F. John Monahan
Mayor of Beverly, Massachusetts
In office
1984–1994
Preceded byPeter Fortunato
Succeeded byWilliam F. Scanlon, Jr.
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 6th Essex District
In office
1979–1983
Preceded byFrancis W. Hatch, Jr.
Succeeded byFrances Alexander
Personal details
Born (1943-07-03) July 3, 1943
Beverly, Massachusetts
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materMerrimack College
OccupationPolitician

F. John Monahan is an American politician who served as Mayor of Beverly, Massachusetts, and a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

Early life

Monahan was born on July 3, 1943, in Beverly. He graduated from Beverly High School and Merrimack College. Monahan began his political career as a member of the Beverly Board of Alderman. He also served as an administrator for the state Public Welfare Department.[1]

Massachusetts General Court

In 1978, Monahan was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives seat. He was releected in 1980, but chose not to run for reelection in 1982 and instead ran for 2nd Essex seat in the Massachusetts Senate. He finished second in a six-candidate Democratic primary to Peabody City Councilor Frederick Berry.

Mayor of Beverly

In 1983, Monahan ran to succeed retiring Mayor Peter Fortunato. He finished in first place in the preliminary election and defeated retired Baptist minister John Wilbur in the general election.[2] During his tenure as Mayor, Monahan worked to keep the city more residential than industrial. He championed "slow growth" and opposed developers and the city zoning board, which he believed favored developers. He stopped development on 81 acres of an aquifer.[1] Monahan wanted to see the former United Shoe Manufacturing plant turned into retail space and residences and in 1987, met with Emerson College president Allen E. Koenig to discuss the college relocating there, however neither plan came to fruition during his tenure.[1][3] The city also reduced its debt, updated its master plan, rebuilt the library system, reorganized the police department, and made repairs to schools while Monahan was mayor.[1] Monahan was criticized by his mayoral opponents for poor financial planning, for his confrontational style, and for his clashes with the police union and school committee.[1][4]

On July 23, 1988, Monahan was found by Danvers police outside the home of a 22-year-old woman, who Monahan called his "girlfriend". He later told the police that he was not in relationship with the woman, who was part of "a golfing crew" he socialized with, but was infatuated with her. After the incident, Monahan, who was married and had a daughter, checked himself into an out-of-state alcohol treatment center to attend to what he called a "serious drinking problem".[5]

In 1987 and 1989, Monahan finished second in the preliminary election, only to win in the general election.[6] In 1993, he finished third behind William F. Scanlon Jr. and Willard B. Gelwick, ending his mayorship.[7]

Later political career

In 1994, Monahan sought the Democratic nomination for the United States House of Representatives seat in Massachusetts's 6th congressional district. He finished fourth out of four candidates.[8] The following year, he faced Scanlon in a rematch for Mayor, but lost by a wide margin.[9] In 2002, he ran for his old seat in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, which was being vacated by Michael P. Cahill. He lost to Mary E. Grant in the primary 60% to 23%.[8]

Electoral results

F. John Monahan electoral history

1980 general election for the Massachusetts House of Representatives, 6th Essex District[8]

  • F. John Monahan (D) - 9,359 (53.1%)
  • Phyllis Dick Morss (R) - 8,257 (46.9%)

1982 Democratic primary for the Massachusetts Senate, 2nd Essex District[8]

  • Frederick Berry - 11,532 (32.6%)
  • F. John Monahan - 9,955 (28.2%)
  • Joseph Centorino - 8,210 (23.2%)
  • Neil J. Harrington - 3,384 (9.6%)
  • George A. Nowak - 1,608 (4.5%)
  • Barry R. Sloane - 658 (1.9%)

1983 Beverly mayoral preliminary election[10]

  • F. John Monahan - 4,270 (43.7%)
  • John M. Wilbur, Jr. - 2,906 (29.7%)
  • Thomas Bussone - 2,496 (25.5%)
  • Charles Spinale - 101 (1.0%)

1983 Beverly mayoral general election[11]

  • F. John Monahan - 8,009 (60.4%)
  • John M. Wilbur, Jr. - 5,242 (39.6%)

