Councillors and former councillors led tributes to Mr Radich at a special Dunedin City Council meeting yesterday in which his service was formally recognised.
Mr Radich became a councillor in 2019, won the mayoralty in 2022 and returned as a councillor last year.
He died on January 4 this year.
Dunedin Mayor Sophie Barker recalled his positivity, ready smile and the twinkle in his eye.
They fought together for Dunedin’s new hospital to be built to suitable specifications and got told off for wearing campaign T-shirts in front of the government, she said.
Cr John Chambers said the hospital built to its full height would be a reminder of Mr Radich’s legacy.
Council chief executive Sandy Graham said his death was felt across the organisation.
Cr Brent Weatherall described Mr Radich as an educator in such things as identifying a good wine, retaining sand on beaches, filleting fish or balancing the city’s finances.
In local government, he had "the rare ability to rise above cruel, calculated and two-faced behaviour".
Cr Lee Vandervis observed Mr Radich would often smile as he went about even difficult work, but it was not quite the same as the tension-free smile he would give his wife, Pam Walker.
Cr Mandy Mayhem said Mr Radich approached everything with gusto.
He balanced leadership with kindness and accountability with empathy, she said.
Cr Christine Garey said Mr Radich had a big presence and she remembered him making the case for reinstating groynes at St Clair Beach before he was a councillor.
Cr Andrew Simms suggested an initiative was coming for a memorial "art installation".
The concept had been described to him as a set of telegraph poles leading into the sea.
Ms Walker thanked Mr Radich’s "work family" for their tributes and kindness.
