On the evening on Thursday, September 27th, representatives from the Enfield Republican Town Committee travelled to Stamford, Connecticut, for the annual Prescott Bush Dinner where local party chairman, Mary Ann Turner, was awarded the Pat Longo Leadership Award. This award is given to someone who best exemplifies leadership for the Republican Party.
In accepting the award and recognizing her team, Mary Ann said “The opportunity to be a leader doesn’t happen because you are one. You have to have people who want to follow you. And I have been very lucky to have that opportunity to be a leader to team of people in Enfield who are really my friends.”
“We are so proud of Mary Ann,” said Kelly Hemmeler, Vice-Chair of the Enfield Republican Town Committee. “We are truly blessed to have her leadership up here in Enfield.”
These same sentiments were echoed by JR Romano, Chairman of the Connecticut Republican Party. “Mary Ann works tirelessly for the Republican Party,” said JR. “She makes our party and community better.”
Also addressing the attendees was The House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, recipient of the Prescott Bush Award which is the CT GOP’s highest honor. “This is our time!!! The things that need to be done need a Republican Governor and Legislature.” Themis continued, “if you believe Dan Malloy has done a bad job, Democrats in the House and the Senate have done the same bad job.”
The keynote speaker for the evening was Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts. Gov. Ricketts talked about how applying successful business principles to government has worked in Nebraska and how it will work in Connecticut. Governor Rickets also predicted success for Republican Governor candidate Bob Stefanowski because he understands these principles.
“There’s no silver bullet here. You just got to cut spending,” said Gov. Rickets. “You have to have a vision, you have to evangelize the vision, you have to account for the results.”
In addressing the attendees, Bob Stefanowski expressed confidence in his ability to win in November. “We’ve changed the discussion of the debate as to who’s going to be the better tax cutter — a conservative fiscal Republican or a Democrat who’s on tape saying he’s going to raise taxes,” said Bob. “That’s how I know we’ve won.”
Mary Ann Turner has been a long-time resident of Enfield. She currently serves on the Board for the North Central District Health Department and is Secretary for Enfield’s Zoning Board of Appeals. Mary Ann has also been Chairman of the Enfield Republican Town Committee for 12 years and is a member of the Connecticut Republican Party Committee. She has also been recognized for being instrumental in maintaining Republican majorities in Enfield Government for the last decade and was quintessential in achieving Republican victories in State Legislature races throughout North-Central Connecticut back in 2016.
The Prescott Bush Dinner, named for the Bush family patriarch and late U.S. senator from Greenwich, is the marquee fundraiser each year for the Connecticut Republican Party. A veritable who’s who of Connecticut State Politics, the event is an opportunity to relax, converse and network with colleagues from across the state all while celebrating accomplishments and looking towards a brighter future.
When asked if she is looking forward to attending next year’s dinner, Mary Ann replied “Of course. I look forward to celebrating with Governor Stefanowski and toasting to turning Connecticut around.”
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