A Life Well-Led: Ellen Camhi

Greenwich and Stamford are quite different communities in many ways. Stamford proudly proclaims itself a city while Greenwich clings to the fiction that it is a town. Politically, Greenwich is staunchly Republican while Stamford has been a Democratic power house. 

One of the things the two neighbors have in common is that they both are home to some of the most politically prominent people in Connecticut. Our Governor Dannel Malloy, our Senior Senator Dick Blumenthal, our Congressman Jim Himes and our Attorney General George Jepsen all live in either Stamford or Greenwich. Andrew McDonald, recently appointed to the Connecticut Supreme Court, also resides in Stamford. This is no coincidence.

What they all have in common is that they all benefitted from the guidance and support of Ellen Camhi, who was Chairwoman of the Stamford Democratic City Committee for thirty three years, who passed away last week. Ms. Camhi was also a member of the Democratic National Committee and the State Board of Education.

At her funeral, speaker after speaker referred to her proteges, Blumenthal, Malloy, Jepsen and McDonald as her adopted sons. In addition to moving eulogies by her two sons,Keith and Glenn, and her grandsons, Alec and David, Senator Blumenthal, Governor Malloy and Attorney General Jepsen, all spoke about their gratitude to Ellen Camhi as a mentor and painted a portrait of a unique person who dedicated her life to improving her city, state and nation.

In the packed synagogue filled with friends, family and political dignitaries, Greenwich was well-represented. In addition to Greenwich residents, Himes and Blumenthal, and Greenwich native Jepsen, paying their respects were Frank Farricker, the Chairman of the Greenwich Democratic Town Committee and soon-to-be-confirmed Superior Court Judge Charles Lee, who were also mentored by Ellen Camhi, and former Greenwich residents Pete Gasparino, who Camhi recruited to run for the State Legislature, and John Olsen, president of the Connecticut AFL-CIO and Camhi's colleague on the Democratic National Committee.

Although Beth and I did not know Ellen Camhi well, we admired her accomplishments and her success in nurturing leaders of our state and region.  I came away from the funeral with a new appreciation for a remarkable woman  who influenced so many lives and who lived a life well led.