Former Norwood Town Manager John Mogan Reflects on New Life in Delaware-July 26, 1979

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For John Mogan, 57, a life-long resident and town manager of Norwood for six years, the wedding was symbolic of his cutting ties to his hometown. It is traumatic in a way, but the trauma is moderated by what I am going to in Delaware, he said. John Mogan unexpectedly resigned his $34,000 town manager’s post here the previous August, saying he was leaving for professional reasons. He also said he was frustrated at not being able to accomplish more and conceded he did not agree with some of the selectmen’s policies.

After a six-month job search, he is now city manager of Dover, the capital city with the same population as Norwood but geographically twice as large. He is in love with his new town on the St. Jones River and he now says, I may have extended my life span by making the move. Dover is run by an elected city council and a mayor, but most of the administrative responsibility lies with the manager. They give me the responsibility and the authority to go along with it and I am very happy there, John Mogan said. He and his wife, Mel, have purchased a ten-room brick Williamsburg-style home in Dover on the banks of the St. Jones River.

Why ten rooms now that their daughter Janice is married and moving to North Carolina? For all our expected company from Norwood. We are right on the route to Florida, he replied. Dover is a growing community with several large industries such as General Foods, Scott Paper, and the Dover Air Force Base. It also has an agreeable tax rate of $9.80 per $1,000 based on sixty percent of the 1972 valuations. The nicest thing about Dover is the sense of community pride. The government and residents share in that pride, John Mogan said. There are other benefits he did not have here: a four-week vacation, few night meetings, and little political pressure.

Known here as Gentleman John even to his detractors, John Mogan remains reluctant to be specific about his dissatisfaction with the job here. Saying he could not be as effective as he wanted, he added, Just because we always did things one way is not justification for continuing. Seeing improvements is as rewarding as the paycheck. John Mogan and his wife kept their house here until Janice‘s wedding at a Boston College chapel. She graduated from Purdue School of Veterinary Medicine in June and will practice in North Carolina with a particular interest in caring for horses. Janice is the source of great pride to John Mogan, with whom she shares his initials (JPM), a love for horses and riding, and a belief that women should be encouraged to pursue a career.

With her marriage and his new job, they also share the beginning of a new life elsewhere. On their way, John P. Mogan and his daughter, Janice, leave their Juniper Drive home (photographed by Larry Welsh) Saturday for her wedding and for new lives and new jobs, marking the end of an era for local municipal leadership in Norwood.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger