Robert W. Healy (born August 1943) is an American city manager who was the longest-serving city manager in the history of

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...

. He served from July 1, 1981 until June 30, 2013. Prior to assuming that position, Healy initially served as acting city manager from July 1, 1981 to December 14, 1981. He also served as acting City Manager of

Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, in the United States. Alongside Cambridge, It is one of two traditional seats of Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in 2020, it was the fifth most populous city in Massachusetts as of ...

in 1974.

Early life

Healy was born in the North Cambridge neighborhood of Cambridge. During his youth his family moved to Billerica, Massachusetts. He attended the Catholic Keith Academy in Lowell and earned a bachelor's degree in English from

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, ...

in 1965. After graduating he taught English and coached football and hockey at Tewksbury Memorial High School. In 1969, Healy left teaching to become a probation officer at the Lowell District Court.

Early government career

In 1970, Healy was hired by Lowell Mayor Richard P. Howe to run his city hall office. That same year he earned his master's degree in educational administration from Lowell State College. Later that year he was named assistant city manager by city manager James Sullivan. When Sullivan departed Lowell for Cambridge in 1974, Healy served as acting city manager for one month. State Representative

Paul Sheehy Paul Sheehy (born August 14, 1963) is an American former Rugby union footballer for the United States. He started four matches for the U.S. in 1991–1992, including two starts at the 1991 Rugby World Cup. His position was fullback. Sheehy was ...

was chosen over Healy for the permanent job by the Lowell City Council after 53 ballots. After being passed over, Healy followed Sullivan to Cambridge to be deputy city manager. After Sheehy was fired in 1975, Healy applied for the job again. He was a finalist alongside

William Taupier William S. Taupier (September 24, 1936 – December 3, 2014) was an American politician and city manager who served as Mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts from 1968 to 1975 and City Manager of Lowell, Massachusetts from 1975 to 1979. Early life Taup ...

and Armand Mercier. Taupier was selected after sixteen ballots.

Cambridge city manager

On May 18, 1981, Sullivan announced that he was resigning effective July 1 to become President of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. Healy was Sullivan's preferred successor and on June 8 the city council voted 8 to 1 to name him acting city manager upon Sullivan's departure. On December 14, 1981, Healy was named permanent manager. Healy retired as City Manager on June 30, 2013.

Criticism

In recent history, the media has highlighted the salary of the City Manager as being one of the highest in the State of Massachusetts. The salary is higher than that of the

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

of the

City of Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most p ...

, some opinion editorials claim his salary is double that of the

Governor of Massachusetts The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the chief executive officer of the government of Massachusetts. The governor is the head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonwealth's military forces. Massachuset ...

, or in some instances, almost that of the

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

. In February 2011, City Councillor Leland Cheung pushed a policy order that would call for greater transparency in city council contracts for the Office of the City Manager's salary. Healy fought a controversial 13-year legal battle against charges of racial discrimination. In 1998, four city employees filed charges of racial discrimination. After two trials and repeated appeals, the City was found liable for retaliation, not discrimination, against one of the victims and was ordered to pay a $4.5 million judgment. With interest and fees, Cambridge paid a total of $8.3 million in this case. Shortly thereafter, Cambridge settled of the other discrimination cases, the terms of which were not revealed.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Healy, Robert 1943 births Living people City managers of Cambridge, Massachusetts City managers of Lowell, Massachusetts People from Billerica, Massachusetts University of Massachusetts Amherst alumni