CT POST Article Last Updated: 08/14/2007 09:42:34 PM EDT
Trumbull First Selectman Raymond G. Baldwin Jr. and the Trumbull Town Council merit a round of applause for restructuring and strengthening the town's Trumbull Day Commission.
Following months of debate and controversy over the fiscal soundness of the commission, Baldwin appointed three new members with financial and professional background who should go a long way in helping to stabilize the group.
Trumbull Day for many years has been a key summer community event that's well attended by townspeople and residents of the region. This year's event was a single day, although in the past the celebration has also extended to two days.
This year, however, there was quite a bit of turmoil and finger-pointing in the face of a possible five-figure deficit after the Trumbull Day Commission decided to spend $65,000 to hire two national rock music acts from the 1980s — Patty Smyth and Christine Ohlman — as entertainment headliners for the day.
Baldwin's recent appointments to the group should aid greatly in organizing and stabilizing the finances or future Trumbull Days.
Baldwin appointed J. Preston Merritt, a certified public accountant; Dana Lonergan, a lawyer who previously served on the commission, and Joseph Ruospo, a People's United Bank branch manager.
Not only do all three bring professional expertise to the table, but the three, as Baldwin aptly noted, are also former members of the Trumbull Rotary Club, an organization that is highly experienced in running community events.
Celebrations such as Trumbull Day or the Milford Oyster Festival or Derby Day or the Barnum Festival are important events for municipalities that give them identity and added quality of life as they bring together citizens in a spirit of enjoyment and community.
Every such event also encounters problems at one time or another in its existence, especially as corporate and community sponsorships fluctuate. This year's Trumbull Day was simply the latest example.
With a bit more professional advice and scrutiny from the new appointees and the lessons learned from this year's adversity, there can be many more Trumbull Days in the years ahead.