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If anyone doubts Emil Albanese loves Norwalk, all they have to do is take a look at his resume of public of service. There might not be enough space on a page to record everything in which he is involved.
"I'm on a lot of boards," Albanese said in the warmth of his kitchen while taking a break from shoveling mountains of snow. Emil says that one of the house's first owners was a bootlegger and laughs at the notion of hidden passageways behind the murals and stairs.
But his statement, "a lot of boards," may be an understatement. He is the vice president of the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra. He also holds a seat on the Norwalk Maritime Museum's board of directors. Albanese is also in his second year as chairman of the Norwalk Redevelopment Agency. The list goes on, but ultimately, every board and commission comes around to the same theme: a better Norwalk.
"To me, the greater Norwalk area is, put a stick in Town Hall and draw out a 20-mile circle around it and that's where not only the Norwalk Symphony is but the Norwalk businesses are and where our market is," said Albanese.
Despite his position on the symphony board, Albanese isn't a musician but jovially boasts that he "plays a mean stereo." He takes his son, Andre, 3, to Talent Education Suzuki School in the hopes of fostering latent talents. So with my son, he likes music and he likes to sing. It seemed natural to go with what I think is the best music program around, said Albanese.
If Albanese is king of the castle, Andre would seem to be the crown prince. The house that once held illegal kegs and socializing flappers is now a shrine of photos and toys celebrating one of handful of things Albanese loves more than his community: his son.
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