Submitted by Aakash Patel
George H.W. Bush was a man of deep humility. In that light, only a select few statues have been erected in his honor. The most famous of which were designed by sculptor Chas Fagan, whose monument to President Bush stands proud in Houston, and at both his and Bush Jr.’s Presidential Libraries.
Over the past year, our First Selectman has taken it upon himself to erect his own monument to President Bush. Honoring a former Greenwich resident who has made significant contributions can be a noble act. Though properly honoring someone requires nuance, considering both the manner and means.
I believe this project has been handled so poorly that it actually risks dishonoring President Bush’s legacy.
This was the original proposal that Mr. Camillo had provided to P&Z and our Historic District Commission, which was based on Mr. Fagan’s famous design:
Source: P&Z Application PLPZ 2025 00324, dated September 26, 2025
In the latest P&Z application, a keen observer will notice there is no mock up provided of the statue. Instead, only a blank silhouette is shown:
Source: P&Z Application PLPZ 2025 00324, dated October 28, 2025
What happened? Well, it seems our First Selectman didn’t think to ask Mr. Fagan whether we could use his design. Instead, we ripped it off, and pushed forward until the artist found out and balked.
Now, the Town appears to be pushing forward with a “TBD” design from a firm who makes custom sculptures from photographs.
We need to take a step back and ask ourselves: if the original artist wishes for us not to use their design, and we instead create a knock-off, is that properly honoring President Bush’s legacy?
This raises a recurring “process” question as well. This is a public arts project, and the Town is ignoring its own public art policy in multiple ways. There is meant to exist a Cultural Arts Advisory Committee, which would be a potential forum for public feedback on these types of projects, though the committee does not seem to have ever convened (even though Mr. Camillo established this committee and is the chairman). This lack of public engagement has wasted significant time of our Town staff and volunteers.
For example, there has been considerable discussion regarding the location of the statue. The original proposal was determined to overshadow the World War memorial in front of the old Post Office downtown. The new proposed location, in front of the Havemeyer Building, risks overshadowing monuments to our veterans who died in combat (Rosenfeld: A Place of Honor, Not Displacement). The future of the Havemeyer Building itself also isn’t clear (District 1 Speaks: Let the Community Decide Havemeyer’s Future).
I do believe we should honor President Bush’s service to our country, though we should do so in a manner fitting the man.
P&Z are hearing the application this Tuesday at 4pm. I’d encourage the community to make their opinions heard by either speaking at the meeting or submitting written comments.
Aakash Patel is a member of the Representative Town Meeting for District 1. The views in this letter are his own.