SOUTH PORTLAND – Mary Kahl, a prominent lawyer who served as corporation counsel for the City of South Portland for 17 years and was active in organizing the city’s annual Art in the Park event, died unexpectedly Saturday. She was 59.

Kahl served as South Portland’s city attorney from 1991 to 2008. There, she took on a wide range of complicated cases ranging from zoning and land use disputes, to internal personnel investigations and law enforcement issues.

“Mary was very professional in her work here at the city,” said Jim Gailey, city manager in South Portland. “She came into work with great professionalism and humor, (which) the employees loved to have on a day-to-day basis.”

City Councilor Tom Blake said Monday that he worked closely with Kahl during his years as a firefighter/paramedic and president of the South Portland Fire Command Officers Local 1476. Blake said they worked together to resolve grievances and personnel issues. He said they also competed on the city’s track team in the 1990s, noting that Kahl was a good athlete.

“I always found her very pleasant to work with,” Blake said. “Mary had a genuine interest in the community and her involvement showed it. She will be greatly missed. Her shoes will be very hard to fill.”

Kahl resigned as city attorney in 2008 to start her own law practice. She continued to offer legal services in municipal law and began offering services in animal law and mediation.

Kahl was remembered by her friends and colleagues on Monday as a strong, vibrant and funny woman, who fought tirelessly for animal-rights issues.

Mayor Rosemarie De Angelis said before Monday’s City Council workshop that she and Kahl shared a love of animals. De Angelis has two cats and Kahl had three cats named Ellie, 18, Maggie, 14, and Isabelle, about 13. De Angelis said she is one of three women named in Kahl’s will to find good homes for her cats. So far, Ellie has a new home.

“The other two are in the works. I’ll make it happen,” De Angelis said. “It’s all very sad and shocking. I worked with Mary for years on the council. She was a really vibrant and talented woman.”

For many years, Kahl helped organize the city’s annual Art in the Park event, to be held this year on Aug. 13 in Mill Creek Park.

She served as chair of the city’s Art in the Park Committee. Linda Eastman, a committee member, said Kahl had a lot of enthusiasm for the event.

“She was very dedicated to improving and enhancing the event each year,” Eastman said, reflecting on Kahl’s sudden passing. “Many people didn’t realize she was ill. It’s tragic.”

Several of Kahl’s friends said she struggled with an illness for the past six months or so. It was unclear what that illness was. She died Saturday at Gosnell Memorial Hospice House in Scarborough.

Mary Perry, her close friend and the administrative assistant in the city manager’s office, sat with Kahl in her last hours.

Kahl’s services will be private and held at a later date.

Staff Writer Melanie Creamer can be contacted at 791-6361 or at: mcreamer@pressherald.com

 

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