Portland city manager dies after collapsing in store

PORTLAND – Robert B. Ganley, longtime city manager, was remembered for his 14-year tenure that included the development of the arts and cultural district and the debut of professional baseball in Portland.

“The city of Portland was blessed with his leadership,” a tearful Mayor Cheryl Leeman told a news conference at Maine Medical Center shortly after Ganley’s death on Saturday.

Ganley, a father of three grown children, collapsed and died while shopping at a local supermarket. A nurse who happened to be there tried to resuscitate him, but he was pronounced dead at the hospital less than an hour later.

One of the attending physicians, Dr. David Bachman, said he was unaware of any heart problems in Ganley’s medical history. He said Ganley was “a very active gentleman, but it was a stressful job.”

After a hastily scheduled meeting Sunday, the City Council announced that Joseph Gray, director of planning and urban development, would serve as acting city manager.

Leeman, a member of the City Council that hired Ganley in 1986, praised his “quiet leadership” and his ability to “build a great team,” whether for revitalizing the city’s downtown or making peace with city unions.

Overseeing annual city budgets totaling more than $200 million, Ganley tried to hold the line on taxes throughout his tenure. He did so from 1993 until this year, when declining revenues and higher costs led to a 5 percent tax increase.

Ganley was a longtime sports enthusiast whose best-known success was the reconstruction of Hadlock Field, where the Portland Sea Dogs began playing in 1994. Ganley was a season ticket holder.

In recent years, he pushed unsuccessfully to get an ice arena built downtown.

“He was the boss,” said Walston “Bud” Gallie, president of the Portland Taxpayers Association. “He stayed in the job and … he accumulated power and the City Council let him have it.”

Before going to work for Maine’s largest city, Ganley served as city manager in neighboring South Portland. Ganley was known for his personal commitment to Portland, and friends said there was never a hint that he would leave the job.

“He loved it here,” Police Chief Michael Chitwood said. “He loved Portland.”