STAMFORD, CT – September 20, 2018. Mayor David R. Martin announced today that nominations are now being accepted for the 2018 City of Stamford Citizen of the Year.
“Stamford’s Citizen of the Year or COTY – is one of our City’s most important community service & volunteer recognition efforts. It is a wonderful tradition that as a community we acknowledge a citizen who has been an extraordinary member of the Stamford community,” the Mayor said.
Martin also announced today the members of the 2018 Selection Committee. The seven members, four of whom are past COTY recipients, include: Jay Sandak and Mary Sommer -2015 also this year’s Selection Committee Co-Chairs; Richard W. Redniss - 2016; Dudley N. Williams Jr. -2017; Steve Fischer, Commander, JWV Post 142; and at-large members Jevera Kaye Hennessey, partner at the law firm of Kaye and Hennessey LLC, and Kate Schwartz, Director at Cushman & Wakefield.
“The annual Citizen of the Year Award highlights what is special about the City of Stamford. It is a recognition of unselfish contributions to the community by people who reach out to make Stamford a community that cares about all of its citizens,” said Sommer and Sandak. “The annual event which celebrates the honoree(s) is attended by all sectors of the community and reflects the diversity of the community in all aspects. It makes all of us proud to live and work in Stamford.”
The criteria the committee will use to select the 2018 Citizen of the Year have been in place since 1945 when it was established by Mayor Webster Givens and Fred Robbins.
Those criteria are based on four key qualities that all previous recipients have met. The nominee should:
- Demonstrate a belief in interfaith harmony
- Possess the highest standards of responsibility in civic life
- Help in the promotion of projects for the public welfare
- Has personally worked with distinction to benefit Stamford on a community-wide basis
“I encourage all of us to take some time to stop and identify our fellow citizens who exemplify these qualities and have made a difference in our lives, in our community,” Martin said. “When you know an ordinary citizen, who has been doing amazing things in Stamford, take the time to nominate them. These special men and women are the individuals who consistently contribute to making Stamford the unique community that it has become.”
Nominations must be received by Monday, December 3, 2018, and include a bullet point summary of the nominee’s background supporting the criteria listed above. Nominations should be emailed to StamfordCitizen@aol.com or sent to: Nominations Committee, City of Stamford Citizen of the Year - 2018, 22 First Street, Stamford, CT 06905.