As an aldermanic candidate for Ansonia’s Fifth Ward, I cannot wait to be part of the many improvements being made across the city by Mayor Cassetti and his team.
One such project is the mayor’s partnership with United Illuminating to replace every street light in Ansonia with new LED bulbs. These new bulbs will cost nothing to install and will save taxpayer money!
Even better, Ansonia will be getting a lot brighter. Major commercial corridors like Main Street will be receiving high-powered 4,000-watt bulbs, and even double-headed lights to deal with the large space between certain poles.
The result will be a dramatic lighting difference on Main Street, which coincides perfectly with the restaurant boom occurring downtown. This same high-powered lighting upgrade will occur on heavily trafficked areas such as Pulaski Highway and Wakelee Avenue (which is also getting all new street lamps thanks to a $5 million reconstruction project, to be starting in November).
As alderman, I am interested in continuing upgrades like this to the city’s infrastructure. The city should work to create the conditions that will allow private businesses to flourish, and that will encourage investment and shoppers in our commercial areas.
For example, I would like to see the city invest in a street-scaping initiative for Main Street, including sidewalk reconstruction, pedestrian and bike paths, and landscaping like that seen recently on West Main Street. Improvements to the Ansonia train station would also top my list of downtown upgrades I would love to see.
I applaud the fact that Mayor Cassetti has been able to accomplish improvements through state and federal grants, ensuring that Ansonia’s state and federal taxpayer dollars are returned to the taxpayers. I would continue this philosophy, because the last thing we need is to increase the burden on taxpayers.
All of these improvements work to a greater purpose: helping to lower the tax burden while increasing the quality of life for Ansonia residents. The more revenue generated by business downtown, the lower the overall tax burden will be.
And a bustling downtown gives residents many convenient choices for food, shopping, and eventually entertainment.
I hope that the residents of the Fifth Ward give me the opportunity to represent them. If so, I will work hard to put these ideas into action.
The author is seeking election representing the Fifth Ward on the Ansonia Board of Aldermen.
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