Carmen Aurora Pola

Carmen A. Pola 5/1/1939- 6/1/2025
Appointment to Constituent Services Coordinator
In 1983, Boston Mayor-Elect Raymond L. Flynn appointed Pola to the post of Constituent Services Coordinator. The position was newly created and "designed to respond to the individual concerns of Boston residents... [and] help people find the services they need. "For example, Pola helped coordinate responses to the city's "No-Heat" phone call line in the mid-1980s.
As part of that office, she focused on expanding access to local government, not only through answering constituent concerns but also external programs like voter registration drives.
Post Constituent Services Coordinator
After leaving Boston's city government, Pola returned to community-based activism and worked at various levels within and outside of government through the 1990s. She helped found Roxbury Unites for Families and Children, La Raza en Marcha, and the Spanish Cultural Program on Mental Health, and was involved with numerous non–profit organizations. She also continued to hold local political appointments, such as the chair of the Ethnic Linguistic Minorities Committee, vice chair of the Mayor's Committee on Hispanic Affairs. Besides official appointments, Pola continued to be a member of the Citywide Coordinating Council on Education and Manpower Training Act Advisory Council.
Recent Work
In April 2013, Pola gave a talk on her recent interview and oral history work at the Mission Hill Senior Legacy Project as part of TEDxFenway. The event focused on the ecology of great cities and explored the cultural, technological forces, and leaders that contribute to a neighborhood and city as a whole. She continues this oral history work in 2019. She serves on Community Benefits Advisory Committee of the New England Baptist Hospital, which recently was combined with two other hospitals.
Awards
2012 Andrus Award for Community Service
On June 22, 2016, Carmen Pola was awarded the 2016 Mission Hill Main Streets "Community Treasure" Award at the Annual Awards Dinner of the Mission Hill Main Streets
Survived by her children Juan A. Pola Jr., Mary J. Pola, Jacqueline S. Williams, Rose M. Pola, Lynette Pola. Grandchildren Kenny Williams, Curtis Williams, Amanda Williams, Kelsey Williams, Brandon Williams, Ricardo Crawford, Alexandria Carthan, Jonathon Carthan, Alexandra Pola, Juan Pola, Alonzo Pola, Antonio Pola, Sedeeq Rheddick, Ahmad Rheddick, Elijah Rheddick, Great grand children Kenneth Williams, Jaden Williams, Anais Vargas, Kaylee Patterson, Arianna Jones, Luca Williams, Layla A Rheddick.
Funeral Services will take place on Monday, June 9, 2025 at the Boston Teachers Union 180 Mt. Vernon Street Dorchester, MA 02125. Immediate Family Viewing at 9:00 AM, Public Viewing from 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM. A Celebration of Life begins promptly at 11:30 AM. Interment Departure at 12:00 PM. Repass from 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM at the Boston Teachers Union 180 Mt. Vernon St. Dorchester.
The Pola Family kindly asks for your understanding and cooperation in honoring the scheduled time frame. We are welcoming family from across the country-both military and civilian-and it is important that we remain on schedule.
We appreciate everyone's desire to share memories and stories of Carmen's incredible life, and we warmly invite you to do so during the repass.
With gratitude,
The Pola Family