Bill Hanna Remembered
At last night’s Mayor and Council Meeting, a moment of silence was observed for former Mayor Bill Hanna (89) who died on Saturday, January 15, 2011.
William E. Hanna, Jr. served as Rockville mayor from 1974 until 1982 when he was elected to the Montgomery County Council. He then served on the County Council until losing his seat in 1998. He played a role in creating the I-270 corridor and the County’s Moderately Priced Dwelling Unit (MPDU) program.
Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio emphasized “He was a treasured mayor to the City.” She explained he was responsible for the City’s logo and flag. He even decided we needed a City bird so he promoted the “rock hawk”. “He was quite a fellow.”
Councilmember Piotr Gajewski added “Bill Hanna was great supporter of the arts and I worked with him when he moved onto the County Council. He was a pioneer in a fashion and just a number one supporter of the arts in the community for many years.”
Council President, Valerie Erving, provides a description of Mr. Hanna’s work in the Council’s Press Release:
Bill Hanna was a great public servant. As a member of the Montgomery County Council from 1982 to 1998, he was a leader in fields ranging from economic development to the arts. The County’s top ranking in biotech, in particular, owes much to his vision. He was a leader as well as Mayor of Rockville from 1974 to 1982 and as a senior federal official at the Social Security Administration and NASA. His military career, starting with his service in World War II, was equally distinguished. We join Mr. Hanna’s family and friends in mourning his loss and remembering his extraordinary contributions to our nation and our community.
The press release goes on to detail more of Mr. Hanna’s accomplishments:
Mr. Hanna was president of the County Council three times during his 16-year tenure. During his four terms as Mayor of Rockville, the city twice earned “All-America City” awards.
As a County Councilmember, he was a leader in providing affordable housing and established a catastrophic health insurance plan for employees—the first such plan for public employees in the nation. He sponsored the development district concept for underwriting of needed infrastructure in emerging communities that required developers, not homeowners, to pay for the needed infrastructure. He strongly supported the Art in Public Places program and the Commission on the Humanities.
Mr. Hanna served as vice president National Institute of Public Management and as president of the Maryland Municipal League in 1974-75. He was a member of the board of directors of the Washington Council of Governments.
In a candidate questionnaire that he provided to The Washington Post while running for re-election in 1996, Mr. Hanna wrote, “I do believe that lower- and moderate-income housing shortage is a fundamental ill affecting our county. This shortage is reflected in our declining labor availability, congested roads and high cost of market housing.”
Mr. Hanna is survived by his wife of 62 years, Annette; seven daughters; 15 grandchildren and two great-granddaughters.
Family will receive friends at St. Mary’s Catholic Church on Thursday from 3 to 5 PM and 7 to 9 PM and where Mass of Christian Burial will be offered Friday, January 21, at 10:30 AM.
Interment will be at Arlington National Cemetery with Full Military Honors at a later date since Mr. Hanna served in the Army during World War II and also served in the Air Force Reserve and Air Force Auxiliary.
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Bill Hanna was a big supporter of the Sister City program, at the International level and in Rockville. If I am correct, Bill served as the SCI treasurer for seven years. He also served as one of the Lectors at the Rockville St. Mary’s Catholic Church
Bill, his wife Annette and I met at a Sister City International Conference awards dinner in the late 80′s.
God bless Bill’s lovely family. He will be dearly missed by all.