Hartford Town & City Clerk Dan Carey, swearing in Mayor Eddie A. Perez, 1/7/08 (Image from City of Hartford website)
If one has ever spent any time in Hartford's City Hall, the news this past Friday, September 11, 2009 that Town & City Clerk Daniel Clerk had passed away would have touched you in a profound way. Dan Carey was more than just a public servant, he was the heart and soul of City Hall. His office was at the end of the large atrium, and open to all. And he was always happy to greet all visitors, assist them with their needs, and if he couldn't do it, he knew who could. As many have stated over the past few days, his energy was infectious and it spread to his staff who followed his example to make certain his office ran flawlessly. Unlike most, Dan's work as a public servant for Hartford didn't stop when he clocked out; no matter where he went after hours, he was the same guy out of the office, spreading good cheer in public around town, doing his best to lift Hartford's spirit. He loved life and lived it to the fullest. He always had a kind word, and when times were particularly tough, he'd shrug his shoulders, offer some words and try to move past it. That's how I remember him.
Dan, you will be missed.
More after the jump...
Just a few weeks ago, I was riding on my bike from work to the South End, not a path I normally take. While stopped at the light of the intersection of Prospect & Arch Streets, behind City Hall, a car rolled up to the light next me and the window rolled down.
"Hey, kid!" Dan Carey shouted from the driver's seat, beaming his smile and chewing gum, "What's happening?" I shouted my response over the traffic. "Good job," he shouted back, "Riding your bike to save the environment! Keep it up, kid!" and just like that, the light changed for us, and we went our ways. After a long day at work, that small encounter made me smile and laugh. Because that's the type of energy that Dan Carey gave off. It was just one of those small moments, memorable then because he thought enough to roll down his window to say 'Hey, kid," as was his nature; memorable now because it was the last time I would see Dan.
No matter what the occassion, Dan always walked over to me, shook my hand, and would say one of his customary greetings, "Hey," "What's happening?", "Hi, Dan Carey, Town and City Clerk" (when being introduced, obviously), and of course, "Hey, kid". For 8 years, I would see Dan regularly on visits to City Hall, either on business (recording council meetings or some other event) or just stopping in with my producer Troy Stewart. Dan was always happy and carefree, despite the weight of being not just a civil servant, but of being a civil servant with the responsibilities of the Town & City Clerk's Office. And proud of his job he was. On several occasions over the years, he was interviewed on Hartford Public Access by Nancy Mulroy, Beverly Dawes, Sarah Barr, Troy Stewart, interns, and former Councilwoman Marilyn Rosetti regarding his position and responsibilities as Town & City Clerk.
In fact, Dan wasn't just being interviewed by his friend Marilyn Rosetti, he was pinch-hitting for her regular co-host; in other words, doing what he did best, gladly helping out. That's what he seemed to really enjoy about his job, was that he was helping his neighbors and friends get things done in the city. From marriage licenses, to keeping the town & city records, to making certain that voting rights of Hartford residents were protected, he was there to do his job and he did it well. For the 8 seasons of budget hearings I sat in on, The Office of The Town & City Clerk was without fail, the most laid back and relaxed hearings; Dan and his staff had things in order and things accounted for.
As I stated previously, his service didn't stop at the doors of his office or in council chambers. Dan was the proud representative for Hartford in the Sister Cities Committee, representing our Irish sister city. He worked hard with the Sister Cities program and I was fortunate enough to see some of those events (I sat in to represent Portugal's Sister City, despite not being from there). Looking back, I actually should have done more and feel that I let him down for not having done that.
Since I was informed of his death on Friday via, of all things, social media, I've been replaying some of my greatest Dan Carey hits in my head. I reference social media because Dan was the embodiment of 'social'; he was the giant smile and hearty laugh where ever you were at with him. Sadly, I only ever got to hang out with him socially a few times in our years; one such time was at The Half Door where he made good on a promise to buy me a round on St. Paddy's day. As packed as the place was and as difficult as it was to get to the bar, when he saw me, he ushered me over there to grab a pint of Guinness (& whiskey) and shoot the breeze for a bit (I might add, as is no secret, he was of course talking up lovely lady after lovely lady while we stood there).
I'll share two of our favorite running gags: without fail, every council meeting which we were at, he'd walk over and remind me to make certain to film his good side. During the council meeting, I would inevitably catch him as he would stand up to hand off a sheet to his staff member, thereby catching his waist/torso instead of his face! He would then, without fail, adjust his pants. Once he found out that this was happening, I swear, he started doing it on purpose just to get me! (ok, and I would cut to him standing if I had the shot just to mess with him). The other thing was his gum chewing! What was that about? He was always chewing gum, and I swear, Dan would chew it louder when he was talking to me! It was hilarious though, when I'd introduce him to my cute female interns and he'd put on the notorious "Dan Carey Charm", "Hi there. How you doin'?" (Dan-Carey-trademark smile at lovely intern) and back to chewing gum.
And yet, Dan was never fake. You always knew where you stood with him. When he got on a program or when we had him do PSAs, he was always down to earth, and ironically enough, seemed the most bashful of all to be on camera. But then, he'd soldier through it with a smile and laugh, "Let's bang this out," and back to work. Dan Carey was the heart and soul of City Hall; it's going to be colder place to walk into now.
So, whenever you can, lift a pint up to Dan Carey, 'cause he'd do the same for you.
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