[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 121 (Friday, September 5, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11156-S11157]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 TRIBUTE TO THE HONORABLE ANTHONY SBONA

 Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise to speak in memory of a 
distinguished

[[Page S11157]]

public servant and a good friend, the Honorable Anthony ``Buddy'' 
Sbona, of Middletown, CT, who passed away on August 4, at the age of 
73.
  Buddy Sbona served three terms as the mayor of Middletown from 1970 
to 1975, and to this day, he remains one of the most popular public 
figures that city has ever seen. During his term as mayor, Buddy Sbona 
established Middletown's largest industrial park in the Westfield area. 
He also established the first full-time attorney's office in the city. 
From 1958 to 1961, Buddy Sbona served three terms on Middletown's 
Common Council, and after he left the mayor's office, he spent the next 
20 years as Middletown's Town Clerk.
  Buddy Sbona was a Republican mayor in a mostly Democratic town. But 
his appeal transcended party lines. Throughout his career, he was 
respected and admired by Democrats and Republicans alike--not merely as 
an elected official, but as a good, honest, and decent human being. His 
warm and outgoing personality and his enduring friendship were 
legendary. Even if you didn't always agree with Buddy Sbona's views, it 
was virtually impossible not to like him.
  At 5 foot 5, you might think that Buddy Sbona could walk through City 
Hall practically unnoticed. But his booming voice, and his tremendous 
enthusiasm, announced to anyone within earshot that Buddy was in the 
building, ready to work hard on behalf of the people of Middletown.
  Those who worked with Buddy Sbona remember him as a man with real 
passion for his work, a man who would come to the office each day 
excited to serve his constituents. That infectious attitude was an 
inspiration to his staff members, some of whom went on to hold public 
office themselves. During his later years, and even after he left 
office, he was an invaluable mentor to newcomers to public service, 
sharing with them his immense wealth of knowledge about Middletown's 
history, its politics, and its government.
  Outside of the office, Buddy Sbona was a devoted family man who could 
often be spotted at his son's high school football games at Palmer 
Field. He was also an active member of St. Sebastian's Church and was 
the chairman of the Feast of St. Sebastian Committee for a decade.
  It is a testimony to how hard Buddy Sbona worked, and how many lives 
he touched, that on Friday, August 8, all nonemergency city workers in 
Middletown were given the morning off to attend his funeral. Nearly 30 
years after he left the mayor's office, the city of Middletown shut 
itself down to pay its respects to Buddy Sbona.
  I offer my deepest condolences to the people of Middletown, to 
Buddy's wife Connie, to their sons William and Mark, to the entire 
Sbona family, and to the countless others whose lives were enriched by 
Buddy Sbona.

                          ____________________