Register Citizen editorial published Wednesday, November 25, 2009

The impact that locally based community banks have on small businesses, nonprofit organizations and social service agencies, downtowns, the local economy – our very quality of life in this region – is one of those unsung stories behind Northwest Connecticut’s success.

Pick a project that needs to be done, or a problem that needs to be solved, in one of our towns, and you’ll find the leaders of our local banks at the table finding a solution, rolling up their sleeves to do the work that needs to get done, and frequently taking out the checkbook to help pay for it.

And it’s not a duty that comes only with the sense of responsibility a big title at a major local company brings. It is something that our local banks – from Torrington Savings, to Litchfield Bancorp, to First National Bank of Litchfield, to Northwest Community Bank – have made part of their corporate culture.

From tellers, to loan officers, to branch managers and vice presidents, community involvement, community building and a sense of duty toward helping those less fortunate, is something that is displayed throughout these organizations. That has come from the top, with leadership by example.

Our community has been lucky to have John Ursone in the top job at Northwest Community Bank for the past four years, and with John’s retirement on Jan. 1; we are blessed to have Steve Reilly stepping into the job of CEO.

As one small example of what they do for the community, employees of Northwest Community Bank and its sister company*, Litchfield Bancorp, represented nearly half of the “campaign cabinet” that helped the United Way of Northwest Connecticut and the 24 local nonprofit agencies that depend on it reach its fundraising goal this year under the most difficult of economic circumstances.

Reilly was co-chairman of the United Way’s “major firms” fundraising, and spent a huge amount of time personally going out and raising the money that keeps the shelves stocked at the FISH food bank and soup kitchen, that allows the Salvation Army in Winsted to help people in their most desperate hour, that keeps the lights on at the Susan B. Anthony Project’s domestic violence shelters, that helps fund Big Brothers-Big Sisters, the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, nonprofit day care centers, mental health and alcohol and drug abuse counseling.

And at his “day job,” Steve’s work as a community banker has borne fruit in the success of the entrepreneur who gets financing to invest in our downtowns and create jobs and in the mortgage that goes to the family settling into their first home.  People like John Ursone put the building blocks of our community in place. In Steve Reilly, he has found an able and conscientious successor to continue building.

URL: http://www.registercitizen.com/articles/2009/11/25/opinion/doc4b0cb29d2514d341195565.prt

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