By Lynne Doncaster

When I ran a recording of my interview with Gene Brune trough a transcription app, it gave me a summary of the most-used words in our conversation. The top result was “people,” followed by “Somerville.”

If you have ever talked to him or read his 2005 memoir, The Spirit of Somerville, you know that when you ask the Mayor Emeritus about himself and his work, he tells you about other people. He frequently interrupts his stories with a list of names.

Whether it’s residents who served on a neighborhood committee, colleagues who aided his efforts, an activist who brought an idea to his office, or the family and neighbors who helped him manage his responsibilities when he was the primary caregiver for two young daughters following a divorce; for every credit to his legacy, Brune rushes to acknowledge those who worked alongside him and supported him. He celebrates Somerville’s history and is proud of his community, but humble about himself.

As he celebrates his ninety-second birthday and Somerville gears up for elections, it seemed an apt time to reflect on Gene Brune’s influence on the city, and ask about his hopes for its future. 

Eugene C. Brune was born in July, 1929, in his grandfather’s home at 299 Highland Ave. in Somerville. He lived at several Somerville addresses during his childhood and attended the Brown School, Northeastern Junior High, Western Junior High and Somerville High School.

His father was an Italian immigrant who worked as a plasterer for the city. Gene was the fourth of six children and grew up in a close-knit circle of extended family, neighbors, and friends. Like many, his family was impacted by the Great Depression, and struggled financially at times. His parents put a high priority on education, hard work, honesty, and integrity. They insisted the Brune children shovel sidewalks and run errands for elderly neighbors, and not accept payment in return.

Brune recalls these values ran throughout households in the city, and that families of many ethnicities and religions lived together respectfully. Families were often large, and many were hardworking but poor. “It was a blue-collar city that had great neighborhoods. No matter what street you were on, no matter what part of the city, the neighborhoods were the same. People were kind and generous.”

He paused his education during his senior year to join the Army. Basic training took him far from Somerville for the first time. He was disturbed to witness Jim Crow laws in effect when he was in Mississippi during basic training.  He held an administrative role in the Occupational Forces Medical Corps, and was stationed in Japan. He saw the devastating aftermath of World War II and the country that began to rebuild.

He met and worked with Japanese people who challenged the preconceptions he’d developed based on wartime newsreels. He witnessed Japan’s first election and climbed Mt. Fuji before returning to Somerville.  After returning to the U.S. in 1949, he worked in construction, which led to jobs in drafting, field engineering, and project management.

In the 1960s Brune saw a need for more activities for Somerville’s youth, and joined efforts to establish Somerville’s first Boys Club (later to become the Boys and Girls Club). At the time, Somerville offered a few organized athletic events for the city’s youth, but little else, and many families couldn’t afford fees for the YMCA or other activities. (Brune’s own daughters attended the YMCA day camp – “I couldn’t afford it, but I did it anyway,” he notes with a wry chuckle.)

After many years and false starts, the city donated space for the club, under the condition that Brune’s committee handle the renovations. Brune used his drafting skills to make the plans. He and other volunteers used grants and donated supplies to renovate the space. Even now, decades later, he recounts how individual stores each contributed enough paint for one room, emphasizing how the project came together in small pieces, a true community effort.

When I asked Brune why he got involved with the Boys Club, he said simply, “I wanted to be involved.” Later, when I asked what led to his start in politics, he said, “I wanted transparency in government, and to get rid of the crooks.”

The late 1960s began a challenging time for Somerville. The post-war demographic shift to the suburbs and the rise of shopping malls hurt the neighborhood Squares that had once hosted department stores and small businesses. A number of properties suffered from the neglect of absentee landlords. The city’s reputation was marred by news of organized crime, and scandals involving elected officials.

Brune was serving a position on the city’s Board of Health when was elected Ward Six alderman in 1971. At the time, Ward 6 contained Davis Square, and Brune worked to rally support to bring the Red Line to the neighborhood. Some residents feared a subway stop would attract loitering and crime, and that the development would change the neighborhood’s character.

Brune knew the Red Line would bring change to the area, but he was sure it could be positive change, and promised residents the T would not destroy Davis Square. He was actively involved in the planning and development of the area, and advocated for changes he thought would benefit the entire neighborhood, like having medical offices in the new buildings rather than residences, to bring more jobs and daytime traffic to the area,

Brune lost his seat on the Board of Aldermen in 1977, the same year he made his first unsuccessful bid for mayor. In 1979, he ran for mayor again, and faced a contentious election. The one-term incumbent, Tom August, had a well-funded campaign, but Brune noted that August was perceived as “neither accessible nor accountable” by the voters.

Brune ran his campaign on a shoestring budget with many small donors. He attended coffee hours at residents’ homes and met with people at bus stops to hear their concerns. He built a campaign that focused on residents’ everyday lives and issues like trash pick-up, public safety, and improving the city’s image.

