FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) - Former city of Fairbanks chief of staff Pat Cole was remembered Thursday night as a dedicated public servant who quietly improved the operation under multiple mayors.
“He was the institutional glue that held the operation together,” said former Mayor Jerry Cleworth said. “Status quo was never acceptable. He was always looking for a better way of doing things.”
Hundreds gathered in the newly named Patrick B. Cole City Hall to commemorate the life of Cole, 63, who died Nov. 21 of complications from heart transplant surgery, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (https://bit.ly/1b3U287) reported.
His ability to work for a variety of mayors was a testament to his character and effectiveness, Cleworth said. He worked for two mayors at the Fairbanks North Star Borough and eight at the city, starting with Bill Walley in 1983.
Cole moved to Alaska 1970 after being mugged in Philadelphia. He transferred to the University of Alaska Fairbanks to get as far from Philadelphia as he could, his family recalled.
Most who spoke mentioned Cole’s love of Fairbanks. His brother, Dermot Cole, a former columnist for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, said his sibling loved working for the city.
“We often tried to talk him out of working here,” he said, to laughter. “It was a difficult job.”
Former Mayor Terry Strle said she didn’t know Cole when she was elected. He became her most trusted adviser and “certainly a good friend.”
He showed colleagues by example that they should “always take the high road - no matter how right we were or how flawed the other side’s thinking was,” Strle said. “He was always a gentleman. He never said a negative thing about anyone.”
Attorney Nelson Traverso described Cole as a soft-spoken giant with a way of getting things done, who could quickly find information on anything, anytime for any person.
Cole held a law degree.
“He was kind and patient, but not a pushover,” Traverso said. “He was reasonable, pragmatic, politely persistent.”
“His answers were lightning fast, and he always smiled before he responded,” Traverso said. “How could you not be persuaded by what he said?”
Cole had other opportunities for employment but stuck with the city.
“He worked tirelessly to achieve results,” Traverso said. “This was because Fairbanks was his jewel. He coveted it, protected it and maintained it at all costs. No one knew it like he did.”
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Information from: Fairbanks (Alaska) Daily News-Miner, https://www.newsminer.com
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