Friends remember Joe Mackey
By George P. Hassett

Jack Connolly first knew Joe Mackey as a standout first basemen on the baseball diamonds of Somerville when they were children. Decades later, when  Connolly was the newly elected Ward 6 alderman, he was reminded of his old friends‚Äô skill and loyalty.

‚ÄúMark Cremin, my predecessor, told me if ever I‚Äôm in a tough situation, Joe Mackey is the guy to ask for help,‚Äù Connolly said. ‚ÄúAnd sure enough, whenever troubled times arose, Joe Mackey was there to help.‚Äù   
Mackey, a former alderman and state rep., died Saturday.
“He was one of the finest men around,” said former Mayor Dorothy Kelly Gay, a longtime friend of Mackey’s. “This is the biggest loss Somerville has been dealt in a long time.”
Mackey was the state representative for the 27th Middlesex District, which includes all of Davis Square and parts of Union Square and Winter Hill, from 1985 to 1990. Before that, he was the Ward 4 alderman form 1980 to 1985.
Kelly Gay said his time in the legislature was marked by attention to constituent services and progressive policies.
“Joe was one of the first to stand on the House floor and advocate for gay rights during a time when that was not a popular or sexy issue,” she said.
In a time when Somerville was more of a blue collar city, Mackey was also popular with labor unions and their members, Gay said.
“He was a Somerville boy born and raised and he was proud to represent the working man on Beacon Hill,” Gay said.
Connolly said that although Mackey may have held higher office, he always had an alderman’s attitude when it came to aiding the people of Somerville.
‚ÄúHe was a classic ward alderman, always ready to make a call or devote personal attention to any issue a constituent needed help with, no matter how small,‚Äù he said. 
In 1990, Mackey challenged former Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly in a race for Middlesex District Attorney. He lost the race and left politics to practice law and spend more time with his family. In 2005, Mackey ran against Sen. Patricia D. Jehlen, D-Somerville, for the state senate seat vacated by the death of Charles E. Shannon.
Jehlen said the race exemplified Mackey’s class and devotion to his family.
“His daughter was his campaign manager and that shows the emphasis he placed on family,” she said.
Mackey was a standout baseball and football player at both Somerville High and Harvard University.
“He was a fine young man and an outstanding athlete in his youth,” Gay said.
Connolly said his old friend from the park will be missed throughout the city.
“Everybody knew Joe from the parks and playgrounds in the city when we were kids and then as someone who got into politics for the city, not for himself. He never asked for anything except a vote,” Connolly said. “It’s a sad week here in Somerville.”