Kathleen “Kathy” Bazinet’s first memory of Bristol’s Fourth of July parade, which she was chosen last night to lead as 2018’s chief marshal, goes all the way back to when she was a kid.
“Corner of Franklin Street, when it used to go down High to the Guiteras school. I was a little kid. I remember wearing a striped pinafore, hat and shoes, and I thought I was the cat’s meow. My favorite part was the bands and the soldiers. I remember thinking, ‘Oh my God, they all walk the same!’ ”
When the parade steps off from Chestnut Street this coming July 4, Ms. Bazinet will proudly take her place in line among the dozens of prominent Bristolians who have earned the town’s greatest honor.
As the recently-retired executive director of the East Bay Community Development Corp. (EBCDC), Ms. Bazinet has long been involved in Bristol political and social issues. But she never imagined her work in developing affordable housing here and throughout the East Bay would result in her name being added to the list.
“It is so completely humbling, when I look at it and I see all these people who have made this town everything that it is,” she said. “Think of all the hard work they did! I don’t have a lot of dollars to give, but I do have energy and a deep commitment to my town.”

Deep roots
Though Ms. Bazinet has served on many town boards and commissions — six years on the Bristol Town Council, four on the planning board, and more — her main work over the past 18 years has been leading the EBCDC.
Prior to her taking charge of the affordable housing organization she was in banking, but got out of the private sector to work for the then-small nonprofit, not just out of a sense of obligation to her home town, but to have a closer tie to those whom her work affected.
In the years since, the EBCDC has grown from the developer of the two Elder Care facilities in Bristol, to building affordable housing units throughout the East Bay. In total, EBCDC has developed and manages some 328 affordable units throughout the East Bay, with another 40 coming at a site under development in Barrington. It’s a testament to the need for such housing, she said, that things have grown so large.
“I think we’ve expanded and become very aware of the need for affordable housing everywhere,” she said. “The Sweetbriar development (in Barrington) was a hard one to come by, for example, but our waiting list continues to be very long in a town that is known for its affluence, and many of those are Barrington residents. So I think we’ve helped to raise awareness of what affordability looks like.”
She’s also proud of the success of the East Bay Food Pantry, which operates out of basement space at the Franklin Court complex on Franklin Street donated by the EBCDC:
“They have done a marvelous job,” she said. Securing the space for the pantry “was an offering that we were happy to make.”

“Very deserving”
The selection of Ms. Bazinet fell to Fourth of July Committee chairperson Fran O’Donnell. A long-time friend of Ms. Bazinet, she said said she couldn’t think of a more deserving person to lead the parade.
“She’d always been in the back of my mind as a great pick,” she said. “She’s a person who wraps her arms around family, hers or otherwise, and defends them fiercely. It’s important for her to make sure that families here are taken care of, and she does what she does because she saw there was a need. She’s put a lot of good Bristolians in homes.”
Ms. Bazinet had no idea what to expect when Ms. O’Donnell called her on Thursday, Dec. 7, to ask if she could come by her lifelong home on Duffield Road for a visit.
“I’m thinking, I bet someone needs (to get into an assisted living unit) quickly. I never thought another thing of it. When she told me why she was there, I was just flabbergasted and my mouth wouldn’t move, which is probably unbelievable for the people who know me.”
But it didn’t take her long to accept.
“It was a yes, of course a yes,” she said.
Her husband Skip, with whom she’ll celebrate 50 years of marriage this August, was there and said Tuesday that he’s overjoyed for his wife.
“I’m along for the ride,” he joked.
Keeping a lid on the selection has been difficult for Ms. Bazinet, but she said she hasn’t told a soul since early December. She has ideas for who will fill her ranks of aides and honorary marshals, but hasn’t told any of them yet.
Apart from that, she’s been trying to get ready. She went on a shopping spree during a trip to Florida last month, buying a large load of red, white and blue outfits.
When she steps off from Chestnut Street, she said she’ll be as happy and patriotically-dressed as that little girl at the corner of Franklin and High, dressed to the nines in a pinafore, hat and her Sunday shoes.
“I’m honored,” she said.