Derby Mayoral Candidate Richard Dziekan Appeals to Voters

(The following is a letter from Derby Republican Mayoral Candidate Richard Dziekan)


Now that the dust has settled from the Derby mayoral debate, I’d like to make my final public statement to the voters before next Tuesday’s election.

I first announced my intent to run for Mayor earlier this year on March 22^nd. For the past 7+ months, I have attended meetings, gone to public events, and most importantly, visited almost 3,000 Derby residents at their homes. I have lost almost 30 pounds due to these efforts and the stresses associated with running a campaign. In addition, my team has volunteered countless hours of time to gathering information, meeting with residents, and doing the necessary legwork. 

I’m proud that we have run a fact-based, grass roots campaign with nothing but Derby people at the core of the effort. At the end of the day, I know that Mayor Dugatto and the Democrats have Derby’s best interest in mind as much as the Republicans and I do. She has had four years to improve the quality of life for Derby residents, and now I think it’s my turn to lead us in the right direction.

I want to ensure Derby voters that I have a specific plan for economic development and it is multi-faceted with a lot of moving parts. I can tell you that the first thing I will do is get the city’s residential real estate holdings back onto the tax rolls. As a city, we should not be in the real estate business any more than we should be in the development business.

 

Our job in city hall is to assess and remediate properties so they are as attractive as possible to investors and developers, not to sit on 15+ properties and come up with a specific plan for each one. I understand we made calculated decisions to purchase some properties downtown in preparation for execution of a plan, but it is now time to move forward with not only the downtown project, but also get things moving in other stagnant areas.

I will work with surrounding municipalities, the State of Connecticut, and the federal government to secure all available funds and resources. I will consolidate services and combine efforts with anyone and everyone that will help to alleviate the tax burden for the citizens of Derby.

I will bring in a full-time professional staff and hold them accountable to the city. They will give a championship effort in moving Derby forward and they will bring results, not hypothetical plans and promises. I myself will focus on leading everyone in the city and getting maximum productivity out of each department. Being the Mayor of Derby will be both an honor and a complete lifestyle for me. It will be a 24/7 identity.

I want to be your Mayor and those who have pledged their support to me believe that I’m the right person to lead Derby into the future. I will conclude with a quote:

“Without action, the best intentions in the world are nothing more than that: intentions.”

 

Mayor Dugatto has no doubt had the best of intentions for our city, but unfortunately she has lacked the foresight and ability to make her plans a reality. I hope I can count on your vote on November 7^th.

Derby Mayoral Candidate Dziekan Lands Union Endorsement

 

 

DERBY- At a membership meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 20, Rich Dziekan addressed the Teamsters Local 1150, (the International Brotherhood of Teamsters) for Sikorsky employees.

He concluded his speech by saying: “As a veteran I want to thank you again for the opportunity to come here and speak to you today. When I get elected in Derby, I hope to provide for the city what this local 1150 and Sikorsky has been able to provide for the state of Connecticut: Stability, Jobs, and a blue-collar mentality that any municipality would be lucky to build its foundation upon.”

Members at the meeting unanimously endorsed Rich Dziekan. Rich went on to thank Secretary Treasurer and Principal Officer Rocco Calo, the entire Executive Board and its members of the Local 1150 for their continued support.

(This is a press release from Dziekan's campaign)

Dziekan Reacts to Dugatto's Primary Win

From the Desk of Rich Dziekan:

Congratulations to Anita Dugatto on her victory in the Democratic primary. Her genuine, emotional reaction showed that like both myself and Carmen Dicenso, she truly cares about Derby.

Many of the city's Democrats and the vast majority of the Aldermen had publicly pledged their support for Dicenso, so the real question has to be, "Now what?"

One can't help but wonder how awkward and counterproductive the already strained relationship between Mayor Dugatto and the Board of Aldermen would be moving forward. I hope to keep the positive momentum of my campaign going, and I hope those that have supported Carmen in his bid will consider turning a blind eye to party politics and rally behind my desire to become Derby's next mayor.

I plan on unifying members of all city boards from both sides of the aisle in the best interest of our taxpayers. We are too small a city to suffer from such a big case of political divisiveness.

I'm excited for the next 8 weeks of hard work and campaigning, and my team's goal is to keep things clean and informative. The people of Derby deserve the best and I hope to be leading them in the right direction come November 7th.

