Strategist Casey dead at 57
Political figure-turned PR strategist known for wit, humor, kindness
Sean Casey, who traded a youthful role at the center of Rensselaer County’s political maelstrom for a highly visible career in upstate New York’s public relations community, died Thursday night at his home in Hoosick Falls. He was 57.
He will be remembered by his family, friends and colleagues for his sense of humor, quick wit, and for his intelligence and kindness.
Casey, who was senior strategist in public affairs for Mower, a marketing, advertising and public relations firm, worked a full day Thursday in Albany but failed to show up for a client appointment Friday morning. His family responded to his home; they told friends that he apparently had succumbed of natural causes as he relaxed on his sofa during the evening.
Casey showed early interest in politics and was elected to the Hoosick Falls Board of Education shortly after he graduated from Utica College. He then served as town supervisor, all while still in his early 20s.
“He wanted to make a difference in his community,” said Margaret Casey, his sister-inlaw. wife of his brother Dennis. “Hoosick Falls is a small town, tight and cohesive and it’s a typical attitude for people from here.”
Casey had political aspirations in those years, but didn’t run for office again after losing his
re-election bid for a second term as town supervisor. It was a hard loss, Margaret Casey said.
Although he never held elected office again, his career never strayed far from politics.
When Democrats controlled the Rensselaer County Legislature, Casey was named secretary to the majority, the key staff position, which enabled him to wield considerable influence over local political and governmental matters under the leadership of then-county chairman Edward Mcdonough Sr. When Mcdonough faced federal corruption charges connected to county insurance contracts, which ultimately led to his conviction and imprisonment, Casey was a key prosecution witness.
After leaving county employment, he joined Sawchuk Brown Associates, an Albany-based public relations firm, hired to expand its practice in public affairs. After the death of the firm’s co-founder, David Brown, he joined Mower, and for some years headed its Albany office. He remained active as an adviser, both professionally and informally, to many public figures, including U.S. District Court Judge Mae D’agostino, former U.S. Reps. Michael Mcnulty, D-green Island, and John Faso, R-kinderhook, Assemblyman John Mcdonald, D-cohoes, and Rensselaer County Executive Steve Mclaughlin, a Republican.
Eric Mower, Casey’s boss, remembers his first impressions of his new employee.
“I was curious because he had an unusual sense of humor, and unusual candor. The combination of wit, cynicism, observational skills and sometimes a lack of restraint combined for a compelling individual,” Mower said. “I get up every day with enthusiasm and feeling glad to be alive. But when I knew I was going to be working with Sean, I knew I’d laugh more, I would shake my head not believing what I just heard, and I’d probably have a debate over whether someone was going to jail or not.”
Working with Casey would also involve an anecdote from the “Sopranos,” a show Casey loved, recited word for word. He also loved the show “Seinfeld” and at his direction, every intern in Mower’s Albany office was called Darren, regardless of sex or their actual name — an homage to a story line from the show.
“To many of us, Sean was a cherished pal, and he was a valued adviser to countless others,” said Rex Smith, editor of the Times Union, who described himself as a friend of more than 25 years. “We had lunch together Thursday, and our conversation was continually interrupted by people stopping by our table to enjoy a moment with Sean. I’m sure I can speak for them, and for so many others, in saying that those moments brightened our days and expanded our thinking, and we will miss them terribly.”
As a younger man, Casey was an avid hunter and fly fisherman, skills he learned from his father, Jim Casey. In recent years, he mostly set aside those activities, and gave up driving, acknowledging the effects of multiple sclerosis. Yet he remained actively involved in work and commuted daily from Hoosick Falls to downtown Albany, maintaining a busy schedule that seemed to belie the seriousness of his diagnosis.
Sean was kind, his
brother Dennis said, always looking for ways to help other people or to make an introduction for someone he saw had potential.
“Whenever he saw a kid, any kid, but especially if it was one of his nieces and nephews, with a screen in front of them, he would ask, ‘what book are you reading?’” said Margaret Casey. “And if they said they weren’t reading anything, the next day, Sean would provide them with a book.” His favorite authors were William Kennedy and Gregory Maguire, and the books he gave were usually autographed, Casey added.
He was a trustee of the Southwestern Vermont Medical Center and is a past board member of the Capital District Multiple Sclerosis Society and the Capital District Regional Planning Commission.
Casey was the youngest child of Jim and Alice Casey. His mother died when he was 6. His two older siblings — Dennis and Mary Jane — were grown and out of the house, but for many years Jim Casey raised Sean and David alone, said Dennis Casey, the oldest of the four siblings. Jim Casey was a machinist at General Electric and came home to make dinner every night — always with two vegetables, one a potato. When Sean was a teenager, Jim married again, bringing Mary (Brahan) Casey and her four children into the family. They all got along well, and Mary’s maternal presence was important to Sean, Dennis Casey said.
“My brother’s sense of humor was inherited from our father,” Casey said. “He was a unique person himself. He would say, if I can’t make someone laugh or smile today, I’ve had a bad day. And that’s how Sean was, it was part of his upbringing.”