The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Italian Mayor of the day honored
Joseph Barbieri thanked for tireless service to his hometown
TORRINGTON — Joseph Barbieri was honored Thursday for his years of good work and service in the city by being named the 2017 Italian Mayor of the Day and Lord Mayor for Columbus Day.
The event was part of Torrington’s annual festivities celebrating Columbus Day and the city’s Italian citizens, who founded many of its neighborhoods and businesses and have integrated their culture and customs into the fabric of the community. After a wreath-laying ceremony at Columbus Square in the early morning, local and state officials and residents made their way to Coe Memorial Park to honor the Italian Mayor of the Day.
Barbieri was born in Torrington in 1933 and graduated from Torrington High School, according to the city chapter of UNICO. A veteran of the U.S. Army, he started RJB Contracting, Inc. in 1983. He is the former president of the Civitan Club and a member of UNICO, the Holy Name Society of St. Peter's Church, and the advisory board for the Center for Cancer Care.
He married Joyce Weingart in 1957 and has three sons and five grandchildren. Barbieri raises funds for the cancer center in his late wife’s honor, and created a trail there in her memory.
UNICO President Brian Mattiello, Mayor Elinor Carbone, and State Rep. Michelle Cook, D-Torrington, all praised Barbieri for his life and work in Torrington during a ceremony in the Coe Memorial Park Civic Center Thursday morning.
“His sense of duty as a public servant really raises the standard. We are a better town and we are a better people because of Joe Barbieri,” said Mattiello. “He never stops thinking, caring, giving, and charming.”
Carbone said that Barbieri stepped in at the last moment to aid with a haunted house fundraiser, after she and other organizers had been left in the lurch.
When asked if they could hold the fundraiser behind RJB, Carbone said Barbieri provided a quick and ready answer — “Yes, if it's for the community, count us in.”
“Beyond the fact that he has this philanthropic heart, he is generous in everything that he does. He doesn’t leave you guessing; he doesn't leave you hanging,” said Carbone. “And I will tell you that anytime that I’ve ever needed anything, whether it's advice or a reminder of what I should been doing, Joe is there. And he delivers it with a smile – it may not always be good news, but it's always with a smile, and I'm grateful for that.”
“As we look for hope and light in all the turmoil that we have in our country, you and you what aspire to have been and become, and the leader that you have (been). And I look at the family, and you're sitting there and you're waving,” said Cook. “This is what we want our future generations to abide —it's about family and community and country, and you show that in a tremendous way.”
Barbieri spoke briefly during as part of the event as he received proclamations from the city and the state legislature marking occasion, as well as a plaque from UNICO.
“Thank you very much for everything, Mayor and Michelle and the UNICO club, and all my family and friends,” said Barbieri. “Thank you.”
Barbieri is a man of few words in public, Carbone said. But the smile that came across his face Thursday spoke volumes, as city residents gathered to celebrate one of their own.