Greenfeld Mayor Reacts to Oak Creek Mayor's Death

News of spread rapidly over the weekend and hit those who knew him hard.

Greenfield Mayor Michael Neitzke worked closely with Bolender through the years.

"He was a no-nonsense kind of guy, which I always appreciated," Neitzke said. "From a civic standpoint, he was unquestionably dedicated to the City of Oak Creek. It was his home, and he wanted it to be better, not just while in office, but long after he left.

"We worked closely together on things like looking at how we could share and cooperate to better serve all of our constituents. He got the big picture."

Just days before his passing, . He wanted to spend more time with his family.

"On a personal level, he was incredibly generous," Neitzke said. "He offered to help me figure out how to do some work on an old Pontiac I'm working on. He loved wrenching and painting old cars. He was really good at it.

"We were going to get together after he was out of office. I'm saddened that we'll never get to do that."