David Boston, former Toledo city manager, dies at 71

8/28/2018

Toledo City Manager David Boston April 10, 1985.

BLADE/STRAYER

David Boston, former vice president of Westchester Mortgage Services and Toledo's city manager in the early 1980s, died Saturday at ProMedica Toledo Hospital. He was 71. 

He worked for the City of Toledo for 15 years, starting out as an entry-level human resources position after receiving his undergraduate degree from the University of Toledo. He later received his Master’s Degree from UT and went on to serve as a safety director supervising police and fire operations, and assistant city manager for the city. 

He served as city manager during his last four years with the City of Toledo. He resigned as city manager in 1985 in the wake of the city's $19 million investment loss through the ESM Government Securities, Inc., a brokerage firm in Florida. He joined Associated General Contractors as president before becoming president of Vista Development, Inc., in 1986.

In 1999, Mr. Boston joined Cavista Corp. of Sylvania and was president until 2001. He was one of more than 50 employees — nearly the entire Cavista administrative staff — who was dismissed when its main subsidiary, Cavalear Realty, faced financial collapse and defaulted on loans from the city's three largest banks totaling more than $11 million.

Mr. Boston also served on the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority for 10 1/2 years beginning in the mid-1990s. A Blade editorial from 2005 noted he was a vocal critic of the board during his tenure, often acting as, “a lonely voice of dissent as board members routinely supported and rubber-stamped whatever the agency staff put in front of them.” His resignation in December of 2004 cut short his third term by two years. He said at the time he wanted to give someone else a chance to serve on the board.

Mr. Boston has also served as president of the Associated General Contractors Association of Northwest Ohio and negotiated labor contracts with the building trades in Northwest Ohio on behalf of the contractors. He became the President of Vista Development a Rudolph/Libbe Company doing development projects in Northwest Ohio and the Mid-West.

Visitation will be from 4-8 p.m. Thursday at Walker Funeral Home, 5155 Sylvania Ave. Funeral services will be private.

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