City solicitor submits resignation

On March 17, 2010, in Uncategorized, by The News Staff

City Solicitor John Gannon will leave his position on Friday. ~Photo by Tom Nash

By Tom Nash

City
Solicitor John Gannon will leave his position on Friday, becoming the
third department head to leave the city's service this year.

Gannon
had served as city solicitor since 2004, spearheading legal battles
such as the fight against overhead airplane noise and the expansion of
the MBTA Green Line.

"I have realized my goal of developing the
best municipal law department in the Commonwealth, and I am proud of my
team's achievements," Gannon said in a statement distributed March 11.

Gannon plans to return to private practice, where he said he will continue to address municipal matters.

The Board of Aldermen recognized Gannon with a citation at its March 14 meeting.

"I'm going to miss him greatly," Ward 3 Alderman Tom Taylor said. "Hopefully, John won't be a stranger."

Alderman-at-Large
Bill White, who as an attorney often serves as the board's de facto
legal expert, said he reviewed what came out of Gannon's office
carefully.

"From my perspective, he passed the test with flying colors," White said.

In
his remarks to the board, Gannon called his tenure as city solicitor
"the culmination of 20 years of experience in public and private
practice."

He also thanked Mayor Joe Curtatone, noting, "He stuck with me through thick and thin, and I appreciate that."

Gannon
came under scrutiny in 2008, when he was convicted of two drunken
driving charges stemming from three incidents in 2007. He lost his
driver's license for one year.

Assistant City Solicitor Frank
Wright will serve as Acting City Solicitor until a permanent
replacement is named, according to Deputy Director of Communications
Jackie Rossetti.