At its annual Spring Breakfast the Democratic Town Committee (DTC) will honor Selectwoman Deborah McFadden and attorney Paul Burnham as Democrats of the Year. The DTC calls both honorees “two of Wilton’s and the Party’s most dedicated contributors.”
The breakfast will take place at Trackside Teen Center on Saturday, April 28 from 9-11 a.m..
In a myriad of volunteer, elected and appointed positions—the latest being her election in November to the Board of Selectmen—McFadden has been deeply involved in Wilton community affairs. After moving here two decades ago, she served several terms as Town Constable and was appointed to the BOS for an interim term in 2015. She has held board positions at the Norwalk River Valley Trail, the Wilton Security Task Force and Trackside Teen Center. Prior to moving to Wilton, she served as an executive in the Mayor’s Office of Salt Lake City, Utah. She is a former member of the Electoral College, and for two years prior to her recent election, was chair of the DTC. She is a passionate advocate of bipartisan cooperation in managing the town’s opportunities and challenges.
Burnham, a trust and estate attorney with Gregory and Adams in Wilton is a longtime leader of the DTC, mostly recently as chair of its Nominating Committee. He was a candidate for the Connecticut State Legislature in 2004. Over the past 25 years he has been been a fixture in Wilton town governance, serving on the Board of Finance (1993-2001), the town Charter Revision Commission (2008-2009) and the town Retirement Plan Investment Committee (1993 to present). He is past president of the Wilton Rotary Club and has been general counsel for the Wilton Congregational Church since 2007.
“Both Paul and Deb were chosen because of their long and devoted record of public service to Wilton and to the Wilton Democratic party,” said John Kalamarides, who headed the awards committee. “Each has served in elected office, appointed positions, and in a number of party roles to insure that local and state functions work well. Each has given many hours of volunteer service to non-profit charitable organizations as officers and leaders. They are truly outstanding individuals and Democrats who give of themselves for the betterment of the community and all its residents.”
Jeremy Stein, the executive director of CT Against Gun Violence, will speak on “CAGV: 25 Years of Gun Violence Prevention.” Stein, for 23 years a litigator, was a prosecutor with the Attorney General’s Office for the District of Columbia, where he worked on gun prosecutions with many different police agencies including the ATF, FBI, Secret Service and Metropolitan Police Department. He served as a Public Defender in Baltimore. Most recently he was the managing partner of a litigation defense firm. The mission of CAGV is “to reduce gun violence in CT,” and to identify solutions, promote education and grass roots development in furtherance of the gun violence prevention movement.
“This breakfast is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate two outstanding Wiltonians,” said Tom Dubin, chair of the Wilton DTC. “We look forward to recognizing Deb and Paul‘s longstanding and broad service to our community, as well as hearing form Jeremy Stein, a leading voice on efforts to design and pass local and national legislation to enhance gun safety. All are welcome.”
Tickets are available online. The cost to attend is $35 for adults ($40 at the door); $5 for children 6-18; and free for children 5 and under.