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Publication date: Sep 09, 2022 • 9 hours ago • 5 minutes read Kingston Mayor Harvey Rosen (shown here in February 2008) smiles during the opening ceremonies for the K-Rock Center (now Leon’s Centre). Rosen died of throat cancer on Thursday. Photo by Ian MacAlpine /The Whig-Standard

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Harvey Rosen, the 94th mayor of Kingston, died Thursday. It was 73.

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Rosen had been battling throat cancer at his home in Newboro for several months. On September 1, a portrait of Rosen, painted by Kingston artist Daniel Hughes, was unveiled in the council chambers at City Hall directly in front of the chair where Rosen sat as mayor from 2003 to 2010. Rosen was elected to the former Kingston Borough Council in 1994 and in 1997 was elected to the Board of Supervisors of the newly amalgamated City of Kingston. A lawyer by profession, Rosen has won two mayoral elections. “It’s very sad for me, for someone who worked with him for seven years and for someone who made me a better professional and taught me a lot of skills about how to behave as a person and for someone who works well with others, cooperates, listens and we communicate effectively,” said Geoff Coons, Rosen’s executive assistant for all of his seven years in the mayor’s chair.

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Coons is now the associate director of the MBA program at the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University. “He loved his city and his family, too,” Coons said. Rosen defeated Isabel Turner in 2003 and defended his seat in 2006, narrowly winning against Councilman Rick Downs. As mayor, Rosen was able to get the council to agree, after much debate, to vote on the construction of the LVEC (Large Venue Entertainment Centre), which was completed in 2008 and renamed the K-Rock Centre. The 5,700-seat facility on The Tragically Hip Way is now known as Leon’s Centre. The construction of the LVEC was one of the “Group of Seven” projects Rosen envisioned for Kingston during his two terms. Koons said Rosen had a large poster in his office with all the projects listed on it to remind him daily to keep his promise to those who elected him.

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Other projects started or completed during his mayoralty included the four-story Invista Center in the city’s west end, improvements to the Ravensview Wastewater Treatment Facility in the city’s east end, the renovation of the Grand Theatre, the revitalization of Springer Market Square, the purchase and extension of the K&P Trail and the widening of John Counter Avenue. At the time, the sewage treatment plant was the city’s largest infrastructure project. “It was three times as much (in cost) as the Large Venue Entertainment Centre, so it was big for him,” Coons said. The only project not completed during his tenure was the widening of John Counter Boulevard, although the multi-year project was completed in early 2021.

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Koons also said Rosen was not one to rest on his laurels. “He never celebrated. The day after the LVEC was approved, he moved on to the next project and the next task. It really showed the professionalism that he brought to the job,” Coons said. “What set him apart the most in those days was that he was born, raised and educated in Kingston and helped run a family business, so he knew what the city needed from a citizen’s perspective, as a business owner, as a student. He could see the potential of the city he loved. “I think the investment in the city and its infrastructure and services helped provide a city that could complement everything it already had — the wonderful historic waterfront buildings and the connection to three post-secondary institutions. The community had so much to offer and I think the addition of these projects on a large and small scale helped create the Kingston we see now.

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“When we drive or walk around Kingston and you notice these things or families using these things for art or sports, entertainment and even something as simple as sewage, something we take for granted every day, that’s the vision that had in these days. “He was very willing to get things done, that was his phrase. I think previous boards got caught up in the nitty-gritty of the analysis because of the paralysis and they didn’t always get it right.” Rosen saw that and wanted to move the city forward, and Coons said Rosen believed in promises made and promises kept. “When a politician says what they’re going to do, and the voters believe it and support it, the politician has an obligation to follow through when they’re in office,” Coons said.

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“That was something he was very good at and I can see that from a personnel level.” Kingston and the Islands MP Mark Gerretsen, who succeeded Rosen as mayor in 2010, announced Rosen’s death at the United Way Kickoff Breakfast at the College of St. Lawrence on Friday morning. “Harvey has been an incredible champion of our community and has done some incredible things in our community,” Gertsen said. “He will be greatly missed and my thoughts are with Rosen’s family and friends at this time.” Mayor Harvey Rosen, right, campaign co-chairman Sonny Sadinsky, left, and Martin Skolnick share a joke while watching final votes at the Ambassador Hotel in November 2006. Photo: Ian MacAlpine/Ian MacAlpine/Kingston Whig-Stan Rosen’s sons, Zachary and Tyler, also spoke to the Whig-Standard about their father. “Most of my fondest memories are of my dad and brother and some of the trips we took,” said Zachary, a financial advisor. “We went on canoe trips and it was just the three of us and we went on ski trips to Whistler.”

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“I was thinking about his legacy as mayor and I was thinking about those projects, and what I think as someone who grew up in Kingston, I understood how the city saw itself before and after he was in office,” said Tyler, an engineer. “It kind of dawned on me that seven years ago, we still didn’t think we (as a city) could change. Everyone in Kingston thought the city was old and could never do what we wanted, and it showed us that we could. Now, after his term as mayor, we don’t think like that anymore. We can achieve things, we try, we don’t give up before we start, we believe it can be done. So it showed us that if you put your mind to consensus, you’ll find some powerful allies and you can do great things.”

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Rosen’s funeral was held Friday afternoon at Beth Israel Synagogue, followed by burial at Beth Israel Cemetery on Sydenham Street. The tradition of the Jewish religion states that funerals should be held almost immediately after death. The family will observe a Shiva, a traditional period of mourning, starting Sunday. The family will resume Shiva after Shabbat with davening (prayer service) Sunday through Tuesday. Visitors are welcome on those days from 8-11 a.m., 3-5 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. at 480 King St. W. Free parking is available in the Queen’s Lot at 340 Union St., (formerly St. Mary’s of the Lake ). Parking is also available in the synagogue parking lot and on Center Street. Rosen leaves behind his wife, Sharon Monson, sons Zachary (Emily) and Tyler (Erika), stepsons Zac (Anne), Nathan (Karyne) and Jacob (Erica). Rosen was grandfather to Aria, Levi, Lillian and Vivienne and brother to Merle (the late Phil Coven), Wayne (Merrill) and Bradford (Helen). In lieu of flowers, donations in Rosen’s memory to the Kingston Regional Cancer Center will be accepted. [email protected] twitter.com/IanMacAlpine

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