Bill Jervis, former Groton City deputy mayor, dies at age 68
Retired police lieutenant served 33 years on force
Groton — Bill Jervis, a former Groton City deputy mayor and city councilor who resigned last week, has died at age 68.
“He had a diversity of interests,
“It was an honor to serve with him. He loved this city.”
GROTON CITY MAYOR MARIAN GALBRAITH
a great deal of knowledge that he brought to bear on many issues in the city and we will miss him dearly,” City Mayor Marian Galbraith said Monday.
Jervis resigned just before the Aug. 3 meeting, saying he was no longer able to participate as fully as he would like to, Galbraith said. He had attended the city’s June meetings. “What’s important is he stayed committed to the city as long as he possibly could,” Galbraith said. His resignation letter did not specify an illness.
Jervis was a retired Groton town police lieutenant who joined the force in 1974 and worked his way up the ranks from patrol officer, serving 33 years before retiring. He helped design and run the town’s com-
munity policing program.
He co- founded the Groton Adolescent Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition (GASP), the Groton Business Association and served on the board of the Women’s Center of Southeastern Connecticut, now Safe Futures.
Jervis also co-founded the Groton Maritime Academy, served as past president of the Connecticut Maritime Education Foundation and was vice president of the Boys and Girls Club of Southeastern Connecticut from 1997 until 2012.
Voters elected Jervis to the City Council in May 2009, and re-elected him to a fourth term in May. He was chairman of the Democratic City Committee but had resigned the position recently, City Councilor Keith Hedrick said Monday.
He described his colleague as the “consummate professional, well- versed in many topics, well- respected and well-thought of in the community.”
“He was involved in lots of different things but he wasn’t one to just get emotional and speak off the cuff. He made sure he understood the topic and the various arguments, both positive and negative, and he would take a position and articulate that probably better than anyone that I've seen,” Hedrick said.
When asked in 2013 why he was running for city council, Jervis wrote:
“As a lieutenant on the town police, I ran the community policing program. I became involved as member of the founder's group of the Groton Business Association, was a co- founder of GASP, was a former board member of the Women's Center of ( Southeastern Connecticut) ... to name just a few organizations. I continued when I retired, becoming president of the Boys and Girls Club of (Southeastern Connecticut). I care about the community and found that my involvement could make a difference.”
In addition to his involvement on boards and commissions, Jervis pursued learning throughout his life. He earned a doctorate in industrial and organizational psychology in March, Galbraith said.
“Even after retiring he sought and got a Ph.D.,” Galbraith said. “That's the kind of person he was. He was such an intellect. He was somebody who could look at and analyze data, but he was also committed to the community.”
“He was my first deputy mayor,” Galbraith said. “It was an honor to serve with him. He loved this city.”