Philip Ciaccio, remembered as a fair and skilled negotiator and gentlemanly public servant during his 16 years on the New Orleans City Council throughout the 1960s and 1970s, followed by 15 years as a judge on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal, died Friday. He was 88.
Ciaccio was first elected to the City Council in 1966, after a stint as a state lawmaker. He was elected to the District E post on the Council, representing the growing New Orleans East area and the Ninth Ward. He served 16 years on the council, during the administrations of three very different mayors – Vic Schiro, Moon Landrieu and Ernest "Dutch" Morial.
"Philip really was an extremely intelligent man with the personality that permitted him to bring people together," Landrieu said Friday. "He was never outspoken, negative or harsh and very committed to his district, his city and public service."
During all three mayoral administrations and while serving with various council members, Ciaccio was often hailed as a compromiser, negotiating between the administration and council during often heated debates. He once jokingly said that he always tried to follow the advice of someone who told him "when you get to the guy's jugular, stop."
Landrieu recalled that Ciaccio, an Italian-American, was very involved in the development of the Piazza d'Italia in the 1970s, and also played a role with other City Council members in the development of the Superdome in the early 1970s and the revitalization of the city's Central Business District.
Another former colleague, former District C councilman Mike Early Jr., also recalled Ciaccio's temperament being a great asset to the council, as well as his longevity, having served several terms. Early called him the "glue" of the council, holding together the legislative body during many tough times.
"His real impact was the fact that he was the most skilled behind the scenes mediator, negotiator and peace keeper that I've ever known, and that's something the public never really saw but we all benefitted from greatly."
Many of Ciaccio's 10 children recalled Friday that their father was the same gentle and peacekeeping spirit at home with them as he was on the council.
"He was the consummate negotiator and diplomat," recalled his son Michael. "He could even bring together people with diametrically-opposed viewpoints, mostly because he had no ego and was always about doing what was right and being a man of his word."
"He really was one of the true gentlemen of local politics, an expert at forging a compromise, quietly and discreetly, never one to raise his voice or pound the podium," recalled Clancy DuBos, WWL-TV political analyst and Gambit political editor and columnist. DuBos covered Ciaccio on the council while a reporter for The Times-Picayune in the 1970s.
"He was a master of the political game but also very well-respected and unflappable. He had the judicial temperament long before he became a judge, really," DuBos said.
In 1982, Ciaccio was elected without opposition to the Court of Appeal. He reflected on his long council career in a Times-Picayune profile.
"I've enjoyed being a councilman but it's not necessarily the way to a long, peaceful life," he told reporter Joe Massa in 1982. "There's ulcers. There's insults. There's daily crises. There's phone calls at three o'clock in the morning to parole people."
He served on the bench until 1997 when he reached the mandatory retirement age of 70. He continued to serve as an ad hoc judge, even hearing cases on the state Supreme Court.
In retirement, Landrieu said, Ciaccio developed an ever better tennis game, and the two were often on the tennis court together, as doubles partners and opponents. Landrieu says his friendship with Ciaccio dates back to the age of 12, when he became friends with Landrieu's brother Joe. Landrieu laughed when he recalled that Ciaccio was also a fine ping pong player as well.
A graduate of St. Aloysius High School, now Brother Martin, Ciaccio was also a Tulane University graduate, where he earned both his undergraduate and law degrees. He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean Conflict before returning home to start a career as an attorney, then launching his political career.
His family dealt with tragedy in 1990, when his son, Chris, a Tulane graduate student, was murdered during an armed robbery. Family members said that the tragedy tested Ciaccio's strong Catholic faith, but he never wavered.
"He told me once when I was very depressed about Chris' death, 'I'm struggling with it too, but if we believe what we say we believe, that there is life after death, your brother is in a better place and that gives me some solace to deal with the horrible loss,'" said his son Charles on Friday. "It really struck me just how strong my dad's faith was at that point."
In addition to his career in public service, Ciaccio was a founding board member and early proponent of Covenant House, and a longtime supporter.
He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Mary Jane; as well as nine children; 29 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated Monday at 1 p.m. at St. Pius X Church, 6666 Spanish Fort Blvd, New Orleans. Visitation will be held from 10 a.m. until Mass time.
