To the Editor:
For those of you who have been following my husband’s very public case vs. Trumbull’s First Selectman, I wanted to take a minute to show you the side of Al Barbarotta that you have not heard about. I want to quote directly from a proclamation that was issued from the office of the First Selectman, David A. Wilson, on January 16, 1998:
“Whereas, for the past 10 years, since March 1987, the name Alfonso Barbarotta has been synonymous with the town of Trumbull’s School Code Compliance update initiatives serving first as a member and chairman of the building committee and then as construction manager for this expansive project; and
Whereas, for the past 10 years, the name Al Barbarotta has been synonymous with leadership…liaison with the municipality, boards and commissions and Board of Education…the guy who was always there when we were at our wits end to assist with the decision making to accomplish the physical changes accomplished at our school buildings; and
Whereas, the name Al Barbarotta has been synonymous with commitment and dedication to Trumbull…the guy who made every single compliance meeting, every single construction negotiation and every single sign-off date….week after week after week…; and
Whereas, the name Al Barbarotta has been synonymous with friendship…with classroom teachers, with concerned parents and even with the kids; and
Whereas, in addition to all of this, he has even had time for administration of the most successful municipal code update program in the state of Connecticut making Trumbull schools better than new;
Now, therefore, I, David A. Wilson, First Selectman of the town of Trumbull do hereby take this opportunity to express our community’s appreciation to Alfonso Barbarotta and thank him for his dedication and innumerable hours toward the betterment of our school buildings and the community of Trumbull, Connecticut.”
My thanks to David Wilson for recognizing the hardworking, dedicated professional that my husband is and always has been.
It is hard to read the lies that can cause people who don’t know Al to judge him unfairly. I have known him for 42 years and have never met a person with more integrity. He has always been dedicated to whatever projects he has taken on in Trumbull, putting in how ever many hours needed to get the job done right. And, in his spare time, he has raised $100,000 for Connecticut Special Olympics, annually donates complete Thanksgiving dinners for 1,500 disadvantaged families in three cities, raised money for Breast Cancer Awareness and the Heart Foundation, donated his time to manage the relocation of Sandy Hook Elementary to Chalk Hill and was given the Kaiser Award from Central Connecticut State University, which honored him as a former CCSU athlete (football) who, since graduation, has distinguished himself by his accomplishments and service.
So, as you read your morning news and come across the name “Al Barbarotta,” before you judge him, know that he is more, much more than what you may read.
Sharon Ruben Barbarotta