Howard Leibowitz, Long-time City Aid, Dies at 63

An advocate for the poor and homeless, a “courageous, decent” long-time City Hall aid who was a close adviser to two Boston mayors, Howard Leibowitz died unexpectedly Sunday, the Boston Herald reports.

Leibowitz started working for the city in 1987 under former Mayor Raymond Flynn, serving as director of federal relations, a liason position in Washington, D.C. He went on to serve as former Mayor Thomas Menino’s press secretary and director of intergovernmental relations.

“He left an incredible mark in the city of Boston, one of the most courageous and decent and generous people I’ve ever met,” Flynn told the Herald. “Even though he was a rock-solid liberal Democrat, he knew that the first goal was getting something done. He was very pragmatic and very practical, and he wasn’t ideological. He said there was no ideological position when it comes to helping the poor.”

Leibowitz was known as an advocate for immigrants, the homeless and the poor, spearheading several housing initiatives and neighborhood reinvestment plans throughout his tenure with the city, including the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987, which provided money for homeless shelters.

A Boston native, Leibowitz lived in Jamaica Plain. He leaves a wife, Conny.