Howard Leibowitz, a Jamaica Plain resident known for his devoted service to the city of Boston, passed away Sunday at the age of 63.
According to this tribute, Leibowitz died Sunday morning after suffering a heart attack in his home in JP.
The Boston Herald has more:
Howard Leibowitz, a longtime City Hall aide who served as Mayor Raymond L. Flynn’s Washington, D.C., liaison and went on to become one of Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s closest advisers and a tireless advocate for immigrants, the homeless and the poor, died unexpectedly yesterday.
A Boston native, Leibowitz grew up in Brighton and Mattapan, graduated from Brandeis University and worked on his first political campaign as a teenager. He lived in Jamaica Plain and was a fan of Boston sports.
Leibowitz began working for the city in 1987, first as director of federal relations for Flynn and then as Menino’s first press secretary. In 1994, he became Menino’s director of the Office of Intergovernmental Relations.
Leibowitz played a role in authoring many neighborhood investment and housing initiatives, and was part of the team that brought the Democratic National Convention to Boston in 2004. Under Flynn, he helped draft the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987, a bipartisan bill that provided federal money to homeless shelters.
“He left an incredible mark in the city of Boston, one of the most courageous and decent and generous people I’ve ever met,” Flynn told the Herald last night, citing his ability to work across the aisle during the Reagan administration. “Even though he was a rock-solid liberal Democrat, he knew that the first goal was getting something done. He was very pragmatic and very practical, and he wasn’t ideological. He said there was no ideological position when it comes to helping the poor.”
Howard’s obituary indicates that funeral services and the burial will be private, but a public memorial service will follow:
“LEIBOWITZ, Howard R. Of Jamaica Plain, suddenly on Sunday, December 27, 2015, at age 63. Former Director of Intergovernmental Relations for the City of Boston. For 29 years, the beloved husband of Constance Jane Doty. Dear son of Laurie (Berman) Leibowitz and the late Sumner Leibowitz. Devoted brother of Steven, Laurence and Peter Leibowitz and his wife Allison. Loving Uncle to his five nieces, Dylan, Shayna, Brooke, Chaia and Rachel Leibowitz. Funeral services and burial are private at the request of the family. A public Memorial Service for Howard’s friends and colleagues will be announced shortly. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to Project Bread, 145 Border Street, East Boston, MA 02128; or Commonwealth Tenant Task Force, 35 Fidelis Way, Brighton, MA 02135; or Mayors Against Illegal Guns www.everytown.org.”
Condolences and tributes for Leibowitz have been rolling in on Twitter, including from his brother, Steven, who tweeted to Jamaica Plain News that JP was a “special place” for Howard:
My love and appreciation to the tweets I've read tonight, remembering my brother @Howardjp995 . #HowardLeibowitz #tikkunolam
— Steven Leibowitz (@StevenL57) December 28, 2015
I'm so sad for the reason but it makes me smile to see that Howard Leibowitz is trending on Twitter in Boston. He is so loved!
— Kate Weldon LeBlanc (@beantownkate) December 28, 2015
@StevenL57 @beantownkate We caught it (and this was set to U.S. Trends, not just Boston). Our condolences, Steven. pic.twitter.com/qc0IBYb8wt
— Jamaica Plain News (@02130News) December 28, 2015
@02130News @beantownkate Thank you. Always a special place for JP with him.
— Steven Leibowitz (@StevenL57) December 28, 2015
JP has lost a giant. Rest in peace, Howard Leibowitz. Thank you for your friendship, support, & political insights. You will be missed.
— Matt O'Malley (@MattOMalley) December 28, 2015
World lost a good one today. Howard Leibowitz. Political genius, better friend. RIPHowardLeibowitz pic.twitter.com/Eh9glMdNe1
— Tom Tinlin (@tinlin_tom) December 28, 2015
