Simon and Kimberly Blattner named Sonoma's 2020 'alcaldes'

After years of community service, Kimberly and Simon are just getting started.|

Alcaldes Through Time

1976: August Pinelli

1977: Henri Maysonnaave

1978: Jerry Casson

1979: Bob Lynch

1980: Dan Ruggles

1981: Paul & Adele Harrison

1982: Gail Fehrensen

1983: Chet Sharek

1984: Evelyn Berger

1985: Alan & Sandy Piotter

1986: Nell Lane

1987: Jim Metzger

1988: Helen Shainsky

1989: Jerry Tuller

1990: Ernest & Loyce Power

1991: Jo Baker

1992: Ligia Booker

1993: Jim Vanderbilt

1994: Nancy Parmelee

1995: George Watson

1996: Bob & Carolyn Stone

1997: L. C. “Pete” Peterson

1998: Peggy McAleese

1999: Helen Fernandez

2000: Howie Ehret

2001: Robert Cannard, Sr.

2002: Mitch Mulas

2003: Ellie Baker

2004: Sue Holman & Susan Weeks

2005: June Sheppard

2006: Al & Kathy Mazza

2007: Phyllis Carter

2008: Sy Lenz

2009: Elizabeth Kemp

2010: Niels Chew

2011: Mary Evelyn Arnold

2012: Whitney Evans

2013: Les & Judy Vadasz

2014: Suzanne Brangham

2015: Marcie Waldron

2016: Patrick Garcia

2017: Ted & Pat Eliot

2018: Marcelo Defreitas

2019: Karen Collins

2020: Simon and Kimberly Blattner

In the 45 years Sonoma has designated an exemplary citizen as honorary mayor, the annual title of “alcalde” has been given to an individual 37 times. On only eight occasions has the city’s elected mayor decreed that the honor should be shared by a pair.

But Simon and Kimberly Blattner are the kind of couple one references collectively, the kind who finish each other’s sentences. They are the kind of couple who gently abide while listening to the other tell stories likely heard dozens of times, the kind who work hard to maintain synchronicity. They say they actually “fell in love at first sight.”

So it was no surprise that Mayor Logan Harvey opted not to separate the two when awarding the annual honor on Feb. 3, naming Simon and Kimberly Blattner as Sonoma’s 2020 alcalde and alcaldessa. Their selection was unanimously ratified by Harvey’s city council colleagues.

“I chose Kimberly and Simon because they express every single qualification and requirement for the position,” said Harvey. “They are selfless. They never seek recognition for their work. They are involved in a broad variety of philanthropic efforts in Sonoma, and they’ve done a lot for our community. They are just wonderful people who contribute so much.”

The Blattners, who married in 1990 and moved to Sonoma from San Francisco in 1994, have contributed time and money to many local causes in their 30 years together: Sonoma Land Trust, La Luz, the Sonoma Valley Fund, Save the Clydesdales, Sonoma Valley Hospital, the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, the Sonoma International Film Festival and others. By their estimate, 50 percent of every eight-hour workday is dedicated to various kinds of volunteer work.

“We’re workers,” Kimberly, 70, said. “We are consummate workers.”

Simon, who parlayed his fascination with papermaking and paper arts into a long, lucrative career, could easily afford to rest on his laurels. But even with his 83rd birthday on the horizon, he’s not the kind of man who truly retires. “I just like to work,” he said.

Their work has advanced the circumstances of Sonoma Valley residents in myriad ways, and to hear them tell it, they’ve only just begun.

“We understand how lucky we’ve been,” Simon said. “Our whole focus is about working every day to level the playing field and make this Valley the most fantastic place to live for everyone.”

“Alcalde” translates from Spanish as “mayor,” and in centuries past the term designated an individual endowed with significant authority. Spanish alcaldes arbitrated land disputes, enforced local laws, and levied and collected taxes.

But in Sonoma the title is ceremonial, meant to identify people who contribute unselfishly to causes that service the greater good. The only real “job” assigned to the Blattners this year will be to lead next summer’s Fourth of July Parade. But despite the relatively narrow responsibilities of the position, the Blattners see the role of alcalde as a platform from which to continue their efforts to foster social equity in the Valley.

“We like to say we were born on third base,” Kimberly said. “We were born white, in the United States, to highly educated parents. We were already halfway there.”

The Blattners fully understand those advantages.

“When you live in a place where everybody’s not eating the same every night and everybody doesn’t have the same stuff, it really is about raising the bar,” Simon said. “Do you know how important this is to us? What it means to us to bring people up? We have an obligation, an obligation to do better. Everybody deserves a chance and a fair shot.”

A social conscience is part of Simon Blattner’s DNA: In 1963, he marched in Birmingham with Martin Luther King, Jr. The personal good fortune he shares with his wife has only deepened their commitment to causes that democratize opportunity. “We’ve worked hard, but we’ve also been very lucky, and a lot of that luck was just being in the right place at the right time,” Simon said.

Simon and Kimberly Blattner have four children between them, eight grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. They both still work at least a 40-hour week, and plan to carry on that way indefinitely. Their selection as Sonoma’s 2020 alcaldes is acknowledgment of their many contributions to the Sonoma Valley, and the productive and generous ways they have shared their resources. As they see it, there is no other choice.

“We really can’t figure out what people do when they retire,” Kimberly said. “If they’re not volunteering all the time, I’m not exactly sure what they do.”

The City of Sonoma will host a reception in the Blattners’ honor at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10 at Vintage House, 264 E First St. E.

Contact Kate at kate.williams@sonomanews.com.

Alcaldes Through Time

1976: August Pinelli

1977: Henri Maysonnaave

1978: Jerry Casson

1979: Bob Lynch

1980: Dan Ruggles

1981: Paul & Adele Harrison

1982: Gail Fehrensen

1983: Chet Sharek

1984: Evelyn Berger

1985: Alan & Sandy Piotter

1986: Nell Lane

1987: Jim Metzger

1988: Helen Shainsky

1989: Jerry Tuller

1990: Ernest & Loyce Power

1991: Jo Baker

1992: Ligia Booker

1993: Jim Vanderbilt

1994: Nancy Parmelee

1995: George Watson

1996: Bob & Carolyn Stone

1997: L. C. “Pete” Peterson

1998: Peggy McAleese

1999: Helen Fernandez

2000: Howie Ehret

2001: Robert Cannard, Sr.

2002: Mitch Mulas

2003: Ellie Baker

2004: Sue Holman & Susan Weeks

2005: June Sheppard

2006: Al & Kathy Mazza

2007: Phyllis Carter

2008: Sy Lenz

2009: Elizabeth Kemp

2010: Niels Chew

2011: Mary Evelyn Arnold

2012: Whitney Evans

2013: Les & Judy Vadasz

2014: Suzanne Brangham

2015: Marcie Waldron

2016: Patrick Garcia

2017: Ted & Pat Eliot

2018: Marcelo Defreitas

2019: Karen Collins

2020: Simon and Kimberly Blattner

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.