ANSONIA – A longtime public servant has been recognized for her decades of work making records of local government.
Patricia Bruder, who has worked as the Ansonia Board of Aldermen’s permanent secretary since 1999, was awarded a key to the city by the board Nov. 20.
Bruder began working for the city in the late 1980s as secretary under then-Mayor Thomas Clifford. Since then, she has recorded minutes for boards including the board of education, the police commission, and the Ansonia Rescue Medical Services.
In 1999, the Board of Aldermen voted to make her position permanent, and she has held it ever since then. In her role, she has kept records of the discussions held and decisions made by Aldermen under the administrations of Nancy Valentine, James Della Volpe, and David Cassetti.
Meeting minutes allow the public to keep tabs on what government boards and commissions discuss. You can view the minutes of Ansonia’s boards at this link.
In presenting the award, outgoing Aldermanic President Joshua Shuart pointed to the length of Bruder’s service.
“This was all so long ago that they actually typed out the minutes on a typewriter back then,” Shuart said.
Before taking her current role, Bruder also briefly served as an Alderwoman, representing the city’s sixth ward in the 1990s.
She currently also works as executive administrative clerk for the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments. In the past, she’s worked as administrative secretary for the Shelton Police Department and head secretary for the Southern Connecticut Hebrew Academy and Chabad of Orange/Woodbridge, according to her LinkedIn page.
Bruder thanked the board for the recognition and reminisced on old times with them.
The Valley Indy recorded the award and showed it in a podcast the next day. You can watch the award below.