Letter to the editor submitted by Jessica Del Guercio, RTM District 1
Camillo: A Civic Volunteer, Connected with the Diverse Greenwich Community
On November 6, our kind neighbor, dedicated advocate and my dear friend, Fred Camillo, will seek re-election for his sixth term as State Representative of CT’s 151st District of Greenwich. As our state rep Fred serves as a member of the Commerce, Executive and Legislative Nominations, and Higher Education and Employee Advancement Committees. Camillo is dedicated to advocating for public safety, consumer protection, commerce, and animal welfare initiatives. With over 35 years of active civic service and engagement within our community, and over a decade of dedication to representing the diverse people of Greenwich as a state representative; Camillo’s commitment to our community is crystal clear – and he never misses a beat.
Fred is ingrained into the DNA of our community and understands our neighbors and our community needs
A true “local” born and raised in Cos Cob – he’s witnessed the changes and growth of our community first hand. He understands the inner workings of our town, its diverse population and most importantly, understand its needs. Fred is a small business owner, a coach and active member of countless community organizations and nonprofits, including the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich, Greenwich Boy Scouts, Greenwich Old Timer’s Athletic Association, Adopt A Dog and many more. He’s a passionate volunteer and is actively present, always willing to offer a helping hand, words of advice or simply an ear.
Fred is a selfless and compassionate civic volunteer
Fred’s involvement in such a diverse portfolio of community organizations gives him the insight and experience necessary to legislate in the best interest of the 151st District and our community, both locally and up in Hartford. Fred organizes a yearly sports drive to benefit local student-athletes at the Greenwich Boys & Girls Club – an organization dear to his heart as he attended as a young boy, he spends countless hours of volunteering with the Greenwich Council of the Boy Scouts of America, advocating and volunteering with animal welfare organizations, including PAWS of Greenwich, which I founded in 2016. And, just last year, Fred launched the annual Donna Marie Camillo Leukemia Walk which raises money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and a local child that is battling childhood Leukemia. This year’s walk will be on Saturday, October 13 in Bruce Park. The dog-friendly walk honors Fred’s sister Donna Marie Camillo, who lost her life to the illness in 1968.
Fred listens, engages the community, reaches across party lines and takes action
As our representative, Fred has successfully listened to the needs and concerns of our neighbors and takes action for the greater good of our community, by introducing, writing and lobbying for important public policy bills, including a few that became law on October 1. A new Consumer Protection Law now prohibits credit agencies from charging consumers a fee, to place or remove a credit freeze on their accounts, and increases identity theft prevention and mitigation services provided after a security breach. The Good Samaritans Law now provides legal protection to those who use reasonable force to rescue a child or animal left in a vehicle during extreme weather conditions – like high temperatures. Last year alone, 42 children in the US died due to vehicular heatstroke. With the addition of this law, Connecticut has established itself as has one of the toughest states to address this fatal concern.
Additional key legislation introduced or supported by Fred includes the Volunteer Protection and Indemnification Act, which gives our state the strongest volunteer protection law in the country and the Distracted Driving Law, which enables fire police patrolmen to issue traffic violations at traffic, fire, and/or flood scenes. As passionate animal lover, Fred also advocates for pet owners and their furry friends with the introduction of Buddy’s Law, which sets standards for pet euthanasia – only allowing licensed veterinarians to euthanize dogs and cats, and the Pet Lemon Law, which deals with out-of-state puppy mills and pet stores. The law protects and compensates consumers, should the pet become ill or die soon after purchase.
Camillo’s active civic engagement within our community has actively improved conditions for others, and the impact of his action has been recognized by many accredited organizations in the community
As a passionate advocate for animal rights, both in town and in Hartford, Fred was awarded the Humane Legislator Award from the United States Humane Society in 2018. He was also recognized by the Uniform Professional Firefighters (2011); Cos Cob Fire Police Patrol (2014) and Greenwich Council of the Boy Scouts of America (2016).
Join me in voting for my dear friend Fred Camillo on November 6.
Jessica Del Guercio
Greenwich RTM, District 1
Note: The deadline for letters in support of candidates in the November 6, 2018 election is Monday, October 29, 2018.
Not all letters will be published. Instead we will select a sampling of letters.