ITEM FILE PHOTO BY OWEN O’ROURKE
Rep. Robert Fennell in the Capitol Diner.
It’s hard to believe state Rep. Robert Fennell is bringing the curtain down on a 21-year career in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
Better known as the guy who owns the Capitol Diner on Union Street and always self-deprecating about his role as East Lynn’s state legislator, Fennell has been a reliable, if applause-shy, legislator who went to work, did his job and provided a steady partnership in the House to a succession of fellow Lynn legislators.
He delivers his swansong speech from the House floor today and it’s sure to be sprinkled with humility and gratitude for the trust Lynn voters placed in him.
It was Fennell, two years ago, who worked behind the scenes to start sorting out the school net spending crisis that threatened the city’s fiscal stability. Working with state Sen. Thomas M. McGee, Fennell brokered an agreement with initially-hostile state educators and an outraged Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy to take the first steps to iron out disagreements.
Applying the reasonable tone and calm approach that is his hallmark, Fennell convinced both sides to lay down their proverbial swords and work out an agreement that resulted in a manageable schedule for meeting net spending obligations.
Settling disputes with state agencies and keeping an eye on local aid and state transportation spending appropriations does not sound like the work of a towering political luminary, but Fennell never sought the limelight and he chuckled whenever someone sought to play up his status as a veteran legislator.
Catch up with him at the Capitol, between stints at the grill, and he preferred to talk about his family and efforts to expand local charitable endeavors he supports. When it came to patting someone on the back for a legislative accomplishment, Fennell was the first legislator to hand off the praise to colleagues.
Fennell faced few election year challengers during his House tenure and relatively few critics have materialized to condemn his hiring by the Water and Sewer Commission. It’s easy to point a finger at politicians, but, on the other hand, Fennell is not riding off into the sunset after leaving the Legislature — he is staying local — and his contacts and expertise in state government are sure to serve the commission in its continued pursuit of state money.
Lynn residents had a friend in Bob Fennell during his time in the State House and ratepayers will have a sure hand on Parkland Avenue during the next chapter of Fennell’s public service career.