Darien Considers Whether Or Not To Observe Juneteenth As Town Holiday

DARIEN, CT — Juneteenth was declared a federal holiday in 2021, and for the first time in the state's history, Connecticut legally observed the day in 2023.

This week, the Darien Board of Selectmen considered a proposal to observe Juneteenth as a town holiday complete with a town hall closure.

While the board felt it was important to recognize Juneteenth and its significance, they said granting another holiday to town employees would come at a cost, and it would be difficult to close operations especially since town hall is already closed on Fridays.

However, the selectmen did pass a motion to have the First Selectman endeavor to create a proclamation related to honoring Juneteenth and also to have the town undertake measures to not schedule meetings of any boards or commissions on Juneteenth.

"I think we should commemorate this absolutely, and not having town meetings I think is a good [idea]," First Selectman Monica McNally said.

Juneteenth marks the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in Texas on June 19, 1865, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation.

Union Army General Gordon Granger delivered the news to those still enslaved in Galveston, Texas, that they were free.

The board held a regularly scheduled meeting on Juneteenth this year, a Monday.

Selectman Michael Burke said it was "kind of a swing and a miss" by the town to conduct business that day, and suggested not holding any meetings on Juneteenth going forward.

The holiday will not conflict with the Board of Selectmen's Monday schedule again until 2028, but other boards and commissions meet throughout the week.

"Certainly, I'm cognizant of folks who want to honor that day by having Town Hall closed, but at the same time, we're not open on Fridays as it is," Burke said. "I have a concern about the availability of town services for our citizens in our current situation. I feel a little reticent about adding another full day."

Selectwoman Sarah Neumann agreed and said the town should also be aware of holding meetings on other holidays in the future, such as Jewish holidays.

Selectman Jon Zagrodzky said there would be different things to work through if the town were to decide to add another paid holiday into the mix. There was a brief discussion on how unions for town employees would handle the holiday.

"I certainly would not be prepared to jump in and say, 'Absolutely, let's do this,' but I think we should think about it some more and try to come up with a framework that says these are all the things you need to take into account if you're going to go forward with a decision like that," he said. "There's probably not a whole lot of wheel reinvention to do here. It's going to take some time to sort through this, but we have some time."

You can watch the full discussion of Monday's Board of Selectmen meeting on Darien TV 79.