Koch to run for Quincy mayor: Longtime park commissioner steps down

Koch

By JOHN P. KELLY
The Patriot Ledger

Quincy’s longtime park commissioner, Thomas P. Koch, has resigned to run for mayor against his boss.

Koch is the first candidate to get into the race against Mayor William J. Phelan, who has breezed through two re-election campaigns since being elected mayor in 2001.

Koch, 44, has for the past 12 years overseen the city’s parks, forests and cemeteries, a position to which he was appointed by former Mayor James Sheets after years as Sheets’ top aide.

Koch hand-delivered his letter of resignation to Phelan yesterday, informing his boss of five years of his intentions to run against him.

In an interview, Koch said he has grown increasingly unhappy with ‘‘the tone’’ resonating from the mayor’s office and said Quincy was in need of a ‘‘positive new vision.’’

‘‘The bottom line: We can do better,’’ Koch said.

Responding to the announcement, Phelan described himself as rejuvenated by the prospect of a robust campaign and promised to use it as an opportunity to showcase accomplishments from his three terms.

Phelan, 47, won election as mayor in 2001 by 17 votes over Sheets, ending Sheets’ six terms as the city’s top elected official. It was the closest mayoral election in Quincy history.

Several political observers say Koch’s candidacy could pose a real challenge to Phelan.

‘‘If I were sitting in Bill Phelan’s seat, I’d be taking him seriously,’’ said former Mayor Francis X. McCauley, who backed Phelan in the 2001 election.

Perhaps the most daunting challenge Koch faces is competing financially with the mayor, who already has more than $180,000 in campaign cash at his disposal.

Koch, who has yet to establish a fundraising account, acknowledged he would be unable to compete dollar-for-dollar with Phelan.

In coming weeks, Koch said he will campaign door-to-door throughout the city.

Koch met last night with more than three dozen volunteers and members of his still-evolving campaign team. Among them were Jack Nigro, a member of the Park and Recreation Board, and Hospital Hill resident Jim Fatseas. Patriot Ledger reporter Christopher Walker has resigned to work for the campaign. Walker no longer reports for the newspaper.

McCauley, a four-term mayor in the 1980s, called it unusual for a challenger to emerge from within a sitting mayor’s administration.

‘‘These administrative jobs, they’re paying pretty good money now,’’ McCauley said. ‘‘It’s kind of a big thing to give up.’’

Koch acknowledged that resigning his $91,300-a-year position to seek the mayor’s office was risky, but said he felt an obligation to ‘‘protect this city’s future.’’

Koch said residents feel disconnected from local government and have been ‘‘disenfranchised’’ during Phelan’s tenure.

‘‘We need to bring the city back to the people, make their ideas and suggestions part of our vision for the future of the city,’’ he said.

Koch has failed in his three bids for elective office.

In 1985, at age 22, Koch lost in his political debut when he tried to win the Ward 6 seat on the city council. He was defeated again two years later when he ran for an at-large seat. In 2002, he finished third in the Democratic primary for Norfolk County treasurer.

At 25, Koch was appointed director of the Quincy Council on Aging by McCauley, beginning a political career in which he later became Mayor Sheets’ executive secretary. Koch successfully managed the former mayor’s 1989 campaign.

Koch was named park commissioner in 1995 and later led what he said was an extensive renovation of the city’s ailing park system.

Phelan declined to characterize Koch’s job performance.

City Councilor at large Joseph Finn said he saw Koch as a ‘‘formidable candidate’’ to Phelan, adding: ‘‘I don’t think this mayor is a pushover in any sense.’’

Finn, himself a rumored mayoral candidate, said he has ruled out a run for personal and family reasons. He said the Phelan-Koch contest stands to ‘‘energize the entire city’’ and could attract fresh faces into Quincy’s political scene.

The Koch family has been active in Quincy civic affairs since the late Richard Koch Sr. organized the Koch Club recreation program in 1948. The park department headquarters is named for the elder Koch, who was the department’s executive director long before his son would follow in his footsteps.

Koch said he will soon launch a campaign Web site, kochforquincy.com.

Patriot Ledger reporter Jessica Van Sack contributed to this article.

John P. Kelly may be reached at jkelly@ledger.com .

Copyright 2007 The Patriot Ledger
Transmitted Wednesday, January 24, 2007