Charlie Foley tribute

The first thing I noticed about Charlie was how people unfailingly paid absolute, almost reverential attention whenever he spoke. No matter who he was dealing with. Over time, I came to appreciate those qualities that explained this power.

He was tenacious. He was there for people and simply would not drop issues he felt strongly about. And he felt strongly about many issues. As an advocate, he was a tiger. But he was an informed tiger with a long memory and a powerful sense not only of justice but also of redemption. He forgave trespass. His concern was not to punish but to reform. When residents complained about their neighbor's kids, Charlie would make sure management followed through (and he scolded youth with the best of them) but privately he always wondered how those making the complaints could forget how their children had done as bad or worse. And how important it was for them to have gotten a break or two--the space to straighten out their lives.

He was loyal; first of course to his family, but, with near equal ferocity, to residents of Lakeview Manor and more generally to those untouched by privilege, whether in public housing or in the work force. His instincts were unfailingly with the underdog. His loyalty was old fashioned. And certainly not always symmetrical. The fact that some tenants felt safe enough to scream at him was proof that his power derived from character, not threat. Residents were in some sense like his children whom he would help without necessarily expecting gratitude in return. That is real power.

The spirit, optimism and almost childlike joy that defined the tapestry of his soul were more powerful than the struggles that he confronted, both in his private life and in his work. Of course, he never fully recovered from the loss of his son or his wife, and he talked recently about rejoining them. But with all of his private burdens, he remained, for the rest of us, a rock. He lived for the give and take of politics. When Congressman Delahunt thanked him for his help with the election, Charlie mentioned that Lakeview Manor could use a good, safe playground, and with their connections to the building trades and the Town of Weymouth, it was done. Whenever someone asked how they could help him, Charlie said, help us.

I spent a lot of time with him, talking about everything under the sun. But the subject he came back to most was his family; his love for Jimmy, Linda, Laureen, John, and Willie and his ten grandchildren was absolute. They all drove him crazy. He drove them all crazy. But they were what he cared about the most. And he was very proud of them.

We honor Charlie's legacy whenever we help someone in need; whenever we fight with authority; whenever we join, organize, demand, laugh, forgive, laugh some more, and love.