Public service had no better advocate than the late Samuel E. Zoll.
From his election as North Salem's representative on the Salem City Council in 1957 up until his death yesterday morning, Zoll served his city and state honestly, tirelessly and well.
One of his favorite stories involved the installation of officers at a local social club in which he took part shortly after his election to the Legislature. As the elected officials, including the freshman state representative, filed into the dank hall, someone sitting at the bar yelled out, "Here come the thieves!"
Sadly, that was and still is the popular perception of those who serve in public office. Zoll made it his life's work to prove that holding legislative, executive or judicial office does not require sacrificing one's principles or ideals.
He was the rare politician, as one newsroom colleague observed this week, who was truly beyond reproach. And his integrity, along with his intellect and prodigious work ethic, earned him the respect not only of Salem's voters, but of governors both Republican and Democratic dating back to Francis Sargent, who in 1973 plucked him from City Hall to preside at Ipswich District Court.
He went on to become chief justice of the busy district court in his hometown, then to head of all the state's district courts, a post in which he served from 1976 until he reached the mandatory retirement age in 2004. Less than a month after his retirement, he was named by Gov. Romney to chair the state's Joint Labor-Management Committee, a position to which he was later reappointed by Gov. Patrick.
Despite the impressive offices he attained, however, Zoll never forgot his modest roots or the many friends he'd made delivering newspapers in the old neighborhood, running for office, teaching in Danvers, serving on the bench, riding in the Pan-Mass Challenge or working out at the local Y.
There was absolutely no pretense to the man, who enjoyed taking a stroll through the Willows with his beloved wife, Marjorie, far more than he did any of the trappings of high office.
His influence as Salem's mayor was far out of proportion to the number of years — three — he served in the corner office. For as lawyer Bill Tinti recalled when interviewed for a 2010 profile on his good friend, "He was the critical person at a critical time for the city."
Indeed, the bustling city Salem is today owes much to Zoll's vision. Upon his election as mayor in 1969, he moved quickly to change an urban renewal plan that emphasized the destruction of the downtown's rich stock of historic structures with one that featured a healthy mix of the old and new.
Zoll had the rare ability to provide bold leadership on even the most controversial subjects without offending. Always the diplomat, he once confided how as mayor he would move quickly to fill any job vacancy so that when another applied, rather than reject the inquiry outright, he could say, "If only I'd known you were interested."
Stories about Zoll are as legion as the ones he loved to tell about the personalities, large and small, he'd encountered from his years growing up on the streets and in the playgrounds of North Salem to those spent in the corridors of power in Boston.
This loving husband, devoted father and grandfather, friend of many, and true son of Salem will not soon be forgotten.
No Limits for Disabled Hunters at Mich. Base
Victim Identified in Fla. Face-chewing Attack
Radioactive Bluefin Tuna Crossed the Pacific
90 Guns Seized, Dozens Arrested in Oakland
Raw Video: Hail Storm Batters Oklahoma City
6-Year-Old Going to National Spelling Bee
California's Foie Gras Ban About to Begin
Video Essay: Funky Winkerbean Comic Turns 40
Hurricane Andrew Remembered, 20 Years Later
Judge's Ruling Halts Tenn. Mosque Construction
Romney in Las Vegas on Texas Primary Day
Sister Says She Reported Brother in Patz Killing
Even Fla. Police Shocked by Face-Mauling Attack
Angry Birds Spreading Their Wings
