COEUR d’ALENE — Brock Poole learned much from his grandfather, Ron Edinger. There was one particular message that he, and the rest of the Edinger clan, took to heart.

“Family brings you together,” Poole said. "My grandfather instilled this in everyone.”

Ron and wife Nancy were married more than 60 years. The Edinger family is big — more than 20 children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren — and was blessed to have Ron as husband, father, grandfather, mentor and friend, Poole said

“One of the most important things you can have is family,” Poole said Wednesday during a phone interview with The Press. “Family is what bonds you together.”

Ron Edinger, former mayor of Coeur d’Alene and longtime city council member, died Wednesday. He was 85.

His influence on the city was tremendous, said those who knew him. He was elected to the City Council in 1967, served until 1973, and was then elected mayor in 1973 and served four years.

Edinger ran for City Council again in 1979, and served through 2019.

He is considered by many to be “the best elected official in the history of the city of Coeur d’Alene. Not just the longest serving … the best! Our city is a great place to live and visit in large part because of him,” reads his city biography.

He was blue-collar, down-to-earth, hardworking and no-nonsense — a man who cared for his family, did his job and spoke his mind.

He and his twin brother, Dick, were passionate about parks, sports and creating opportunities for kids.

City Administrator Troy Tymesen referred to Edinger as “an amazing elected official" for 50 years.   

“I don’t anticipate that ever happening again. He was passionate about many attributes of our community, especially the parks, recreation programs and Tubbs Hill,” Tymesen wrote. “He was an inspirational elected official that told you exactly what he was thinking. He prioritized the things that are important in life and community was high on his list. However, family was always first.”

Mayor Steve Widmyer said Edinger’s death was a sad day for the city.

“Ron was a great mentor and friend. He was the best elected official that our city has ever had,” he wrote. “His 50 years of committed public service to our city will never be matched.”

Edinger moved to Coeur d'Alene from Los Angeles in 1955. He worked for 26 years for the Idaho News Agency distributing magazines, then for the Coeur d’Alene School District as a school bus driver and maintenance employee before retiring in 1999.

Edinger is credited with many major accomplishments, starting with the preservation of Tubbs Hill for public use.

According to Friends of Tubbs Hill: The year he was elected mayor, 1973, the Idaho Water Company proposed to double the water rates and the next year Coeur d'Alene voters approved a bond to buy the Water Company franchise, which carried with it property owned on the east side of Tubbs Hill. Also in 1973, German investors entered into a contract to purchase 34 acres on the crown of Tubbs Hill for the purpose of building condominiums. This brought a strong reaction from CDA citizens, and they raised money to match the contract price. With the support of the city council and matching federal funds, the property was conveyed into public ownership in 1974, avoiding having a Deutschland Uber Alles.

If you need more proof of Edinger's impact, there's the large sign near the softball diamond at Person Field off 15th Street, which declares it Ron Edinger Park, with this sentence: “The park is so nice, we paid for it twice.”

It’s a now-famous 2012 quote attributed to Edinger in reference to the city’s negotiations with the school district to reacquire the property.

Edinger was also involved in:

• Acquisition of City Hall campus property and construction of current City Hall

• Fire training tower

• Development of Independence Point

• Government Way/Northwest Boulevard

• Midtown improvements

• Kroc Center

• Coeur d’Alene Public Library

• New police department headquarters

• Several parks

• The annual leaf pickup program

Edinger served under nine mayors — Larry Gardner, John McHugh, Don Johnston, Jim Fromm, Ray Stone, Al Hassell, Steve Judy, Sandi Bloem and Steve Widmyer.

He was inducted into Idaho’s Hall of Fame in 2018 for Outstanding Achievement in Government and Public Services.

Councilman Woody McEvers served nearly 20 years with Edinger.

“What I learned from him most was to listen,” McEvers said. “Don’t be quick to make comments.”

He said he didn’t agree with Edinger on everything, such as the development of McEuen Park, but they learned from and respected each other.

He admired Edinger for his dedication and love of Coeur d’Alene.

“He kept things kind of simple and close to the ground,” McEvers added.

Mike Kennedy served eight years with Edinger on the City Council from 2006-14.

“He had a profound stamp on the city,” Kennedy said, adding that Edinger was tuned in to the people.

“He had his finger on the pulse of Coeur d’Alene for decades,” Kennedy said.

He said Edinger had a role in Coeur d’Alene transitioning from a resource-based economy to a diverse one that has enabled the area to thrive.

Kennedy also said the two disagreed at times, but did their best to work together.

Still, he recalled that he knew he was in trouble when Edinger beckoned him to his office — which was 20 feet outside City Hall, where he smoked cigarettes.

“You knew when you got called to his office you had to put on a jacket and go to the woodshed,” Kennedy said, laughing. “You had something to answer for, or there was something he wanted to put in your head.”

Kennedy said he will remember Edinger for leaving “an epic legacy in this town.”

“Ron was there every step of the way,” he said.