The Baldwin Civic Association sent the following message to its members in the wake of the storm. more

Although few would argue that the new Baldwin Civic Association initiated this wave of local organization, its co-chairs, Linda Degen and David Viana, are clearly stoking its momentum. They are the Herald’s choice for 2011 People of the Year. more

The effort to revamp Baldwin’s civic association — dormant since the 1990s — has brought many members of the community into the public eye. One of them is David Viana, an 18-year-old college freshman who looked somewhat out of place at a public meeting at the Baldwin Public Library on Oct. 22, ceding the podium to veteran public speakers like County Legislator Joe Scannell and Linda Reed of Town Councilman Anthony Santino’s office. The 200 or so concerned citizens who attended were full of questions about Viana: Who was he? How did he get involved? Was he running for something? The Herald spoke with Viana last week. more