Ray Mariano: Best of the best Worcester leaders

I’ve spent a lifetime — more than 45 years — working with some incredible men and women who serve the people of Worcester. I could fill all of the pages of this newspaper with their names and stories of their exceptional service. Instead, I picked a few that stood out to me.

Here are my choices for the very best of the best and a few stories to go with them:

Tom Leahy, Police Chief. Leahy was quiet, unassuming and incredibly effective. I remember one night the police union was throwing its weight around and harassing city councilors — they blocked councilors' cars in the City Hall garage and then went upstairs and literally stood behind councilors' chairs in the council chamber. In executive session some councilors were in a panic and turned to Leahy for help. He nodded, then walked quietly out of the room. We never heard a peep from the police union again.

When a citizen or neighborhood needed help, Leahy let his actions speak for him.

Tom Taylor, Parks Commissioner. For 21 years, every Sunday morning, rain or shine, Tom Taylor visited 30 of the city’s 60 parks to check on their condition. Then he went home and transcribed his notes so that his maintenance director had instructions when he showed up for work Monday morning. Known for his ever-present toothpick, Taylor was a tireless promoter and advocate of the city’s parks.

Francis McGrath, City Manager. Selected out of a field of 48 applicants for the job of city manager, McGrath could charm a leprechaun out of his pot of gold and get almost any city councilor to spin around on his or her head.

A perfect gentleman even during the most raucous council debates, McGrath was devoted to Worcester. Being a city manager is an all-consuming, energy-sapping endeavor that causes most people to stay for only a short time — sometimes not by their choice. McGrath’s nearly 34-year tenure as city manager will never be matched again.

David Rushford, City Clerk. Rushford helped modernize the clerk’s office and records while also overseeing city elections.

But Rushford is perhaps best known for his unflinching support for gay marriage. In one instance, two 80-year-old men came from California to Worcester to get married. They had been together for 60 years and one of them had terminal cancer. Unfortunately, they arrived at City Hall after the office closed. Rushford had his staff drive them to a local hotel, pick them up the next morning to get their license and then drive them to the courthouse to get a waiver of the three-day waiting period. Then they drove them back to City Hall where Rushford married them.

Dennis Budd, Fire Chief. A giant of a man with an ever-ready smile, on the night of the warehouse fire, I stood next to him as he spoke privately to the families of the missing firefighters. His calm demeanor and genuine concern made a difference. It was a task that no one is ever prepared for. That fire ripped the heart out of our city and it extracted a heavy toll from this good man.

David Moore, City Solicitor. What you want most from a lawyer is competence — someone you can rely on at the most challenging times. Moore was rock-solid.

School Department

John Durkin and Jim Garvey, Superintendent. Stylistically, they were polar opposites and yet they were both incredibly effective. Durkin would patiently sit and listen to your suggestions while Garvey would get up and leave while you were still talking to go and correct something you had pointed out to him.

Both superintendents knew the staff and took the time to listen to them. Consequently, the staff trusted and followed them. We haven’t seen their like since.

Bob Boule and Maureen Binienda, High School Principal. In very different ways, these principals made their schools models of excellence — Boule with his calm, confident, steady hand and Binienda with her high-energy, innovative approach.

John Monfredo, Elementary School Principal. He challenged his students to read thousands of books and when they did he kept his promise and rode an elephant down MLK Boulevard. He personally visited hundreds of families at their homes to introduce himself and the school, to inquire about a student or to bring good news. As a result of his nonstop efforts, Belmont Community School was awarded a Governor’s Blue Ribbon for excellence.

Community organizations

Jan Yost, Nonprofit. The head of the Health Foundation was an unstoppable force. She was more than willing to break new ground and challenge the status quo. It was her determination that helped me create a program designed to lift residents of public housing out of poverty by helping them go to school and find a job. There was no one quite like her.

Ron Charette, Gordon Hargrove, Linda Cavaioli, Community organization. They helped some of Worcester’s most vulnerable citizens and made the South Worcester Neighborhood Center, Friendly House and the YWCA invaluable agencies serving the city’s most vulnerable populations.

Monsignor Frank Scollen, Rabbi Hershel Fogelman, Religious leader. Monsignor Scollen began his career ministering to people on the street. At St. Peter’s Church, he continued to reach out to many who had no place else to turn. Rabbi Fogelman was a driving force behind the Yeshiva Academy and synagogue and helped lead the growth of Jewish life in Worcester.

Worcester has been fortunate to have so many outstanding community-minded leaders — too many to mention in a single column. By their service, they have made Worcester a better community.

Email Raymond V. Mariano at rmariano.telegram@gmail.com. He served four terms as mayor of Worcester and previously served on the City Council and School Committee. He grew up in Great Brook Valley and holds degrees from Worcester State College and Clark University. He was most recently executive director of the Worcester Housing Authority. His column appears weekly in the Sunday Telegram.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Ray Mariano on best of Worcester's leaders over past 45 years