Glenn Clancy wore many hats during his 40 years as a Belmont employee. For 20 of those years, he served as the director of Community Development. Before that, he was the director’s assistant. He also served as the inspector of buildings, and most recently, he was the town engineer.
More than that, though, he was a “solid guy” to the people who worked with him.
“He was a salt-of-the-earth type of person,” said Public Works Director Jay Marcotte, who worked with Clancy for the last decade. “Once you were in his inner circle, you could trust him with anything.”
“He’d have your back,” added Town Administrator Patrice Garvin.
According to Garvin, Clancy died Wednesday morning at the age of 61. At around 9 a.m., the Town Hall flag was lowered to half-staff in his honor.
“We wanted to give staff an opportunity to come out and recognize him,” she said.
According to Garvin, Clancy, who reached 40 years with the town last June, had been looking to retire but first wanted to finish up a few big projects. Among them was the development at McLean Hospital.
“He knew the town,” Garvin said. “We would go to him and ask him about some random thing that happened 30 years ago, and he would know.”
“I wish I could download all the information he had,” added Marcotte.
Clancy was known for his ability to lighten the mood, Garvin said.
“At Town Meeting, he would always pride himself that he would get a laugh when he went to the podium,” she said.
In a letter to Town Meeting members Wednesday afternoon, Select Board Chair Elizabeth Dionne said Clancy had been out on leave in recent months, but that the news of his death still came as a “devastating shock.”
“His work was meticulous and always reliable,” Dionne wrote. “He was a true gentleman, treating everyone—from town leaders to his professional colleagues to the most obstreperous members of the public—with unfailing courtesy and respect, not to mention a ready smile and flashes of wry humor. His passing leaves a tremendous hole in all our hearts.”
Director of Planning and Building and Town Planner Chris Ryan said while he only knew Clancy for a short time, he was “instrumental” in getting him acclimated to his new role in Belmont.
“He was always friendly, accessible, and helpful in sharing information about Belmont and the players in town,” Ryan said in a statement. “An amazing bundle of energy and spirit, Glenn had a great sense of humor and was passionate in his work.”
His institutional knowledge made him a mentor to many.
“He was a mentor to us, too,” said Garvin. “He would really take the time— if we had a question [about] someone or something, he would give us the ins and outs. That was invaluable, at least to me.”
He loved this town, she said.
“It wasn’t just that he knew everything and everyone,” Garvin said. “Everyone knew and respected him.”