Derby Mayoral Candidate Set to Knock on Doors

DERBY - In regards to Mayor Dugatto opening headquarters...fortunately for me, she and Mr. Dicenso have to spend quite a bit of time over the next couple weeks focusing intently on one another, since they are effectively splitting the Democratic party.

 

Meanwhile, I'm about to start walking door to door to inform the citizens of Derby what I plan to do differently than the current Mayor. I think the failures of this administration have been pretty well documented, and anyone who considers Derby "in good shape" at this point after two terms with Anita and Carmen in charge, must not be paying attention. Most of the people I've spoken to are completely frustrated with the lack of transparency, petty political games, and mostly... the mismanagement of their tax dollars.
 

My team and I have already begun to ramp up our campaign efforts not only in person, but also online. My second fundraiser is coming up in 2 weeks at the CWV, and I look forward to the challenges ahead. I think it's hard for the average citizen to focus on the the municipal elections of November in July, but those who are involved in politics have already been working behind the scenes for months in preparation.
 

Good luck to the Mayor, I'm glad to see she is pushing hard to get re-elected, because that's exactly the kind of effort the people of Derby deserve from their elected officials all the time, not just in the months leading up to an election.

 

(This is a press release from Dziekan's campaign)

DiCenso Reacts to Dziekan's Mayoral Announcement

(Catherine Avalone photo)

DERBY- While Rich Dziekan says he has a plan to lower taxes in Derby if he gets elected, his plan sounds eerily similar to the plan of his former boss in Ansonia, Mayor Dave Cassetti, whose plan will likely cost Ansonia’s homeowners thousands of dollars a year in tax increases very soon.  Yes, thousands of dollars in new taxes every year.

As a part of Dave Cassetti’s staff, if Rich Dziekan looks to have Derby mirror Ansonia’s fiscal policy regarding taxes, it could become a disaster for Derby homeowners.  Derby’s taxpayers are already paying too much.  Our homeowners cannot sustain drastic yearly increases to the mill rate like Ansonia’s homeowners will soon face.

Like Dave Cassetti, if Rich Dziekan intends to borrow money from the city’s fund balance -- or rainy day fund as many communities refer to it -- to run Derby’s operating budget without a plan to replace those funds once they are depleted, our valued homeowners will soon be in serious financial distress.

Once the rainy day fund runs dry, Rich Dziekan’s plan will force Derby’s homeowners to pay thousands of dollars each year above and beyond what they currently pay.

Rather than rob Peter to pay Paul, my plan of not increasing the burden on Derby’s homeowners is sustainable, not smoke and mirrors simply to get votes.  My plan is to build Derby’s tax base through continuous and steady economic development by attracting new businesses to fill our existing empty storefronts while constructing new facilities for even more economic growth for Derby.

My plan is to bring new businesses into our city while working to keep our existing business right where they are.

We can do better.  We will do better.

 

(This is a press release from DiCenso)

 



DiCenso Seeks to Oust Dugatto for Derby Mayor’s Seat

(photo by Catherine Avalone)

By Jean Falbo-Sosnovich
Register Correspondent

DERBY >> Aldermanic President Carmen DiCenso, a former Derby High School football coach and longtime business owner, threw his hat in the ring Tuesday to run for mayor.

DiCenso, 66, made his announcement to seek the city’s top office before a crowd of about 75 friends, family members and supporters gathered at the Italian Pavilion restaurant.

“I love this town, and the reason I’m running for mayor is simple. ... I know I can do better,” said DiCenso, a Democrat.

The 1969 DHS graduate, who coached football from Pop Warner to varsity for 31 years, said he’s ready to move the city he grew up in forward.
Read more here:

Derby Mayor Dugatto to Seek Third Term

By Jean Falbo-Sosnovich
Register Correspondent

DERBY >> Mayor Anita Dugatto announced Tuesday that she will seek re-election to a third term in office.

Dugatto said in a statement that she wants to “build upon her successes” over her last four years in office. Dugatto, a Democrat, was first elected in 2013, becoming the first-ever female mayor to lead the state’s smallest city. She was re-elected to a second term in November 2015, narrowly defeating Republican challenger Richard Dziekan by just 111 votes. Dziekan has indicated, but hasn’t officially announced, that he will seek the GOP nod to run for mayor.

Aldermanic President Carmen DiCenso, a fellow Democrat, announced Tuesday that he also will be making a run for the city’s top office.
Read more here: