NORWICH – John Dolan, who died on Monday at age 93, was the longest-sitting supervisor of Wards 1, and 3 in the City of Norwich, according to records kept since the early 1900s. He represented the city for nearly 30 years, from 1966 to 1979 and again from 1984 to 1999.
While a Democrat in a traditionally Republican county, Dolan, a Norwich native, was known to work well with his fellow lawmakers on the Chenango County Board of Supervisors and could be counted on to deliver a fair, honest interpretation of the issues at hand.
“John had the county in mind all of the time,” said former Town of Afton Supervisor Robert Briggs, who counted Dolan as one of his good friends. “He was a fine man, and a good thinker. He thought through things pretty carefully.”
Norwich Wards 1, 2 and 3 Supervisor James J. McNeil, who succeeded Dolan in 1999, remembered his first piece of advice: “He said it didn’t matter whether you were a Democrat or a Republican, the position is about the people who you represent. They are the people you work for,” McNeil said yesterday.
Dolan will also be remembered for
ing the Catholic prayer, “The Prayer of Saint Francis” whenever it was his turn to deliver the invocation before monthly board meetings.
“Working with him on the board was a pleasure. He was a good statesman,” remembered New York Assemblyman Clifford Crouch this morning. Crouch, of Bainbridge, was chairman of the board during a portion of Dolan’s tenure.
Funeral services for Mr. Dolan are under the direction of the Wilson Funeral Home in Norwich. A complete obituary can be found on Page 6 of today’s Evening Sun.