Hollister
– District 3 Supervisor Candidate Ron Stubblefield died suddenly
Monday after suffering an apparent heart attack.
Hollister – District 3 Supervisor Candidate Ron Stubblefield died suddenly Monday after suffering an apparent heart attack.
Stubblefield, a 56-year-old retired UPS driver and former Hollister planning commissioner, was working in the yard of his Hollister home Monday afternoon when he told his wife he was having chest pains and feeling short of breathe, said San Benito County Coroner Bryan Penney. His wife, Vivian, called 911 around 2pm Monday afternoon and Stubblefield was taken to Hazel Hawkins Hospital shortly thereafter. Emergency room doctors attempted to resuscitate him, but failed. Stubblefield was pronounced dead at 2:38pm, Penney said. The exact cause of death is not known pending autopsy results. Penney said Stubblefield did not have prior medical problems and that his death was unexpected.
“He was always in good spirits and he never had a bad word to say about anyone,” said long-time friend Marvin Jones. “It was a shock, he was only 56, we called him a kid.”
Stubblefield, a long-time member of the San Benito County Militia, will be missed by many, said personal friend, fellow militia member and County Planning Commissioner Richard Bettencourt.
“He’s the kind of guy who would drop everything to help a friend,” he said. “He will be missed.”
News of Stubblefield’s passing shocked many of his friends and associates.
“We had coffee together every morning for the last 15 years,” said friend and former Hollister Mayor Richard Boomer. “This is shocking. He was a true gentleman and he’ll be remembered for his civic work, his love for his grandchildren and his love for his wife.”
His wife could not be reached for comment by press time on Monday. A woman who answered the phone at Stubblefield’s home declined to give her name, but said the family was grieving. She declined further comment.
Stubblefield had been vying with incumbent Pat Loe and challenger Richard Place for the District 3 Supervisor seat. It was his first attempt at an elected political office.
“It’s a terrible tragedy and a loss to the entire community,” Loe said. “My thoughts and prayers are with his family.”
Place said he couldn’t “have asked for a finer opponent” and said Stubblefield was “a great citizen.”
His name will still appear on the June 6 primary ballot and district residents will still be able to vote for him, said County Clerk John Hodges. If Stubblefield wins a majority of the votes cast in the general election, he will win the race and be considered elected according to the state elections code. If a candidate dies, but is later elected in a general law county like San Benito, the governor is responsible for appointing a replacement to the supervisor seat, according to the California Elections Code. Hodges did not know what would happen if Stubblefield and another candidate won the primary, but not the majority of the vote. It was unclear by press time how that could affect the general election in November.
Brett Rowland covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or [email protected].
