William Massey, key voice in city politics

He was neither politician nor partisan nor patron of campaigns. Yet back in the 1970s and '80s, when Seattle was growing into the metropolis we know today, William Massey was one of the biggest names in political circles.

Quoted widely in newspapers, and consulted on most every major civic issue this city faced, Mr. Massey was executive director of the Municipal League of Seattle and King County, an organization whose ho-hum name may belie the power he brought to it. Mr. Massey died Nov. 28, at age 73.

Though he had been out of the spotlight since retiring in 1984, Mr. Massey leaves behind a legacy.

"Bill Massey helped chart the course for the quality of life in this city and state," former City Councilmember Phyllis Lamphere said at his retirement, attended by some 250 movers and shakers.

A graduate of Franklin High School and the University of Washington, Mr. Massey lived in the area all his life, aside from a brief stint in the Air National Guard. He kept a social circle that stretched all the way back to his Cub Scout days.

"I don't think he ever lost a friend in his life," said Jay Gilmour, who got to know Mr. Massey while running a campaign for former Gov. Dan Evans.

In college, he and his buddies formed a group called the Madison Park Irregulars — so named because the gang used to hang out at some of that neighborhood's finest taverns. The group still gets together for golfing, skiing or sailing.

"Bill was the moderator, the wise man, the adjudicator," Gilmour said. "His word carried a lot of weight. But he was self-effacing and very low-key."

His brother — and best friend — puts it slightly differently. "He had a mediator type personality," Steve Massey said. "If there were two guys about to come to fisticuffs in a bar, he could sort of cool 'em both down."

Whatever it was, when Mr. Massey joined the Municipal League in 1966, it was a perfect fit. He worked there for 18 years, first as a writer and lobbyist, and then as its executive director starting in 1972. Mr. Massey helped reinvigorate the organization's image, revamping its influential candidate interviews and laboring to position it as independent and nonpartisan.

"He never had an ax to grind," said Larry Kleinberg, a longtime friend and past president of the League.

Mr. Massey was not afraid, however, to take a strong stand on issues, and he regularly pressed elected officials when they didn't step up.

The organization helped win passage of the state's landmark public-disclosure law in 1972.

"I spent enough time lobbying in Olympia that I saw it was a very closed club, and it was a personal affront to me that the public business was done in that kind of manner," he said in 1984.

Mr. Massey is perhaps best known for the League's investigation into the West Seattle Bridge project in 1975. When bids for the project came in at nearly double the estimates, Mr. Massey had questions. The League later issued a scathing report about the project, which led to federal indictments.

When Mr. Massey retired, he said that he planned to look for new challenges — but first wanted to take a vacation. So he and his wife, Patti. went ski mountaineering in the Swiss Alps. She worked for the airlines, so they were able to jet off regularly.

"We made lots of memories," Patti Massey said.

After retirement, he ran campaigns here and there, but didn't take permanent work.

"He sure perfected his golf game," Steve Massey said.

Still, Mr. Massey never lost interest in government and politics. In recent years, he engaged in debates at regular luncheons hosted by his friend Gilmour.

"Bill was really the spiritual leader of the group," Gilmour said. His questions "required the gray cells to just start spinning."

In July Mr. Massey and his brother played one last golf game.

Battling cancer, he wasn't able to play every hole, but the two brothers — competitors to the end — decided that they'd make it a contest on the 18th.

"I thought I had him beat," Steve Massey said. "But no. We tied."

Survivors include his wife of 42 years, Patti Massey, of Vashon Island, and his brother, Steve Massey, of Bellevue.

Maureen O'Hagan: 206-464-2562 or mohagan@seattletimes.com