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American Democracy and the Rule of Law: Why Every Vote Matters
Law Day 2014
Litchfield County Bar Association HonorsBantam Office Clerk Dritan Mersini
With its Liberty Bell Award
LITCHFIELD—Courthouses often intimidate and frustrate those who come there either for business or because they have broken the law. Lawyers and litigants alike are faced with stressful situations. When that happens in GA-18 in Bantam, Dritan Mersini is often summoned.
Mersini, an office clerk at the Bantam Courthouse, was the unanimous choice of the Litchfield County Bar Association to receive its Law Day Liberty Bell Award on Thursday, May 1st.
"Whether working with his co-workers, attorneys or self-represented parties, Dritan is respectful, informative and courteous," Attorney Robert F. Dwyer, Litchfield County Bar Association Vice President said. "He is the consummate professional who is always ready to go the extra mile to get the job done."
But, according to Dwyer, folks seek out Mersini more because of his "…ability to handle difficult situations with grace and respect.
"It is not only that he gets the job done even under demanding circumstances. It’s the way he interacts with everyone that sets Dritan apart," Attorney Dwyer continued. "It is not uncommon to see a very upset, very distraught and very disgruntled person approach the Clerk’s office. Dritan has a remarkable ability to calm people down and get them the answers they need so that by the time they walk away, they are no longer upset, they are no longer distraught and they are no longer disgruntled. In fact, they are extremely pleased because they walk away having been treated fairly and with respect."
Mersini was born in Struga, Macedonia and immigrated with his parents to the United States when he was two-years-old. He earned his United States citizenship and a B.A. in Criminal Justice from Central Connecticut State University before coming to work at the Bantam GA in 2009.
"This year’s Law Day theme—American Democracy & the Rule of Law: Why Every Vote Matters—focuses on every American’s right to vote as the foundation of our representative democracy," Dwyer said. "It is very fitting that the Liberty Bell Award be given in this particular year to someone who earned the right to participate in our democracy by becoming a citizen and fulfilling his parents’ dreams of becoming an educated person who works extremely hard and always treats others with respect, compassion and integrity."
Upon receiving the award Mersini said of his co-workers, "You are all magnificent in many ways. We are all one and we make the best out of every situation."
LCBA President Attorney Ruth Nadeau Dwyer opened the Law Day ceremonies, following the reading of a Law Day proclamation by Judge James P. Ginocchio, by echoing the Law Day theme: "This theme gives us an opportunity to focus on the importance of the rright to vote as the foundation of our representative democracy. The legitimacy of the rule of law is reinforced and cemented when citizens are able to vote and participate in free elections….When an eligible voter is deprived of the opportunity to cast a ballot, the harm is not only to that voter, but also to our government, which becomes that much less representative of the people. In a nation governed by democratic principles, every vote is vital."
Judge Pickard, Presiding Judge of the Litchfield Judicial District, offered the Law Day keynote address, and gave an historical perspective on voting, both in the United States and Connecticut.
"This brief tour of suffrage leaves me with one
undeniable impression," he said in closing. "Our country began with the
belief that voting should be left to men who came from landed class, who
would have the wisdom to decide political matters for the majority of
citizens who could not vote.""Through a process that has lasted over 200 years, our convictions about voting are quite different," he continued. "We now believe that we have the right to vote simply by virtue of the fact that we are United States citizens. There are no other tests that we must pass."
The Litchfield County Bar Association also honored Judge Charles D. Gill and attorneys Thomas Wall, Jr. and Charles Brower, who are each marking their 50th year in the legal profession. Judge Gill is now a Judge Trial Referee.
Meghan McCoy of New Hartford, a 2012 graduate of Stonehill College, was awarded the LCBA Scholarship Award. She is attending the Roger Williams University School of Law.
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