[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 47 (Tuesday, April 3, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H1392]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     REMEMBERING ROBERT B. GANLEY, CITY MANAGER OF PORTLAND, MAINE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Maine (Mr. Allen) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to remember Robert B. Ganley, for 14 
years the city manager of Portland, Maine, who died suddenly from a 
heart attack on Saturday, December 23, 2000. He was 51.
  Bob Ganley preached substance over style, and that is how he lived. 
As city manager first of South Portland and then of Portland, he 
revitalized our communities. A master of the budgetary process, he made 
local government more efficient, improved services, held down taxes, 
and made Portland a better place to live.
  His sometimes blunt demeanor could not hide a passionate commitment 
to his city, his family, the Portland Sea Dogs and Boston sports teams.
  Bob might have become a journalist, but as he told a friend who was 
one, ``I loved government.'' Not many today understand the depth of his 
kind of commitment to public service.
  For 6 years, from 1989 to 1995, I served on the Portland City 
Council, including one year as mayor. I learned from Bob the importance 
of fighting for the long-term interests of a community against the 
negative passions of the moment.
  Bob Ganley knew that his job was to strengthen the community he 
served. He wanted Portland to be a place where people cared about each 
other and could work effectively together toward goals that transcended 
their individual interests. Portland today is that kind of community.
  When homeless people were sleeping in city parks in the late 1980s, 
Bob pushed the shelter program to meet his declared goal that no one 
would be without a bed in Portland. He succeeded.
  When the local economy stalled in the early 1990s, Bob helped create 
a downtown improvement district, pushed through tax increment financing 
packages, and established a business advisory committee to connect city 
hall with downtown businesses. He worked closely with our employee 
unions to cope with unusual budgetary pressures.
  Bob seized opportunities. When Portland was offered the chance to 
host the AA baseball team, Bob made it happen and became one of the 
biggest fans of the Portland Sea Dogs. He understood what the team 
would do to lift the spirit of the city, even though the economic 
impact could never be calculated.
  Bob Ganley's management style was defined by his unwavering public 
support of the men and women who worked for the city. He had high 
expectations for his staff and they knew it. He nudged and pushed and 
challenged them; but in public he always defended them, even if he 
thought they were mistaken. Critiques were reserved for private 
meetings. Above all, Bob could make decisions. We can do this, he would 
say, about some difficult undertaking, and his staff and the council 
went out and did it.
  When Bob died on December 23, he left behind three children. His 
pride in them was evident to all who knew him because if he was not 
talking about the city or sports, he was telling friends about his 
kids. He had reason to be proud of his children, Amy, Jillian, and 
Robert, Jr., all now young adults. Their mother, Susan, is helping them 
adjust to their loss.
  At Bob's memorial service in the Merrill Auditorium at city hall, his 
son Bobby said, ``Thank you, Dad, for teaching me that life is all 
about substance and not about style.'' He captured his father's 
character, as well as his passion for public service.
  Bob's own life was about to change. He had proposed to Tracy Sullivan 
less than 24 hours before he died. Tracy's sadness after so much joy is 
profoundly felt by all who know her. Her young son, Dimitri, loved Bob, 
too. His friends, family, and colleagues all miss Bob Ganley; but we 
take heart from his example, for he showed us how to brush aside cynics 
and lead the citizens of Portland to build together a better place to 
live.
  Thank you, Bob, for all you taught us.

                          ____________________