Patrick J. McManus, 54; mayor of Lynn for 10 years
Politicians often use the desire to spend more time with family to explain why they leave office, but for former Lynn mayor Patrick J. McManus, few had to wonder whether that was truly the reason he stepped down after a decade as mayor.
“I went from being single to being married with four children in 18 months,’’ Mr. McManus told the Globe in 2001. “I’ll go in the supermarket, and people will want to talk to me, but it’s hard to address a constituent’s concerns when you have a 7-year-old tearing things off the shelf.’’
It was not just the routine potholes they wanted him to fix - it was thorny issues: crime, poverty, and the quality of the schools.
When he started the job in the early 1990s, that one-on-one aspect of the job was a breeze for him. He was a bachelor in his 30s and thrived on interacting with the residents.
A short time later, he became a family man, marrying Debra Dorgan, who had two adopted children, and they adopted three more.
“You can’t do justice to either one if you’re trying to do both,’’ he told the Globe. “Every homicide, every fire, every flood, you are getting calls in the middle of the night. You’ve got functions every Saturday, every Sunday, every night. In order to do the job in a major way, well you have to be out there. People want to see you. You set a tone and deliver messages through your public appearances. If you’re doing that, you have these kids at home that are not getting attention.’’
After a decade of leading the city, he ended his political career, working as a lawyer and accountant as he had before politics.
A month ago, he announced he was keen on entering the political fray once more, pulling nomination papers for mayor.
He was working in his home Friday when he died, apparently of a heart attack, at 54.
In a city that has long wrestled with crime and poverty, Patrick J. McManus was a take-charge mayor whose colleagues called him “Clintonesque,’’ saying he “would fit in with every type of crowd - he could be at a black tie affair in the evening and the next morning in jeans with a bunch of his union friends putting up signs,’’ said Timothy Phelan, president of the City Council.
He kept pictures of his noteworthy handshakes with Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and Muhammad Ali on the walls of his mayoral office, while family photos were kept on his desk.
He first sailed to victory in 1985, when he landed a spot on the City Council, holding onto his seat through another two election cycles before taking on three-term incumbent Mayor Albert V. DiVirgilio, who had made a name as a municipal leader. Mr. McManus, then 37, received 13,601 votes, to DiVirgilio’s 9,893.
“He was a campaigning on public safety - the schools, and keeping everybody working,’’ longtime friend and former president of the firefighter’s union Buzzy Barton said.
He often talked quietly and slowly. But on a day in April of 1997, the mayor took a sledgehammer and smashed it into the wall, leaving a massive hole in the plaster. A crowed cheered, as it marked the start of renovating an Exchange Street building into an arts and cultural center.
He knew the city well, having grown up there and graduated in 1972 from Lynn English High School, where he was captain of the football team and referred to as “Mr. LEHS.’’ He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from Bowdoin College. He earned a master’s degree in business administration from Suffolk University, and a law degree from Boston College.
He taught at Breed Junior High School and Lynn Vocational Technical High School for a time, and worked at
In the early days as mayor, he said he would be up by 6:30, grab a cup of coffee before checking into City Hall, where he would read the morning news. He drove around in a city-owned Ford Crown Victoria. His signature phrase: “Ye of little faith.’’
At age 42, he declared to the Globe, “I would not put a wife or family into the kind of hours mayors have to take these days.’’
As mayor, he oversaw the building of a high school, the renovation and expansion of two others, and launched the construction of a much-anticipated police station. Crime dropped, and employment went up.
He fought against elimination of all-day kindergarten, and took credit for implementing longterm planning.
“He was the man behind community policing,’’ Barton said, later adding, “He knew he could bring money into the city.’’
He also crisscrossed the country with the US Conference of Mayors, seeking federal funds for city projects.
Even those he ran against spoke highly of his ability to communicate the city’s needs.
“He was able to connect, and he was able to get his point across and win people over,’’ said Mayor Edward “Chip’’ Clancy. “I would think that he would enjoy that that’s being recognized.’’
“Even if you were on the opposite side of an issue, you still walked away liking him,’’ Phelan said.
As word of his death spread, Barton said he received dozens of calls from people throughout the city.
“They didn’t say ‘sorry for your loss,’ they said they had a story to tell,’’ Barton said.
While Mr. McManus enjoyed puffing on his daily cigar, he did not drink and had no serious medical problems, family said.
On leaving the office, Mr. McManus told the Globe, “I’ve had a great 10 years. Now I’ve got kids, and they need a lot of attention.’’
City Hall will be closed today in his honor.
In addition to his wife, Mr. McManus leaves his mother, Kathryn “Kay’’ (Gainey) of Peabody; four daughters, Laura E. Christensen of Fort Hood, Texas; YiYi S., Susannah D. and Marni N., and a son, John R., all of Lynn; a sister, Colleen M. of Sanford, Conn.; four brothers, Garry of Topsfield; Denny of Lynn; Terry K. of New York City; and Robbie of Florida; and a grandson.
A funeral Mass will be said at 11 a.m. today in St. Pius V Church in Lynn.
Burial will be private.
