Those we lost in 2020

December 29, 2020 3:08 PM

Some were veterans and some were new to the municipal bond business. They were bankruptcy lawyers, analysts, governors, mayors, and agency officials. These are the people we lost in 2020, remembered here.

Bank of America bond analyst Lauren Sobel dies at 25

Bank of America

Lauren Sobel, 25

Lauren Sobel, 25, a municipal bond analyst at Bank of America the past three years, died tragically during a rock climbing accident in Gardiner, N.Y. Sobel fell about 50 feet to her death while climbing in the area of the Trapps Trailhead at the Mohonk Mountain Preserve around 60 miles north of Manhattan, according to New York State Police. Sobel was 70 feet up the rock face setting protection gear when she lost her grip, police said.

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Municipal market mourns loss of Jim Spiotto

Jim Spiotto, 73

James E. Spiotto was remembered as a consummate but humble voice in the municipal industry for his bankruptcy and restructuring expertise that influenced governments, investors and federal lawmakers as they rewrote municipal bankruptcy law in the 1980s. Spiotto died suddenly of a heart attack on Thursday. He was 73.

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Municipal bankruptcy lawyer Bill Smith died at 68

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Bill Smith, 68

William P. “Bill” Smith, a municipal restructuring maestro whose career spanned 40 years, died March 17 at age 68 following a long illness. Smith, who headed the restructuring practice at Chicago-based law firm McDermott Will & Emery, worked in some capacity on nearly every major muni bankruptcy of the past 20 years, including Puerto Rico, Detroit, San Bernardino, and Jefferson County. He was a longtime friendly rival of Jim Spiotto, for whom he worked at Chapman and Cutler at the start of his career and who preceded him in death by less than a month.

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Alan Anders dies; guided NYC’s bond program

Dan Nelken

Alan Anders, 71

New York City officials and municipal bond industry leaders remembered Alan Anders as more than a guiding force behind the city’s bond program for 30 years. “Under Alan’s leadership, the city’s bond financing program was widely acknowledged as one of the most innovative and successful programs in the country, contributing to the city’s long-term capital strategy and fiscal stability,” NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio said after Anders died following a several-month illness unrelated to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was 71.

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Gedale B. "Dale" Horowitz, former MSRB chair, dies

‘Dale’ Horowitz, 87

Gedale "Dale" B. Horowitz, 87, a mentor and leader in the securities industry for six decades — all of it at Salomon Brothers and its successor firms — and a former chairman of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, died on April 2 of a long illness. He served a third of his career in his most recent position as a senior managing director of Citi’s Institutional Clients Group, a role from which he retired in June 2019.

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Muni bond analyst Howard Sitzer remembered

Howard Sitzer, 68

Howard Sitzer, a senior analyst of municipals at CreditSights and a fixture in the muni bond world, is remembered for his deep knowledge, his industry relationships and his personal touch. Sitzer died suddenly at the age of 68. He was buried the following day in a small funeral. He leaves his wife, Reba, and their daughter Selia.

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Retired public finance banker David Hartley, former MSRB chair, has died

The David Hartley Family

David Hartley, 92

David Hartley, a retired public finance banker and former Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board chair, has died. He was 92. Hartley, managing partner at Stone & Youngberg until his retirement in 1992, died July 28 peacefully at his home in Walnut Creek, California, according to an obituary penned by his family.

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Former New York City Mayor David Dinkins dies at 93

Bloomberg News

David Dinkins, 93

David Dinkins was remembered for his evenhandedness during a tumultuous term as New York’s mayor from 1990 to 1993. Dinkins, the city’s first African-American mayor, died at his Upper East Side home. He was 93.

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Former Illinois Gov. 'Big Jim' Thompson dead at 84

Winston & Strawn

Jim Thompson, 84

James R. Thompson, Illinois’ longest-serving governor whose legacy is reflected in bond financed projects across the state, has died. He was 84.

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Jonathan Davis, longtime MBTA executive, dies at 71

Jonathan Davis, 71

Jonathan Davis is remembered for his people-oriented manner as an executive at one of the nation's oldest and most challenged mass-transit agencies. Mr. Davis, who was chief financial officer and acting general manager during his 21 years at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, died at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston on Feb. 14 after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer, according to Dello Russo Funeral Service. He was 71.

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Richard Brodsky, former NYS Assemblyman, dies at 73

Richard Brodsky, 73

People who knew former New York State Assemblyman Richard Brodsky recalled him as a tenacious, highly respected public official and a skilled debater. Brodsky died of suspected complications from COVID-19, his wife, Paige, told multiple media outlets. He was 73.

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Veteran Calif. municipal advisor Thomas Johnsen has died

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Thomas Johnsen, 67

Thomas Johnsen, 67, a retired California municipal advisor and former National Association of Municipal Advisors board member, has died. Johnsen had battled cancer off and on for 10 years, but succumbed to sepsis, an infection that attacks the immune system. He retired in 2018 after nearly 31 years with Irvine-based Fieldman, Rolapp & Associates.

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Tiny candles igniting together in the dark with lights shining in the background

Retired bond lawyer Joseph P. Rogers, dies at 84

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Joseph P. Rogers, 84

Joseph P. Rogers, Jr. “Buck", 84, a U.S. Navy veteran, retired bond lawyer at Hawkins, Delafield & Wood LLP, and innovator in the public finance industry, died on Oct. 23 of a recurrence of Lymphoma.

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Muni industry vet Armand 'Ted' Palatucci has died at 77

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'Ted' Palatucci, 77

Armand Theodore “Ted” Palatucci, 77, a 40-year veteran of the municipal bond industry and U.S. Navy veteran, died on Jan. 19. A Bronx native, he graduated from Fordham Prep and the U.S. Naval Academy, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree. He served as a naval aviator in Vietnam aboard the U.S.S. John Hancock.

Armand Theodore “Ted” Palatucci, 77, a 40-year veteran of the municipal bond industry and U.S. Navy veteran, died on Jan. 19. A Bronx native, he graduated from Fordham Prep and the U.S. Naval Academy, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree. He served as a naval aviator in Vietnam aboard the U.S.S. John Hancock.

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