Remembering Brian Honan
by a Friend


The government of our country was formed on the simple principle “Government by the people for the people.”

While some politicians who are able to grasp this concept distinguish themselves, other are not. The politicians who get it, usually end up being revered by those they represent. The names of John F. Kennedy, John Joseph Moakley come to mind as politicians from Massachusetts that reached that status among those they represented.

It is not often among today’s politicians to see the type of devotion and commitment needed to achieve such status. It was obvious to anyone who stood in line at his wake or attended his funeral, that in the Allston/Brighton section of the city, Brian Honan could be added to that group.

Brian Honan was a local kid, from the community who put himself through law school. He came from the traditional Boston political background, the son of Irish immigrant. He made a name for himself as a tough, yet compassionate prosecutor in both Dorchester and Roxbury courts, traditionally Boston’s toughest courts. He succeeded as a Boston City Councilor, bettering the living conditions in his Allston/Brighton neighborhood.

As a City Councilor, Honan worked tirelessly representing those who put him in office. Together with his brother, State Representative Kevin Honan, the two were a political force, able to funnel the necessary funds for many improvements to the Allston/Brighton area. Brian Honan considered it an honor and a privilege to represent those he called friends and neighbors.

Troubled by the recent upswing in crime that had begun to take hold of his city, Honan turned his sights to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office, where he had distinguished himself earlier in his career. In this office, Honan gained the respect of the police officers, defense attorneys and judges he worked with. Evidence of this came with his many endorsements, including the early endorsement of the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association, Suffolk County’s largest police union.

As a long-shot candidate, attempting to unseat the incumbent, Honan hit the campaign trail, tirelessly working, gaining the key political support necessary to win the election. As Honan worked his campaign, he never stopped the commitment to his duties as a city councilor. On the evening before the now ill-fated operation to remove a cancerous tumor, Honan attended a two-hour community meeting to discuss numerous community issues. As we are all well aware now, Honan passed away in the days following that same operation due to complications from the surgery.

The City of Boston, the Boston City Council, and the Allston/Brighton community, will greatly miss Brian Honan. His leadership, commitment, and love for all he represented surely set the standard for today’s politician. The law enforcement community in Suffolk County has lost a partner in it’s efforts to protect it’s citizenry.