Norwalk resident eulogizes longtime civic leader Greg Bernett

A resident at a Norwalk School District meeting eulogized Greg Bernett, saying the longtime civic leader "always had this calming tone" and recounting his service to the city and schools.

The resident recalled meeting Bernett in 2016 and described his steady presence: "He always had this calming tone in how he spoke," the resident said. The speaker noted Bernett lived in Norwalk for almost 30 years and had recently passed.

The speaker listed Bernett's public roles, saying he served on the city council, "the board of education," and the board of estimates and taxation; chaired the finance committee; and worked as an executive at IBM. The resident added that Bernett "served on so many local, national, and international roles," presenting him as a civic pioneer.

Framing Bernett's life as a rise from modest roots, the resident said he had been "just a kid from New York, to have risen through these ranks," and urged younger people to see him as a model: "every young adult looking at Greg and studying him and learning about him should feel like they can be Greg as well as they go through their life," the resident said.

The remarks were delivered as personal testimony about Bernett's community contributions. No formal motions or votes were recorded in the speaker's remarks.