Editor’s note: Lobbyist John Saler was long one of the city’s most influential backroom players, friend and advisor to Mayor Michael Nutter, Governor Josh Shapiro and Senator Bob Casey, to name a few. He was also a larger than life Philly character who lived many lives — a onetime candidate for Lieutenant Governor, TV anchor, Hollywood film producer and political consigliere. A who’s who of Philly politics turned out for Sunday’s funeral. Here, Philadelphia magazine Chairman and CEO David Lipson’s eulogy to his longtime friend.
I want to begin by saying that while my reflections are personal, I know they represent just a small part of who John was — because he was a strong presence, a true character, and someone who made an impact on everyone in this room. My hope is that as I share my memories, they spark your own — that they take you back to moments with John where you laughed, where he helped you, or where he simply made your day better just by being himself.
I met John through my cousin, not long after I moved back to Philadelphia way back in 1986. John was also returning to the city — he’d been away for years — so we were both rediscovering Philly, figuring out our next chapters.
Our friendship really began when we decided to join the Germantown Cricket Club, this beautiful, old tennis club in the middle of a struggling neighborhood. My first image of John is still vivid: blonde hair, Ray-Ban aviators, and him flailing away at a tennis ball. Not exactly a graceful sight — but that was the start of a friendship that would last decades.
John’s life and career were anything but predictable — and that’s what made him so interesting. He went to George Washington University, where his roommate was Alec Baldwin. (The Alec Baldwin!) He loved telling me Alec Baldwin stories. He worked as a copy boy at The Washington Post and loved telling stories about his “accidental-on-purpose” run-ins with Katharine Graham. He then worked at a news station in Virginia and even filled in as a weatherman once — what I would pay to see John Saler as a weatherman!
Here’s the thing about John: if he told you he was going to do something, he did it. Always.
He worked for David Susskind in New York and, later even co-produced a movie starring James Earl Jones and Gregory Hines.
When John came back home to Philadelphia he pivoted again — this time into financial services. I became one of his clients. And as he moved into politics and government relations, we kept finding ways to work together — as his customer, his colleague, his collaborator and his friend.
Here’s the thing about John: if he told you he was going to do something, he did it. Always. And when he asked you for something, you somehow always found yourself saying, “Yes.” I hired him to buy insurance for my company. I hired him for government relations. I hired his law firm. And when [his wife] Christina asked me to speak today about John — well, of course, the answer was yes.
John built quite a résumé — candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, chair of the Philadelphia Airport Advisory Board, board member of the Orchestra, early and passionate supporter of Governor Shapiro. John was alo instrumental in Senator Casey’s and Mayor Nutter’s careers and I’m sure his family is very grateful they are both here today. He made things happen. Wherever he went, he delivered results.
John and Christina Saler at the 2019 Academy Ball. Photo courtesy Philly ChitChat. Laughing all the way
But as impressive as all that sounds, what I’ll remember most is his humor — and his love of laughter. One of my favorite memories is lunch at Susanna Foo. My head of operations and I were waiting by the window, and I said, “Watch this.” I had witnessed this scene many times before.
Here comes John — cigar in hand — walking down Sansom Street. He stops at a fire hydrant, tamps it out, and balances the cigar right on top — saving it for after lunch. Sure enough, we finish eating, walk outside, and there it is. He picks it up, relights it, and off he goes in a puff of smoke. Man, he loved his cigars!
Lunch with John was never a short affair. He’d always have an appetizer, a main course, and dessert —and every single time, he’d lean over and say, “Don’t tell Chris I had dessert.”
If I had a nickel for every time I heard that … And every lunch started the same way. The waiter would ask, “What would you like to drink?”
John would say, “I’d like a Diet Pepsi.”
The waiter would reply, “We only have Coke.”
And John — without missing a beat — would say, “I don’t care. I want a Diet Pepsi.” That exchange went on for years. His loyalty ran deep — even with his soda.
When he co-produced that movie, he worked closely with Shirley and Richard Hahn and he developed a closeness with the Honickman family, owners of the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company. From then on, Diet Pepsi wasn’t just a drink — it was a statement of deep loyalty and friendship.
Every lunch was filled with stories, laughter, and his unique brand of Jewish humor. In another life, John could’ve been one of his idols, Mel Brooks. Sometimes I didn’t even get the joke, but he’d be laughing so hard — tears rolling down his face — that I couldn’t help but laugh along.
I’ll miss his phone calls to my office at Philadelphia magazine. He’d start with, “Heff!” — short, of course, for Hugh Hefner.
“Heff! You’re doing a story on so-and-so. Is it going to be good? I need to know.”
I’d tell him, “John, you know I can’t interfere with editorial.”
And he’d go right into the bit — “Aww, come on, you can help me!”
And, of course, I’d end up calling the editor and saying, “Do me a favor — just talk to John.”
Everyone in the editorial department knew him. We even featured him once as a person to watch.
At left, David Lipson. Right, John Saler “He chose connection.”
I could go on for hours with stories like these. But I really want to take a moment to speak to the women in his life — John was deeply proud of his family. He adored his girls. Whether it was Izzy handling social media for Governor Shapiro’s campaign, or Alexa earning that impressive scholarship to college — he told me every detail. He was so proud of you both.
And Christina — he loved and admired you so. He spoke about you with such affection and respect. You were his partner in every sense.
What makes his love and pride all the more remarkable was the grace with which he faced his illness. John’s diagnosis of Parkinson’s and Lewy body disease was a sentence to an incredibly difficult end of life. The three of you were his light. As one friend put it, John had many jobs in his life, but perhaps the job he loved the most and performed the best was husband and father.
After John’s diagnosis, a group of us — [6abc President/General Manager] Bernie Prezenica, [political affairs consultant] Larry Ceisler, and [CHOP Senior Vice President] Peter Grollman — would make it a point to have lunch with him. At first at Hymie’s, and later, when things became more challenging for him, at The Residence in Bala Cynwyd.
Those lunches weren’t solemn. They were full of the same old John — jokes, stories, and that spark in his eye. He never once complained. Not once. He chose joy. He chose connection. It was a show of tremendous courage, dignity, and inner strength — the kind of quiet fortitude you only recognize if you’re paying attention.
Life pulls us all in a thousand directions, and I know many here may feel a quiet ache that they didn’t spend more time with him at the end. But John remembered — and valued — every friendship, every story, every bit of laughter you ever shared with him.
If you’re here today, it’s because he cared deeply about you — and that never faded. John’s life was full — of laughter, loyalty, friendship, and love. He left his mark on this city, on everyone who knew him, and certainly on me. I will miss him terribly — but I’ll always smile when I think of him: Diet Pepsi in hand, cigar waiting for him on the fire hydrant, laughter in his eyes, and a story on the way.
David Lipson is CEO of Philadelphia magazine. The Citizen welcomes guest commentary from community members who represent that it is their own work and their own opinion based on true facts that they know firsthand.
Contributions in lieu of flowers may be made in John’s memory to The Philadelphia Orchestra.
REMEMBERANCES