

"I don't like the way the county operates. Power is concentrated in too few hands and there is too little input," Bonlender said.

Before joining the City Council, he served on city committees responsible for reviewing code enforcement actions and capital projects.

In 2006, Bonlender ran against Charles Ross, R-Naches, for a seat in the state House of Representatives. He was easily defeated even though he outspent Ross and highlighted his platform of economic development.

Bonlender, who drove a Toyota Prius hybrid car, cast himself as a moderate interested in cutting unneccesary taxes.

He was among the top contributors to the liberal-leaning theothersideonline.net blog, where he often critiqued local politics.

Bonlender frequently challenged Yakima publisher Bruce Smith, an adviser to conservatives and Republican campaigns.

Smith on Friday evening recalled Bonlender as a committed, active member of the community.

"Clearly, Ron and I were on different ends of the political spectrum, but his passing is a tragedy," Smith said.

"There's no denying his heart was in what he did and there's no denying his commitment to the community."

Despite his political activism, family came first for Bonlender and his wife, Kathi, Mattingly said.

Longtime Yakima residents, the couple have six children and numerous grandchildren.

One of his sons, Brian, is chief of staff for Democratic Congressman Jay Inslee, the former Selah resident who now represents Bainbridge Island and is running for governor.

Bonlender attended inaugurations for both presidents Clinton and Obama.

"This is going to be emotional because of Barack Obama being the first black president," he told the Herald-Republic in advance of the Obama ceremony, where he ended up about 100 yards away from the swearing-in. "That's something none of us ever thought we would see in our lifetimes."

Paul George, a former Yakima mayor and longtime Democratic official, said Bonlender came to the Yakima Valley in the 1980s from Chicago, where he was a union shop steward.

Bonlender believed in Yakima and in the Democratic Party, where he was never afraid to express his ideas, George said.

"The community lost a really, really good guy. This guy was one of the pillars of our community," George said.

* Information from Herald-Republic archives is included in this report.

* Mark Morey can be reached at 509-577-7671 or mmorey@yakimaherald.com.