In her first official act of the 2006 Legislative Session, Senator Cathy Cook, R-Groton, honored retired Groton police officer Thomas Vivirito by holding an impromptu ceremony in the Senate Chamber on opening day.

“Tom Vivirito is one of southeastern Connecticut’s unsung heroes. As a police officer, he epitomized what it means to be a true community police officer, long before the term community policing became a catch-phrase. As a private citizen, he volunteers countless hours to the Groton community, as minority leader of the RTM and through his many other interests.  Tom helped the Save the Base efforts by generously welcoming the use of his business, Fleet Motors, right across the street from the gates of the submarine base as a rallying point for the hundreds of people who gathered to demonstrate community support for keeping our base open. I am so happy to have this opportunity to publicly thank him, and to give my colleagues in the Senate the opportunity to publicly thank him, for all he has done and continues to do for our state,” said Senator Cook.

Senator Cook presented retired Officer Vivirito with a citation from the General Assembly that she introduced with Representative Lenny Winkler, R-Groton.  After delivering her State of the State speech, Governor M. Jodi Rell presented him with a congratulatory proclamation in her office. Officer Vivirito served in the Groton Police Department for 25 years.

“This was a surprise for Tom. He had no idea that we were going to do all this when I invited him to come to Hartford as my guest for opening day of the session. The look on his face when I invited him to accompany me up to the dais in the Senate Chamber was priceless. Tom Vivirito is a humble man, an unsung hero and a shining example of what it means to give to one’s community. That is why I named him my citizen of the year,” said Senator Cook.