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02/17/2021 07:43 AMOver the course of nearly 45 years, Tom and Eileen Banisch lived the definition of a power couple in Madison. With Eileen Banisch leading the Chamber of Commerce to a level that is envied by many other local chambers along the shoreline, Tom Banisch serving the town through two terms as first selectman, and both involved in numerous local and regional committees and volunteer organizations, it was hard not encounter one or both of them somewhere in the Madison scene.
Last week, the Board of Selectmen (BOS) read a proclamation making Sunday, Feb. 21 “Eileen & Tom Banisch Day,” which coincides with the two ending their long chapter in Madison as they depart to “greener pastures” in South Carolina. The day will be marked by friends and supporters with a car parade in the Banisches’ honor.
First Selectman Peggy Lyons remarked on the couple’s “extraordinary amount of dedication to the community,” adding that she was “appreciative of all the service and progress you have made for the town, just serving the public.”
The festivities, which have been organized by many of the Banisches’ longtime friends and collaborators, will include the now familiar practice of a car parade for pandemic safety, with anyone interested asked to meet at the Surf Club at 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 21. Karen Kelly, one of the organizers of the Banisch celebration, said there will also be an enormous going-away card for anyone to sign—larger than life, like the couple themselves often were.
Kelly, who said she had been personal friends with the Banisches for about 15 years, said the idea was to show them that their many years of service did not pass without notice by the town.
“I don’t think people are going to realize until they are gone, how much it is they were doing,” Kelly said.
One measure of the extent of their contributions: It took nearly five full minutes for members of the BOS to read the proclamations honoring the Banisches, which listed many of their areas of involvement from Eileen Banisch’s involvement with the Historic District Commission from its inception to Tom Banisch’s work as announcer for Daniel Hand football games.
In a phone conversation with The Source, Eileen Banisch spoke about Madison like she often has as the head of the chamber—pitching its attributes, its location, its people.
“Seriously, when you look at it, it has almost everything,” she said. “I think it’s the community, the people that make Madison what it is.”
She said she plans on staying on as the chamber executive director as long as she is needed while a permanent replacement is found, doing remotely what she did for decades in town. She continued to speak enthusiastically about upcoming chamber events even when discussing the move and the couple’s transition.
As far as what made them the kind of people who lived so fully immersed in their local community, Banisch said both her and her husband came from civic-minded families.
“It just becomes part of your personality,” she said.
Kelly remembered the Banisches’ social events and welcoming attitude, with big holiday parties at their house, and the attitude and ability to make people around them feel welcome.
“They have always been so very gracious,” Kelly said.
Both Banisches also made a name in local politics, with Eileen Banisch serving as the vice chair of the Madison Republican Town Committee (RTC) for many years, and Tom Banisch notably sweeping into the First Selectman’s Office in 2015 on the strength of his extensive civic involvement and a promise to bring a businessman’s attitude to the town.
Both Banisches have had their share of controversy in town as well, particularly in the political realm, with Tom Banisch criticized over handling of certain lightning-rod issues like Academy School as well his style of governance as first selectman, a job he acknowledged he at least initially approached from the perspective of a business owner with a more executive type of leadership.
Though he ran unopposed for a second term in 2017, Banisch lost a third re-election bid for first selectman as Lyons led a Democratic resurgence in town.
In September 2020, Eileen Banisch resigned from the RTC following controversy around social media comments directed at State Senator Christine Cohen (D-12), which many viewed as offensive and a potential conflict with her work as head of the chamber, since Cohen’s business is a member of the chamber.
Banisch said she did not feel like politics altered how the couple lived their lives and served their community, calling it “a very positive experience” for both.
“People who get involved in politics do it because they have a passion, they [want] to make the town better, not just for the people who are in your party but for everybody who lives there,” she said.
Banisch described many experiences of bipartisanship in town, with the majority of the commissions, boards, and civic organizations she worked on creating collaborative experiences that were aimed at improving lives instead of advancing careers.
As far as the more purely political roles, Banisch said being involved in Republican politics was still a great educational and service experience for the couple.
“Of course it’s more fun when you win,” she quipped. “It’s very interesting because you really get to learn a lot about candidates’ beliefs [on the RTC] and what they stand for...It is very interesting to be involved in an election, and exciting.”
In the end, it is impossible to deny how much of an impact that both Banisches have had on Madison, from their everyday social involvement and historical knowledge to the mark they left on many people interested in politics and governance. Selectman Bruce Wilson, in a letter to The Source, called them “Mr. and Mrs. Madison.”
“We are very much a volunteer culture in Madison and I can think of no better example of the impact volunteers can have than the Banisches,” he added.