Jay Flaherty, former deputy mayor, longtime attorney, and Vietnam veteran, has died at 79

Jay Flaherty, 79, of Philadelphia, former deputy mayor and deputy city solicitor, retired attorney, Vietnam veteran, triathlete, and master gardener, died Sunday, Feb. 9, of squamous cell carcinoma at his home in Chestnut Hill.

Born in Wilmington and dedicated to public service in Philadelphia, Mr. Flaherty served as deputy city solicitor for commercial litigation under Mayor William Green from 1980 to 1982 and then deputy mayor under Mayor Wilson Goode from December 1985 to February 1988.

He argued the city’s court case regarding the accuracy and conduct of the 1980 national census before the Supreme Court as Green’s deputy solicitor, and Goode said he hired him as deputy mayor in 1985 to “deal with major policy matters facing the city.”

So, seven months after the May 1985 bombing of the MOVE house in West Philadelphia, Mr. Flaherty began helping Goode review the MOVE incident, reorganize the Police Department, plan for a new Center City convention center, and develop an effective solid-waste disposal system.

Former colleagues praised Mr. Flaherty’s “calm voice” and “moderation” in dealing with the city’s problems as deputy mayor. Over two years, among other things, he helped owners of sinking homes delay mortgage payments until disaster relief arrived and negotiated a revised city wage tax system.

He lobbied local and state officials on behalf of the city during lean times of federal funding, and a former colleague said he found “solutions that remain today.”

“I thought he was dashing, a breath of fresh air to the rather staid environment of big bureaucracy.”

“I viewed my job as defining issues for [the mayor], recommending policy alternatives or answers to questions, and then, in many cases, going about implementing those,” Mr. Flaherty told The Inquirer when he resigned in January 1988 to return to private practice.

Goode said in 1988: “He has done an outstanding job and performed superbly in both public and behind-the-scenes roles.”

Known for his candor and humor, Mr. Flaherty was an effective spokesperson for Goode’s administration. He had appeared in Goode’s TV campaign ads in 1983, and a 1986 Daily News story about contentious budget negotiations included this sentence: “‘No comment,’ said Deputy Mayor John Flaherty even though no question had been posed.”

Former city colleague Bettina Hoerlin said: “He exuded decency mixed with levity.”

“Jay had an authoritative but calm and always humble energy."

Between his city assignments, Mr. Flaherty worked on commercial law and was chairman of the state and local government group at Dechert, Price, and Rhoades in Philadelphia. He joined the firm in 1973 and, after retiring in 2006, worked until 2011 with other partners to redevelop former energy sites. Earlier, he was solicitor for the Neshaminy Water Resources Authority.

He enlisted in the Army in 1967, rose to first lieutenant, and was exposed to the toxic defoliant Agent Orange during a yearlong tour in Vietnam. He lived with cardiac and other ailments for the rest of his life.

In retirement, he became a master gardener and turned his corner lot in Chestnut Hill into a natural wonderland of winding walkways and colorful vistas. He had an artist’s eye when it came to landscape design, and his creations were featured in The Inquirer and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s GROW magazine, and are part of the Archives of American Gardens at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.

He made it a point to invite tours of his acre and a half, and was so engaging with visitors and neighbors they nicknamed him the “mayor of the neighborhood.”

“Jay could see the problem from 60,000 feet but also could grasp the nitty-gritty details.”

“It was his natural empathy, his kindness to everyone that made him stand out,” a longtime friend said in an online tribute. Another friend said: “Jay was the embodiment of generosity in everything he did.”

John Edward Flaherty Jr. was born June 19, 1945. An older brother to five sisters, he played baseball as a boy and rugby in college, and was interested early in literature, poetry, and writing.

He graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire in 1963 and earned a bachelor’s degree in English at Yale University in 1967, and law degree at Georgetown University Law School in 1973.

He met Eugenie Walsh during college, and they married in 1969, and had daughters Eugenie and Kate, and a son, Doyle. They lived in Swarthmore and elsewhere in Philadelphia before settling in Chestnut Hill in 1985.

» READ MORE: Fall weather and light brings out the best in the Flaherty garden

Mr. Flaherty was organized, curious, and detail-oriented, his family said. His daughter Eugenie said he had “a deep belief that each individual has a responsibility to their community.”

His daughter Kate said: “My father was the most decent, kindest man that I have ever met.” When a friend said Mr. Flaherty’s son was obviously like his father, Doyle Flaherty said: “I couldn’t be more honored.”

Mr. Flaherty and his wife enjoyed winters in Key West, traveled the world together, and hiked around Europe on ancient pilgrimage trails. He liked to dance, tell jokes to his grandchildren, and debate all kinds of things with family and friends.

He ran, swam, and biked in triathlons, and coached T-ball and peewee ice hockey. He routinely blew a handmade wooden horn to kick-start the family’s annual Thanksgiving dinner.

“Jay was a shining example of how joyful life can be when you engage deeply with people.”

“He epitomized mindfulness,” his wife said. “He really listened and existed in the moment with that person. We told him he had taught us how to love and care for one another, and we would always be there for each other.”

In addition to his wife and children, Mr. Flaherty is survived by seven grandchildren, four sisters, and other relatives. A sister died earlier.

A private service was held March 3. A celebration of his life is to be held later.

Donations in his name may be made to the Veterans’ Multiservice Center, 213-217 N. 4th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19106; and the Chestnut Hill Garden District Fund, 10 E. Springfield Ave., Philadelphia Pa. 19118.