As I entered Ansonia City Hall December 30, 2015, for what would be my last day as an employee for the city that has been my lifelong home, I was flooded with mixed emotions.
I have spent the last 16 years in this building and I can’t help but be reminded of the many events that have taken place in my life since I arrived here on December 1, 1999.
Many fond memories of the many wonderful people I have encountered will live forever in my heart and, naturally, I am saddened to think of the many friends I have made along the way who are no longer with us.
The results of the November 3, 2015 municipal election are the reason I am retiring from my position, however, I’m not going to say it is because I “lost.” One of Webster’s definitions of loss is “failure to win,” which is more like it. Don’t get me wrong, I certainly have suffered losses in my life but this “loss” can’t compare.
Having your beautiful mother and equally beautiful 21-year-old sister head out for a day of Christmas shopping and never returning is suffering a loss. Having one of your brothers, a gifted multi-sport athlete, paralyzed in a car accident is suffering a loss. Losing your father, a man who was blessed with the faith, strength and courage to move mountains, is suffering a loss.
Having to leave a job that you love, while disappointing, is just a bump in the road by comparison.
I would like to thank my longtime friend Mayor Jim Della Volpe for his confidence and trust in me by providing me with an opportunity to serve my community in many ways. To the many city officials, Aldermen and commission members I had the pleasure to work with and for and the citizens of Ansonia who placed their trust in me to serve as Town Clerk, it has been a complete and memorable experience that I will never forget.
I am proud of my many years of public service and will look back on my tenure with fondness. In my two years as Town Clerk I have done my best to enhance the operation of the Town Clerk’s office through online access of land records, a complete reorganization and consolidation of records stored in our secondary vault and those goals have been accomplished while having to manage with a reduction to our office staff. Assistant Town Clerk Diana Branch and Records Administrator Jan Silva have been a pleasure to work with and I am confident they will do all they can to ensure a smooth transition for my successor.
The writer is an Ansonia resident and former Town and City Clerk.
