Robert W. Healy (born August 1943) is an American

city manager A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city in the council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are referred to as the chief executive officer (CEO) or chief administ ...

who was the longest-serving city manager in the history of

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

. 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, United States. Alongside Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, it is one of two traditional county seat, seats of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in ...

in 1974.

Early life

Healy was born in the North Cambridge neighborhood of Cambridge. During his youth his family moved to

Billerica, Massachusetts Billerica ( ) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 42,119 according to the 2020 census. It takes its name from the town of Billericay in Essex, England. History In the early 1630s, a Praying Indian ...

. 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) is a public land-grant research university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system and was founded in 1863 as the ...

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 James, Jim or Jimmy Sullivan may refer to: Entertainment * James Sullivan (1981–2009), or The Rev, Avenged Sevenfold drummer * Jim Sullivan (musician) (1939–1975?), American singer-songwriter who disappeared in New Mexico * Big Jim 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 USA Eagles, 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. ...

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 and

Armand Mercier Armand P. Mercier (November 8, 1933 – January 13, 2012) was a mayor and city councillor of Lowell, Massachusetts. Early life and career Mercier was born in Lowell on November 8, 1933, to the late Peter and Lillian (Rodrigue) Mercier. He was a ...

. 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. During the

Occupy Wall Street Occupy Wall Street (OWS) was a left-wing populist movement against economic inequality, capitalism, corporate greed, big finance, and the influence of money in politics that began in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City's Financial ...

protests, reports criticized the salary of the City Manager as being one of the highest in the State of Massachusetts. His salary was higher than that of the

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...

of the

City of Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, and that of the

Governor of Massachusetts The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The governor is the chief executive, head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonw ...

, 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.

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