When City Manager Jay Ash founded the All-Chelsea Community Awards Ceremony in 2003, not even he could have predicted the superb event that it would become and the tremendous level of prestige these awards would hold for the recipients.
Or perhaps Jay knew from the beginning that the awards ceremony would grow in stature, for when a community stops to honor one of its own for a major contribution to his/her hometown, it is cause for much admiration and recognition from residents.
Add in the event being televised live by Robert Bradley on Chelsea Community Cable Television, the attendance of State Rep. Eugene O’Flaherty, State Sen. Sal DiDomenico and our city officials, and the eloquence of Jay Ash as the master of ceremonies – what you have is one of the most anticipated and prideful awards events in our city.
We congratulate all of this year’s recipients, Gerry McCue, Barry Kirshon, James Cunningham of CRW, Mike Sandoval, Melissa Shook, Herbie Kupersmith, John Kennard and Roseann Bongiovanni of the Chelsea Collaborative (for the “Say No to Ethanol” campaign), and Deborah Clayman, who accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of her late husband, the late Attorney Richard Clayman. And we might add that Jay Ash’s introductory remarks for Mr. Clayman were extraordinary in capturing the essence of this great man.
And to City Manager Jay Ash, we say thank you for your vision and bringing this outstanding event to Chelsea.