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Likable, Effective City Clerk Will Be Sorely Missed

Hartford Courant

September 12, 2009

Dan Carey was one of the finest public servants to work in Hartford government in living memory. His loss is devastating.

Mr. Carey, 51, Hartford's city clerk since 1993, was found dead in his home Friday morning in the city's South End. He had been ill with a pancreatic disorder.

Citizens have a right to expect competence, professionalism, access and transparency in their public officials. Mr. Carey delivered on all counts. He ran his office effectively and would forthrightly discuss any issue or project in which he was involved. To see him on election night was to watch a master mechanic keep a Rube Goldberg machine in fine tune. He made the process work.

"He was happy to do things for people and made them feel connected to the city," said Hartford lawyer Richard Lawlor, a longtime friend.

Mr. Carey was a man of warmth and wit, the first to help someone in need. Like his great friend, the late Mayor Mike Peters, he loved the celebratory aspect of city life and worked behind the scenes on events such as the Hooker Day Parade.

Mr. Carey, of Irish descent, treated everyone as if they too were Irish. That's why he was the "person of the year" at the 2009 St. Patrick's Day Parade. It is why he will be dearly missed by the city he served so well.