Michael Oropallo Sr., who passed over the weekend after a courageous fight with cancer, at age 75, was not your stereotypical bureaucrat. For nearly two decades he headed the city's Parks and Recreation Department and was equally at home within city hall and on the golf course or on the tennis court - a gregarious person, he was always quick with a smile and encouragement.

He stepped into the breach at one of the toughest periods in Auburn's modern history. While he could have played it safe at city hall in late 1990, and watched others take on the burden of leadership when a majority of the city council asked longtime City Manager Bruce Clifford to move on, he took on a very unenviable task. While the majority of the council seemed to have a succession plan, it was stymied when a question over the citizenship of Vijay Mital came up. The longtime director of planning and economic development, was their choice to take over as the city conducted a management search. Mital, who for legal reasons with his family in India, had not become a citizen at the time, soon after did.

The council was in a tough spot, especially since it not only had to have a day to day manager, but also had to address consent orders with the state Department of Environmental Conservation over the landfill and sewers. When asked, Michael, who had been with the city since 1969, agreed to replace the man who had appointed him parks and recreation director in 1971. For nearly a year, he shepherded the city through some rough patches, including a period when two members of the council decided to not run for re-election and the political landscape was in chaos. With a great sense of humor and a personal style that was always welcoming, he kept city departments moving forward and made sure city services were delivered.

During his tenure, parks became one of the city's largest departments, overseeing more than 30 parks. Under his leadership, the city set up the CANUS games with Orillia, Canada, that gave the sister cities a way to increase tourism every other year in their communities.

According to one former parks and recreation supervisor, Michael was also critical to one of the city's largest public works projects of its time: the creation of Casey Park.

With all of this under his belt, it would be assumed that parks would get a boost when Michael Oropallo became city manager. Instead, in a period when the city was suffering the strains of the recession of the early 1990s, he treated it as any other department, something that was noticed by all. A class act, at city hall and on the field of play.

 

Cosentino is a former mayor of Auburn and can be contacted at cozguytho@aol.com