Bob and Amy Stefanowski receive NAACP award for mask effort

Like any conservative Republican running statewide, Bob Stefanowski didn’t poll tremendously well in Connecticut cities as the GOP nominee for governor in 2018. But the Madison resident has collected a plaque and plaudits from the NAACP in Waterbury, along with his wife, Amy, the Madison GOP committee chair.

“Grateful Appreciation for your dedication to the health and safety of the

In the early weeks of the coronavirus crisis, as it became clear masks were crucial and supplies were low, the Stefanowskis quietly launched a statewide distribution network that handed out 1.6 million masks — including 60,000 in Waterbury.

Waterbury community by providing face masks to those in need, and for your generous donation in support of our Thanksgiving meal program,” the plaque, from the Waterbury Pride NAACP Youth Council read.

The Stefanowskis received the award this past weekend.

In the early weeks of the coronavirus crisis, as it became clear masks were crucial and supplies were low, the Stefanowskis quietly launched a statewide distribution network that handed out 1.6 million masks — including 60,000 in Waterbury.

Reached in early April by Hearst Connecticut Media, Bob Stefanowski would not confirm or deny the story that he traveled to New Jersey in a borrowed truck with Patrick Sasser of the No Tolls CT movement to a mega-distributor, and bought hundreds of thousands of masks.

More recently, Stefanowski — who is considering a run for governor in 2022 — sparked a debate with an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal in which he argued that the city of Hartford is poorly run and has has wasteful spending and poor decisions enabled by a state bailout.

The Waterbury award, however, was without controversy in a bipartisan coronavirus relief effort.

“Amy and I couldn’t be prouder to team with Waterbury’s NAACP Youth Council,” Stefanowski said. “They are an incredible group of hard working young people committed to helping their community.”