A week before the preliminary, The Somerville Journal ran an editorial criticizing incumbent mayor Tom August and urging voters to choose any of his three challengers. August’s campaign bought and destroyed many copies of the newspaper; however, The Journal ran a second printing, and granted Brune and the other candidates permission to reprint the article on their own. They delivered a copy to every doorstep in the city. Brune won the preliminary and went on to win the election in November.

When Brune took office in January of 1980, the city faced many challenges, and a large financial deficit. His new administration found the city’s financial records “inauditable.” The outgoing administration had approved a tax cut without making accommodations to pay for promised increases in teachers’ salaries or health insurance premiums for city workers.

They had also mis-reported the number of students enrolled in Somerville schools, and the State Department of Revenue was demanding re-payment of nearly three million dollars. In addition, the city was engaged in ongoing litigation with several large companies regarding property tax rates, and some of these cases resulted in the city having to make large refunds for overpayment of taxes. City services suffered from underfunding and neglect. The Fire Department, Police Department, and Department of Public Works were all using equipment that was outdated and badly in need of repair.

These problems were compounded after Proposition 2 1/2 passed in 1980, property taxes were cut and the city’s ability to raise taxes were limited. The years that followed were full of hard decisions. City workers were laid off, and some positions went unfilled. Six elementary schools and three junior high schools closed. Library hours were cut.

Throughout all of this, Brune was honest with residents about the problems the city was facing, and what he thought needed to be done to fix them. He worked with the Board of Aldermen to make changes to the city charter, to remove the influence of elected assessors.

He invested in programs to improve city storefronts and signage, and continued a long battle to remove a number of large billboards from local properties. Over 5000 trees were planted on city streets. Despite financial difficulties, a new wing was added to Somerville High School, allowing the city to modernize the vocational educational program and add it to the same building as the traditional high school. He supported the first ArtBeat festival, and helped establish the Brickbottom Artists Residence.

Brune served with an acute awareness of the real, everyday challenges residents faced. He says his priority was to help the elderly, children, and the poor. He promised to be more accessible to residents than his predecessor, and lived up to this promise, often appearing at community events and making himself available to listen to constituent concerns.

When Brune started his third term in 1986, he said, “Perhaps the most important thing we have built, we cannot even see. This is community pride and civic spirit.”

During a time of difficulty and turbulent change, when the city was regularly the butt of jokes by radio DJs and newspaper columnists, Brune fostered a sense of community by highlighting the good things being done in Somerville. He celebrated community projects and acknowledged the work of those involved.

He admits there were things he wanted to do, but could not accomplish due to laws or regulations. He wishes he had been able to do more to slow the rush of condo conversions which rapidly changed neighborhoods and displaced many long-time residents.

Many of the things Brune did as mayor aren’t counted in a city record or acknowledged in any newspaper article, but were small, personal interactions that made a difference to an individual. I speak from personal experience – when I was six years old, I wrote to then Mayor Brune to complain about graffiti in Davis Square. He replied with a personal note to let me know the DPW would take care of it and thanked me for taking pride in my city. He also shared my letter with the local newspaper, which reprinted it with a kind editorial. It was a small act, but it had a lasting impact.

Brune served five terms as Somerville’s mayor, a record at the time. In 1989 he was elected Register of Deeds for Middlesex County. Now retired, he has moved to the suburbs to be closer to his daughters, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. He still visits Somerville often, visiting friends and attending events with veterans organizations. He serves as a trustee for the Somerville Museum and plays an active role in fundraising efforts to improve the building and make the collections more accessible. When he sits in Davis Square restaurants, passers-by still knock on the window and wave hello to “Mr. Mayor.”

He is watching the current election but has not offered an endorsement of any candidates. He says he may offer an endorsement after the primaries.

He was willing to share some thoughts with me about what makes a good mayor. He says an ideal candidate would “demonstrate common sense and a commitment to transparency; a transparent government for all of their constituents. He added, “They need good management (skills), and excellent people surrounding them. Not making decisions as one, but making decisions as a team, always keeping in mind what is best for the people they serve.”

I also asked what voters should keep in mind as they make their decisions. He paused thoughtfully before he answered, “Voters should beware of candidates who are offering them the world; things that they could not possibly do, things that are financially irresponsible to do, things that will help one class of people but may hurt another… (voters) should watch the candidates and let them prove their integrity, heir honesty their good judgement, their commonsense approach. It’s your city. They can either make it a better city or destroy it.”

There was another bit of advice he offered that stuck with me. It was as we were wrapping up, after I’d turned off my recorder, so I hope he’ll forgive me if I don’t get his quote exactly right. He was describing someone he was going to see that afternoon and described them as “nice,” then interrupted himself. “Be nice,” he said. “You know, it’s so important. Always be nice to everyone.”

While this isn’t an answer he gave when I asked for advice for candidates or voters, I think it’s fair to say Gene Brune would give this advice to anyone, regarding anything. It’s the advice he has been offering us all these years, by the example he’s set.