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Amherst Town Manager John Musante died suddenly on Sunday morning, Sept. 20, after suffering a medical emergency at his home. He was 53.
• Link to John Musante obituary in The Springfield Republican
Musante was a member of the MMA Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of the Massachusetts Municipal Management Association. He also served on the MMA’s Fiscal Policy Committee. He was widely recognized as an expert in municipal finance and management in Massachusetts.
“John’s contributions to the MMA and his colleagues in professional public management spanned his entire career, and we relied heavily on his intelligence and knowledge, particularly in public finance, to build our policies and advocate for strong local government,” said MMA Executive Director Geoff Beckwith. “John was always willing to volunteer his time and energy to help others, in his community, in his profession, and all across the state.
“John was recognized and respected for his remarkable skill, professionalism, sense of public duty, unflappable good nature, warm personality and abiding sense of humor, and his talent for nurturing trust and good will across all levels of government.”
This past spring, the Amherst Select Board praised Musante’s fiscal management and his efforts on affordable housing and the town’s status as a green community. Musante was also credited with improving the town’s relationship with UMass Amherst, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in management and master’s degree in public administration.
Prior to his five years as town manager in Amherst, Musante had served as the town’s assistant town manager for three years and finance director for six years. He was also the finance director in Northampton and budget director and chief of staff in New Bedford. He served as the first town manager in Lenox in the 1990s.
His work in Amherst so impressed the Select Board that, when the town manager position became vacant in 2010, board members unanimously decided to offer the job to Musante rather than conduct a search.
Musante was a Northampton native and son of Northampton Mayor David Musante Jr., who was in office from 1980 to 1992. He leaves his wife, Marlene; a son, Matthew; and a daughter, Rachel.
In a phone interview with the Daily Hampshire Gazette from southern California, where he now lives, David Musante said he hoped his son would be remembered as “a great family man and a great public servant. I think the town of Amherst was well served under him.”
The former mayor recalled that during his tenure in Northampton, “We would discuss politics at the kitchen table, and I think that stayed with him, because you can’t be a mayor or a town manager and not know something of that part of the business. … John was someone who kept a cool head and had a lot of patience. He could weather the politics.”
Calling hours will be Friday, Sept. 25, from 2 to 7 p.m., at the Ahearn Funeral Home, 783 Bridge Road, in Northampton. A funeral ceremony will take place on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 10 a.m. at Grace Episcopal Church in Amherst.
At this time, the family intends to create a fund to honor John and his legacy. In lieu of flowers, please await more information about this fund.
• Daily Hampshire Gazette: Economic growth key to Town Manager John Musante’s legacy in Amherst
• Springfield Republican: Senate President Rosenberg, other public officials reflect on passing of Amherst Town Manager Musante