By Seth Daniel
The first public servant assigned to the South End Forum was honored at a Forum meeting on Tuesday night for his years of dedication to the community and to the Forum.
Frank O’Brien of Public Works (PWD) has appeared at the Forum for around 10 years as a liaison to the group from PWD – handling the toughest issues and the more mundane issues at the same time.
Moderator Steve Fox introduced O’Brien as a great example of a public servant.
“I could easily get choked up because Frank was one of the original people who helped form the South End Forum,” said Fox. “He has been here since day one and has never missed a meeting…There has never been an issue too small or too big Frank hasn’t been willing to grapple with.”
O’Brien said the Forum and the South End are perfect examples of what a neighborhood can be when everyone is working together.
“I’ve spoken to my wife several times about this being my last South End Forum meeting and it brings a lot of emotion,” he said. “ The South End Forum is the pinnacle of what can happen when neighborhood people and City servants come together…I think the South End is the example of how to care about your neighborhood.”
The Forum presented O’Brien with a gift at the end of the remembrances.
“What is it?” O’Brien asked.
“It’s a space saver,” said George Stergios of Worcester Square – a nod to the long battle with the PWD to officially get space savers outlawed in the South End.
O’Brien will retire at the end of the month.