Margaret "Marge" Tartaglione, a longtime fiery figure in Philadelphia politics, has died at the age of 86.
The former city commissioner chair died Tuesday morning after battling an illness, her daughter, Pennsylvania State Sen. Christine Tartaglione, D-2nd District, said.
“It is with immeasurable sadness and despair that I announce the passing of my beloved mother, Margaret Tartaglione," Christine Tartaglione said. "Throughout her recent illness, she was surrounded by family and friends, and was provided with the very best medical care. Thank you all for bringing her joy and comfort."
Tartaglione, a Democrat, served as one of the bipartisan city commissioners from the mid 1970s until she lost a re-election bid in 2011. In the role she oversaw elections and voter registration in the city.
"My mother was a very strong yet compassionate woman," Christine Tartaglione said. "She cared deeply about her family, her community, and her city."
City Commissioners Chairwoman Lisa Deeley recalled Tartaglione as “a larger than life individual who left her mark on the Commissioners' Office and the City in her over four decades of service."
“Today, we talk about women in politics and strong female leaders as if it were a novelty — she embodied that,” Deeley said. “The chairwoman made members of the Old Boys Club stand up and take notice, and if they crossed her, she would let them know, persistently.”
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Funeral plans are pending.
