Nick Blom helped preserve farmland. He also was early supporter of valley air district.

Nick Blom was a strong conservative, a family man and a farmer who most often supported the interests of agriculture.

Blom served on Stanislaus County’s Board of Supervisors for 20 years when rapid growth, transportation and farmland were prominent issues. He died Thursday after suffering a stroke the previous day. He was 78.

The longtime farmer was a county supervisor from January 1983 to January 2003, four times serving as chairman. Blom represented a district including the west part of Modesto, Salida and the unincorporated area west of the city. The county library in Salida was named after Blom.

“We were good friends,” former Supervisor Ray Simon said. “He provided a lot of insight into the farming community for the board. He was primarily responsible for leading us into preserving as much agricultural land as possible.”

As development encroached on farmland, Blom advocated for the county’s Right to Farm Ordinance, protecting farm operations from nuisance complaints. But he did not side with fellow farmers on every issue. Recognizing that issues of transportation and air quality were directly linked, Blom supported legislation that created the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, which resulted in tighter restrictions on emissions.

Simon noted that Blom came around to supporting the Gallo Center for the Arts project after considerable debate. He initially opposed county financing for the center because of the lack of funding from Modesto. The arts and entertainment venue is operated by a nonprofit organization that leases the facility.

“He was not easy to convince, but once you presented the facts to him and he came around, he was on board,” Simon said.

Board of Supervisors Chairman Vito Chiesa said Blom was among former supervisors who deserve credit for the county’s solid financial footing today. “I have been so fortunate because of what our predecessors left us,” Chiesa said. “It is like they handed us the keys to the Cadillac and said ‘Try not to screw it up.’ Nick was a big part of that.”

As a county supervisor, Blom was on the executive board of the Stanislaus Council of Governments, the California State Association of Counties, the valley air pollution district board and numerous committees.

Blom was born in 1938 in Halfweg, Holland, and attended elementary and high school before majoring in agriculture in college. He emigrated from Holland to the United States in 1963.

Blom worked for an uncle’s dairy and began farming 45 acres of grapes in 1969. He and his wife, Els, expanded the family farm into larger acreages of almonds, walnuts, peaches and grapes. The farming operation was turned over to their two sons in about 2007. The Bloms raised four children.

“He was a great mentor,” said Nick Blom, Jr., a Modesto Irrigation District trustee. “He instilled in us how to be a good farmer and also instilled in us how to be a good man.”

In his many years of community service, Blom was a volunteer for the Woodland Avenue Fire Department, past chairman of the Stanislaus County Republican Central Committee, past chairman of the Paradise Elementary School District board, a Farm Bureau director and community leader for Stanislaus County Paradise 4-H.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

This story was originally published October 6, 2017 at 2:10 PM with the headline "Nick Blom helped preserve farmland. He also was early supporter of valley air district.."