Beyond the Byline: Farwell to the sage wisdom of Mike Cefalo

Tired of ads? Subscribers enjoy a distraction-free reading experience.

WILKES-BARRE — Whenever I called Attorney Mike Cefalo, whether it be regarding a legal case, or a political issue, he always took the call.

Cefalo, who passed away Wednesday, July 17, at the age of 83, was always available to answer questions to clarify any story we were working on and he was never at a loss for words — the right words.

I considered Cefalo a friend and a mentor. He and I had numerous discussions on political issues and candidates and Cefalo never held back. He spoke his mind. He had opinions and he was never hesitant to express them.

Ya gotta love that quality in any human being — especially one who made as much sense as Mike Cefalo always did.

And every time I talked to him, he made me laugh — several times during every conversation. He knew he could trust me and he knew I would be sure to report the story accurately.

We all remember Cefalo when he was active in politics, having served a a delegate to several Democratic National Conventions. You could always expect Cefalo to have some way of standing out in any crowd. He often wore the most outlandish hats that sometimes sported feathers or represented the Democratic party’s mascot symbol, a donkey. I’m not sure these days, but at one time a couple of his hats were on display in the Smithsonian Institution.

Cefalo self-promoted himself as “the people’s lawyer,” and his law practice became “the people’s law firm.” Both titles were more than appropriate, they were spot on as far as letting potential clients know that if they wanted sincere, compassionate and competent legal service, call Cefalo.

So it was with great sadness that I leaned back and read Cefalo’s obituary the other day. It’s always very sad to see this region lose another icon — another voice of reason.

So I will highlight some of the items that were included in Cefalo’s obituary.

He was raised in West Pittston and graduated from West Pittston High School in 1958. He graduated as a cadet from Pennsylvania Military College, now Widener University, with a degree in English, then went on to earn two Juris Doctorate degrees — one from the University of Baltimore’s Mount Vernon School of Law, and one from the Columbia School of Law of the Catholic University in Washington, D.C. During his time at Catholic University, he served the U.S. House of Representatives, working in the House Library reference room adjacent to the House Floor.

After graduation from law school, Cefalo returned to the Wyoming Valley and started his law firm — Cefalo and Associates, in West Pittston.

His obituary said this:

“And for the next 30 plus years, the slogan, ‘We’re the people’s law firm, and we like it that way!’ was just as recognizable in Northeastern Pennsylvania as ‘just do it’ or ‘got milk.’ What made the slogan perfect is its honesty. Mike truly saw himself as ‘the people’s lawyer,’ and he truly did like it that way.”

The obituary also said something I knew for the entire time I dealt with Cefalo — he was honest.

Again from the obituary:

“Honesty, first and foremost, defined Mike Cefalo the lawyer, and Mike Cefalo the person. He made it clear he got that from his father, the late Angelo Cefalo, a prominent figure in international labor. He also inherited his father’s respect for the working man. It was not unusual to see Mike join a picket line during work stoppage. ‘We represent the people, not the powerful’ was another of his firm’s mantras.”

Cefalo loved politics and he could dissect every issue an get to the core of what drove each battle between candidates and parties. He attended four National Democratic Conventions as an elected Pennsylvania delegate.

Early in his career, Cefalo served as a public defender, and in 1976 he became Luzerne County’s Chief Public Defender. Of the thousands of cases in which his law firm participated, Cefalo is probably most recognized for his success in cases involving the giardiasis outbreak in the early 1980’s, the “kids for cash” scandal, and the McDonald’s restaurant’s debit card payment suit, his obituary stated.

But it was his compassion that I admired most about Cefalo. He loved every opportunity he had to serve the less fortunate and defend equal rights for all.

Cefalo also loved to golf, ski and he really enjoyed racing his Miata sports car.

And then there was his true passion — ballroom dancing with his wife, Bette. They were elegant together. They were married for 61 years.

His was a life well-lived. He left an indelible mark on all who got to really know him.

People like me.

I will miss the conversations, the flamboyance, the genuine compassion, the banter and the sage wisdom.

Godspeed my friend.