Much has been said already about Tom Urbanske, who passed away peacefully on May 17 at age 88: his kindness, inclusiveness, and advocacy for those on the edges of the community’s mainstream; his multiple tenures on the Santa Maria school board, City Council, and County Board of Supervisors. But his children, Thereece, Veroneka, Stan, and Moneka (to whom I am married), remember so well how much he loved Santa Maria. He spent the majority of his life in this community, in a valley he considered the greatest place on earth.
Tom would wax eloquently about Santa Maria’s geography, Los Padres Forest to the east, and the mostly peaceful, but at times raging, Santa Maria River, which wraps around vast tracts of agricultural land as it journeys west to the Pacific Ocean. Even the climate, including the strong afternoon breeze, he found just right: not too hot and not too cold.
This is not to say that Tom felt Santa Maria was perfect. He was always disappointed that the city had ripped out its core and link to its historic heritage by constructing the Town Center Mall at Broadway and Main. In fact, this is what led to his career in local politics and what compelled him to run for City Council in 1971. He won his election but lost on stopping redevelopment. He was never bitter about it, remaining the optimist he always was.