Longtime Palm Beach County Commissioner Aaronson dead at 90
They said Aaronson died Thursday morning, surrounded by family. He had dealt with medical issues, undergoing triple-bypass surgery in 1997 and open-heart surgery to replace an aortic valve in 2015. He also had had a pacemaker installed.
The retired furniture executive, born in
His south county region is the only commission district that doesn't include any municipalities. Instead, it is comprised of a network of tightly knit neighborhood groups and associations.
Newly established term limits forced out Aaronson in 2012.
"He was my mentor and my friend," Berger said Thursday at commission zoning meeting. Berger spoke with each commissioner before the meeting, and with the mayor's permission, she informed the public and asked for prayers and thoughts for the family.
In 2015, Aaronson made a rare appearance at a commission meeting to salute Berger, who just had been named to the commission's mostly ceremonial mayor's post.
"It's always wonderful to see a member of your family rise up to the heights," Aaronson, then 87, told Berger.
And at a 2016 appearance, Aaronson drew smiles when he joked that when term limits ousted Berger in 2020, he'd run for his own seat; "I'll be only 92!" he quipped.
"My dad still would've been county commissioner to this day if he hadn't term-limited out. He loved it," eldest son
Aaronson worked as a lobbyist well into his 80s.
While Aaronson dedicated much of his life to public office, he put his family first, son Rick said.
"When he was commissioner, he told his secretaries at his office that no matter what he was doing, if he got a call from me or my brother or my mom, pass the call through."
The family had hoped Aaronson would survive until February, when he and his wife would reach their 70th anniversary, Rick said.
Aaronson's passion for politics spread. Grandson Scott worked for political campaigns and now lives in
"When we were together as a family, we talked politics," Rick said. "The passion of that was from my dad. It was hard not to talk about it."
At his 2012 retirement, Aaronson pointed to a list of accomplishments.
They included the county's
Aaronson fought to prevent the county's
He supported a bond issue that provided
And he fought to reduce the number of foreign guest workers in the
"He was a great servant for
Veteran political operative
There were two sides to
Aaronson's first vote on the county commission was to appoint McCarty, a Republican, chairwoman -- against his party's wishes.
"He was Democrat. I was Republican," McCarty said. "A lot people in his party were upset with him for voting for a Republican for chairman. He stood up to them."
McCarty's respect for Aaronson, and his willingness to work across the aisle on south county issues, grew deep.
But they surely clashed. When Aaronson wanted to build a
"And he prevailed," McCarty said. The
All the while, he worked to preserve the balance between agricultural land and the sprawling suburbia.
"He would often say to me: 'Don't you miss it?' " McCarty said, Aaronson referring to their time in public office. "He missed it terribly."
Aaronson also faced controversy. In 2001, he was named in an FBI probe concentrating on a "smart bucks"
But Aaronson never supported the project and denied involvement in the alleged scheme. During a news conference to clear his name, Aaronson, bordering on tears, called Hasner "deplorable." Nothing came of the federal probe.
Aaronson also noted a complaint filed with the county's ethics commission questioning
Aaronson is survived by his wife, Sheila and sons Rick of
Staff writers
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