William J. Phelan
| William J. Phelan | |
|---|---|
| Town Administrator of Holbrook, Massachusetts | |
|
In office March 8, 2011 – May 15, 2015 |
|
| Preceded by | Michael Yunits |
| Succeeded by | Edward O’Brien (interim) |
| Mayor of Quincy, Massachusetts | |
|
In office 2002–2008 |
|
| Preceded by | James A. Sheets |
| Succeeded by | Thomas P. Koch |
| Personal details | |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democrat |
| Residence | Quincy, Massachusetts |
| Occupation | Attorney Town Administrator Politician |
William J. Phelan is an American attorney, town administrator, and politician. He served as Mayor of Quincy, Massachusetts from 2002 to 2008 when he was defeated by challenger Thomas P. Koch in November 2007 and town administrator of Holbrook, Massachusetts from 2011 to 2015.
Phelan graduated from North Quincy High School in 1978. He was a standout basketball player and was elected to the school's athletic hall of fame. Phelan earned a bachelor's degree from Suffolk University and a law degree from the Suffolk University Law School. He worked as a counselor for the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services before beginning a law practic in Quincy in 1989.
Phelan married Tracy Tobin, the daughter of former Quincy mayor Arthur Tobin and the brother of state representative A. Stephen Tobin.
Phelan first ran for public office in 1999 as a candidate for the Quincy school committee. During his term on the school board, Phelan clashed with mayor James A. Sheets over the location of the new high school. Phelan successfully blocked Sheets' plan to build the school on contaminated land at a former industrial site in Quincy Point.
In 2001, Phelan challenged Sheets for mayor. It was the first time that Sheets had faced a competitive election since he was first elected in 1989. During the campaign, Phelan criticized Sheets for rising taxes, the unsuccessful effort to reopen the Fore River Shipyard, and for "putting the interests of the developers ahead of the people". Sheets in turn faulted Phelan for his lack of experience, running a negative campaign, and for not putting forward ideas of his own. Phelan defeated Sheets by fifteen votes in the general election. After a recount, the margin of victory was increased to seventeen votes and Sheets conceded the election.
During Phelan's first days in office he was faced with a $4 million budget deficit due to reduced revenue from taxes and fees, including a $1.5 million reduction in the fees paid by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, as well as a reduction in local aid from the state government. He was able to avoid layoffs by instituting an early retirement program for city employees, which reduced the city's workforce by over 100 employees. He also had to deal with anger arising from an increase in local property taxes. In September 2002, Phelan suspended eight Quincy police officers for misconduct, which included drinking while on duty, firing weapons in the air, driving under the influence of alcohol, allowing one of the officers girlfriend's to drive a police cruiser, and attempting to cover up the incident, that occurred while they were working a paid detail at a nightclub.
...
Wikipedia