Funeral services for former Westbrook Mayor Bruce L. Chuluda, remembered this week as a quiet and dedicated leader who put community first, are scheduled for Friday morning at the Westbrook-Warren Congregational Church.

Chuluda died suddenly at home on Sunday, March 15, at the age of 66.

Friends and colleagues, reacting to the news, praised Chuluda for his dedication to the city.

Westbrook City Administrator Jerre Bryant, who worked with Chulada for six years, said he was “a pleasure to work for.” Bryant said Chuluda had an “unassuming” leadership style, and cared deeply for the Westbrook community.

“He was solid, steady, and had a very strong moral and social barometer,” he said Monday. “I had a great deal of respect for Bruce.”

He said Chuluda’s priority was focusing on community concerns.

“They came first,” said Bryant. “Any decision we were facing, they were the people who clearly came first.”

Chuluda served as mayor from 2003 to early 2010, years that saw considerable development in the city. During his administration, the One Riverfront Plaza office building and parking garage were constructed, as was the Westbrook Public Safety building on Main Street.

Prior to running for mayor, Chuluda was the president of the Westbrook Chamber of Commerce, served on the Public Safety Commission, was a Commander of the Westbrook American Legion Post No. 62, and was a Ward 2 city councilor.

At one time, Chuluda was the chief operating officer and project manager for the Westbrook Community Hospital during its transition to the Mercy Hospital system.

During and after his time in city government, Chuluda worked for the Maine Turnpike Authority.

Peter Profenno, the owner of Profenno’s restaurant on Main Street, said Wednesday that Chuluda was a regular customer, a great supporter of the city of Westbrook and “a nice, nice man.”

“He was always thinking of Westbrook, and wanted everything to go right,” he said about Chuluda’s time as mayor. He added that Chuluda never treated residents as potential votes, and genuinely cared.

Local radio talk show host Ray Richardson, a longtime friend of Chuluda’s, also shared stories about working on Chuluda’s campaigns. Richardson said the pair became friends at the Westbrook Chamber of Commerce, where Chuluda became a big supporter of Westbrook Together Days, the popular summertime community event.

“He took something that was a nice, small community event and turned it into the wonderful, regional event that sees thousands,” he said. “Quite a legacy, actually.”

A longtime Together Days volunteer, Krista Martin, said this week that she and Chuluda were longtime friends, working together on Together Days.

“We all became a little family, we had many good times,” she said about organizing the festival. “Bruce was 100 percent committed to our community, his friends, and his family. There are no words to truly encompass what kind of man he was.”

Richardson also worked on Chuluda’s campaigns for City Council and mayor, taking note of Chuluda’s leadership style.

“It was quiet leadership, but he was fiscally conservative and concerned about the taxpayers,” he said. “The people of Westbrook were constantly on his mind.”

Richardson remembered a phrase often used by Chuluda: “Economically vibrant and affordable.”

City Councilor John O’Hara, who has been on the council for 17 years, said Chuluda led the city through tough economic years.

“He was the right man, at the right time, to do the right job,” he said Wednesday. “Anyone can govern in good times, but it takes an excellent leader to govern in the bad times. Bruce was that man.”

O’Hara also commented on Chuluda’s leadership style.

“He was more calculated, but he really made sure that the decisions the administration made at the time were in the best interest of the community,” he said. “I really thank Bruce for that.”

Chuluda was born in Lawrence, Mass., and grew up in nearby Middleton. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, which was followed by a post as vice president of Casco Northern Bank in Portland. He married Westbrook native Victoria Gallant and settled in Westbrook in 1978. His daughter Lisa and granddaughter Madison still reside in Westbrook. Prior to his death, Chuluda had been living in South Portland with Alison McClure. According to his Facebook page, the couple was engaged.

Following the American Journal’s initial story online Monday, comments on social media poured in about Chuluda.

Rosemary Munson, who worked for Chuluda at Casco Northern Bank, wrote that he had faith in his employees and “gave me more opportunities than anyone else at the bank. He was an incredible man who believed in giving people chances and letting them prove themselves. What a loss to his family and the City of Westbrook.”

Formerly a lifelong Democrat, Chuluda said he became disenchanted with his party’s leadership in Westbrook and decided to run for the City Council as an independent. In 2002, he unseated Democrat Tim Driscoll, who went on to be a state representative. In 2003, Chuluda ran as a Republican for mayor and unseated six-year incumbent Don Esty. In 2006, he won again for mayor against six-year City Council president, and current School Committee president, Jim Violette. Chuluda was defeated in his bid for a fourth term in 2009 by Colleen Hilton, who beat him again in 2012 in his final run for public office.

Hilton served as president of the Westbrook School Committee during Chuluda’s years as mayor. She said Monday that while the two didn’t always agree, there was always respect.

“We always had the best interest of the city in our sights,” she said, offering his work in implementing a citywide recycling program and school building projects as examples of his community-minded goals.

When Chuluda was initially elected in 2003, defeating Esty, Bryant said, the win was a “surprise to many.”

According to a Westbrook Historical Society book on Westbrook mayors, Chuluda initiated an “open-door Saturdays” policy at Westbrook City Hall, when residents could visit Chuluda to discuss concerns. According to the book, Chuluda was “most proud of getting curbside recycling into the city and of his accessibility to the citizens of Westbrook.”

Richardson agrees on this portion of Chuluda’s legacy.

“I feel like he really opened up the communication lines between the citizens and city government,” he said.

According to Bryant, Chuluda also played a key role in the city acquiring the land where Westbrook Middle School now sits, a quick decision that the normally cautious Chuluda made with the community in mind.

“At the time, and since, it’s proven to be a great location for the school,” Bryant said. “Bruce was very committed to that, and showed a great deal of leadership to move quickly on it.”

Hilton said the Chuluda family has maintained a civil service mindset. Chuluda’s wife, who died in 2007, was a longtime librarian in Westbrook. His daughter Lisa served on the city’s charter commission.

“My heart goes out to Lisa,” Hilton said. “It’s really sad news.”

During the first mayoral campaign working for Chuluda, Richardson said, the campaign created a small newspaper called the Communicator, with the tagline of “Putting the ‘We’ back in Westbrook.”

“That’s his legacy,” Richardson said. “Bruce Chuluda put the ‘We’ back in Westbrook.”

Bruce L. Chuluda campaigns in a city neighborhood in his bid for a fourth mayoral term.File photosWestbrook Mayor Bruce L. Chuluda speaks at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Westbrook Middle School in 2008. Chuluda, who died March 15, was remembered this week for his dedication to the city. File photoBruce L. Chuluda joins in the celebration for his election as Westbrook’s mayor in 2003.

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