HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - The cancellation of a decades-old Memorial Day parade in East Hartford has resulted in a flap between town officials about who is responsible.
Parade coordinator Vincent Parys, a Democratic member of the town’s Patriotic Commission, said he sent notices last week to past parade participants that this year’s parade was canceled because of economic reasons.
Parys blamed Mayor Marcia Leclerc for not telling him and the commission whether the necessary funds and resources including police officers would be in place for the parade.
“I think it sucks big time,” Parys said about the parade not going forward. “The mayor could have been more involved in the process.”
Leclerc, a Democrat, responded with a statement on the town’s website, saying the Patriotic Commission has always been responsible for organizing the parade. She said she had yet to officially hear from the commission about the parade being canceled, so she could not confirm why it was canceled.
“Commission members have previously communicated with my office about the lack of volunteer labor,” the mayor said, “and they have struggled in recent years to undertake the significant effort necessary to organize and host this event with the challenges of weather related cancellations, a significant decline in parade attendance and the lack of public participation.”
Leclerc said Thursday that neither she nor any town employee “tried to impede” on the Patriotic Commission “or refused to cooperate.”
Parys said there also were conflicting cost estimates provided by the town - $75,000 from Leclerc and $26,000 from the town finance director. He said the commission gets $15,000 a year from the town for the parade to pay for cemetery flags, portable toilets and fees for some participants, while the town covers other costs including overtime for police officers and public works employees.
Parys said he usually begins the parade planning process in late February or the very beginning of March, saying when he contacted Leclerc, he “never got a straight answer from her.” When he hadn’t heard from the mayor by last week, he said it was already too late. He notified more than 50 past participants of the cancellation including veterans groups, the National Guard, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Little League and school groups.
Parys, an Army veteran who served in Vietnam, said more than 1,000 people had been participating in the parade, marching on the 45-minute-long route.
Another Patriotic Commission member, Republican Eugene Pushefski, said canceling the parade was a shame.
“It’s not fair to the men and women who lost their lives in the past years to keep us free,” he told the Journal Inquirer newspaper. “Maybe crowds weren’t like they used to be, but you’re giving something back and giving honor and respect to those who gave their lives.”
Patriotic Commission officials are now seeking to hold a service in town on Memorial Day, May 29.
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