1985 Beverly mayoral general election[12]

  • F. John Monahan - 6,125 (51.2%)
  • John Petronzio - 5,848 (48.8%)

1987 Beverly mayoral preliminary election[13]

  • John Petronzio - 2,347 (48.0%)
  • F. John Monahan - 2,201 (45.0%)
  • Gerald Wallace - 229 (4.7%)
  • Matthew Femino - 112 (2.3%)

1987 Beverly mayoral general election[14]

  • F. John Monahan - 6,847 (56.9%)
  • John Petronzio - 5,186 (43.1%)

1989 Beverly mayoral preliminary election[15]

  • Jeffery W. Conley - 2,814 (53.4%)
  • F. John Monahan - 2,147 (40.7%)
  • Matthew Femino - 186 (5.9%)

1989 Beverly general preliminary election[16]

  • F. John Monahan - 6,807 (51.2%)
  • Jeffery W. Conley - 6,483 (48.8%)

1991 Beverly mayoral preliminary election[17]

  • F. John Monahan - 3,434 (42.2%)
  • David Vagos - 2,380 (29.3%)
  • Philip Dunkelbarger - 1,833 (22.5%)
  • Thomas Drinkwater - 489 (6.0%)

1991 Beverly mayoral general election[18]

  • F. John Monahan - 6,728 (54.5%)
  • David Vagos - 5,610 (45.5%)

1993 Beverly mayoral preliminary election[7]

  • William F. Scanlon Jr. - 5,216 (46.3%)
  • Willard B. Gelwick - 4,035 (35.8%)
  • F. John Monahan - 1,343 (11.9%)
  • Donald K. Hannable - 531 (4.7%)
  • Myron E. Hood - 139 (1.2%)

1994 Democratic primary for the United States House of Representatives, Massachusetts's 6th congressional district[8]

1995 Beverly mayoral general election[9]

  • William F. Scanlon, Jr. - 9,317 (85.0%)
  • F. John Monahan - 1,641 (15.0%)

2002 Democratic primary for the Massachusetts House of Representatives, 6th Essex District[8]

  • Mary E. Grant - 3,431 (59.6%)
  • F. John Monahan - 1,308 (22.7%)
  • Ronald F. Costa - 714 (12.4%)
  • Robert A. Mounroe - 304 (5.3%)

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Dabilis, Andrew (October 15, 1987). "Beverly Mayor Battle Seen as a Study in Contrasts". The Boston Globe.
  2. ↑ "Beverly Mayor Race: Minister vs. Ex-Rep". The Boston Globe. September 28, 1983.
  3. ↑ Ridley, Shelley (August 27, 1987). "Emerson Head, Beverly Mayor to Discuss Move". The Boston Globe.
  4. ↑ Zitner, Aaron (November 3, 1991). "Candidates in 44 communities push to Tuesday elections". The Boston Globe.
  5. ↑ "Beverly Mayor Checks Into Alcohol Center". The Boston Globe. July 31, 1988.
  6. ↑ Zitner, Aaron (September 26, 1991). "Lynn mayor's race reflects voting trend". The Boston Globe.
  7. 1 2 "Beverly". The Boston Globe. September 22, 1993.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "F John Monahan (D)". PD43+. Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  9. 1 2 "Beverly". The Boston Globe. November 8, 1995.
  10. ↑ "Beverly". The Boston Globe. September 28, 1983.
  11. ↑ "Beverly". The Boston Globe. November 9, 1983.
  12. ↑ "Mayoral Contests in Massachusetts". The Boston Globe. November 10, 1985.
  13. ↑ "Election '87 Beverly". The Boston Globe. September 23, 1987.
  14. ↑ "Beverly". The Boston Globe. November 4, 1987.
  15. ↑ "In Beverly Contest, Conley Tops 3-Term Mayor Monahan". The Boston Globe. September 27, 1989.
  16. ↑ "Mayoral Contests in Massachusetts". The Boston Globe. November 9, 1989.
  17. ↑ "Beverly". The Boston Globe. September 25, 1991.
  18. ↑ "Beverly". The Boston Globe. November 7, 1991.
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