The OnlyinBridgetport.com online site has reported that former Talbot County Republican leader Nick Panuzio died Friday evening in Easton.
The former Republican mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut was the Senior Partner of Panuzio & Giordano Public Affairs with offices in Alexandria, Virginia and Hartford.
Nick Panuzio was an advisor to the Talbot Spy from 2013 to 2018. We interviewed Nick in 2015 about his career in government.
Earlier this year, Nick was the guest of honor at a dinner where he was recognized for his many achievements as Chair of the Republican Central Committee of Talbot County; as well as for his many achievements over a lifetime of public service.
The dinner was attended by a wide range of dignataries and ordinary citizens whose lives were made better through knowing Nick as a loyal friend, as a wise advisor and as a trusted mentor.
Many of the special guests at the dinner shared stories that resulted in frequent laughter, some tears and lots of wonderful memories from Nick’s long journey in politics and public service.
As we pause to remember Nick, it is fitting to heed the following observations from Teddy Roosevelt; observations that help capture who Nick was and his approach to life.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the person who points out how the strong person stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the person who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends their time in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if they fail, at least fails while daring greatly, so that their place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
His humor and insight was amazing and I will miss him a great deal.