Lynn city councilors observe moment of silence for ex-clerk

LYNN – The City Council observed a moment of silence Tuesday for former longtime City Clerk Robert G. Furlong.Council President Timothy Phelan said word had reached City Hall that Furlong was “very ill.”Furlong assumed the duties of city clerk following the retirement of Joseph Martin in 1991 and held the post until 2000. But he had been a familiar face at City Hall since 1973, when he was Clerk of Committees for the City Council.Furlong and his wife, Jean, have been spending plenty of time in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, a favorite family destination many years.Known for his sharp wit and sense of humor, the retired clerk quickly got a job working the snack shack aboard The Notch, a steam train that carries tourists through the mountains between North Conway and Crawford.