Canton Citizen
By Mike Berger
Congressman Stephen Lynch was disappointed that last year’s annual town meeting had to be delayed and was ultimately scaled back for emergency articles only. A frequent speaker at the start of Canton town meetings, Lynch had hoped to deliver a special citation from the Congressional Record to retiring Veterans Agent Tony Andreotti.
On Saturday before the start of the 2021 annual town meeting, Lynch delivered the long-overdue citation to Andreotti in person as those in attendance stood and applauded. Coincidentally, May 22 was also Andreotti’s 88th birthday and attendees sang Happy Birthday to him.
Lynch called Andretti a “great American,” noting that whether it was for a Canton veteran or a veteran’s family, “Tony was there, always.” He cited Andreotti’s impressive track record of service during his 20 years as veterans agent, highlighting his work in developing the Veterans Memorial Park at Canton Corner Cemetery, organizing the Canton Veterans Honor Guard, coordinating the Fallen Heroes street sign program, and arranging for servicemembers who left high school early to receive their diplomas.
After Select Board Chair John Connolly led the crowd in a message of “We love you Tony,” Andreotti replied, “I love you Canton.”
The town also honored the service of former Select Board and FinCin Chair Mark Porter.
Lynch also announced that Ryan Mullen, a member of the Canton High School Class of 2021, was nominated for the U.S. Air Force.
In other news, Lynch confirmed that Canton would receive $2.35 million in health-related aid from the recently approved American Rescue Plan and he believes an additional $2.25 million in discretionary aid may be coming Canton’s way.
Canton Finance Director Randy Scollins noted that the town expects to receive half of the American Rescue Plan funds by June 30 and the other half a year later. He added that Norfolk County was allocated $137 million. “We are waiting to see if the Norfolk County Commissioners are going to distribute any of that to the Norfolk County member communities,” he said.
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