Congressman Barney Frank
Representing Massachusetts' 4th District

Congressman Barney Frank’s Statement on the
Passing of Sylvester Sylvia
November 22, 2010

NEWTON, MA – Congressman Barney Frank today released this statement upon learning of the death of New Bedford resident Sylvester Sylvia.

“I was terribly saddened by the news of Sylvester Sylvia’s death. I was planning to go to my office this morning and write Syl a note expressing my deepest gratitude for his having worked so hard and so well in my recently-concluded campaign. I was going to tell him his activities belied his age, and that I knew how lucky I was to have someone as justifiably respected by the citizens of Greater New Bedford working so hard on my behalf. Indeed, as I read of his death, and felt the shock of the news, I realized that because Syl had defied age for so long, we had come to think of him as a fact of nature that would always be there.”

“He leaves behind an extraordinary legacy of the example of what a citizen ought to be in our democracy. To Alex, we all send our deepest sympathy—she was a great partner to him in all the good work he did. And all of us who have an interest in a healthy political process deeply mourn the passing of a great man.”