By Josh Resnek
Former Mayor John McCarthy, who served for 12 years during a period which ended about 20 years ago, has died.
He was 79.
A wake is scheduled at Murphy & O’Hara Funeral Home on Broadway in Everett on Friday, February 22, 2019, from 4:00PM-8:00PM, and a funeral mass is scheduled for Saturday at 11:00AM at the Immaculate Conception Church, on Broadway in Everett.
Mayor McCarthy was a strong mayor with personal beliefs which always guided his decision making.
“John was a very tough guy. He knew what he was doing, His decisions were always his own,” recalled former mayor and now Councilor John Hanlon.
Hanlon recalled McCarthy as the kind of guy who everyone wanted at the table, which explained McCarthy’s presidency of the Massachusetts Mayor’s Association among many other hats that he wore during his term in office.
“He was very knowledgable.
He was his own man,” Hanlon recalled.
As Mayor of Everett, John developed longstanding relationships with Mayor Tom Menino of Boston, Senator Ted Kennedy, Senator John Kerry, Speaker George Keverian, Congressman Ed Markey, Governor Michael Dukakis, and Speaker Tip O’Neil, and had the opportunity to meet President and Mrs. Clinton to discuss the impact of federal policy on local communities.
He was elected President of the Massachusetts Mayor’s association in 1992, and the Massachusetts Municipal Board of Directors from 1986-1992. John was also an active participant in the U.S. Conference of Mayors, which influenced local government nationwide. John was elected to the U.S. Conference of Mayors Advisory Board from 1993- 1997, and served on several subcommittees, including Health Reform, Health Care Financing, Health Insurance, and the subcommittee on Aging.
After leaving office in 1998, John and his wife Priscilla remained in Everett until 1999 when they retired to their lake house in Dracut where they had spent summers while raising their family. John and Priscilla spent the next several years traveling the country, visiting with old friends and making new ones, while maintaining their residence in Dracut. In true snow-bird fashion, they spent their winters in Florida, either in New Smyrna, Del Ray Beach, or the Villages. At home in Dracut, John was the proud “Grampy” to nine Grandchildren: Connor (18), Brendan (15), Kayla (13), Dillon (11), Sloane (11), Caroline (10), Michael (8), Sinead (8), and Sean (7). John and Priscilla had an open invitation for all of their children and grandchildren to visit Dracut and enjoy time on Long Pond.