Mayor Anita Dugatto announced Tuesday she will seek a second term as Derby mayor.
“I’m running for re-election because there’s more work to do,” Dugatto said in a prepared statement. “For years, it seemed Derby’s approach to issues was reactive rather than proactive. My administration has worked very hard to change that, and today we have a strategic plan to move forward.”
Dugatto, a Democrat, made the announcement at Italian Pavilion, a restaurant off Pershing Drive, according to a press release sent after the event.
It was the same location Dugatto officially kicked off her first mayoral run in 2013.
Dugatto, a dentist and former member of the Derby tax board, defeated Republican incumbent Mayor Anthony Staffieri later that year.
Upon taking office, Dugatto’s administration was hit with two emergency issues — the revelation of unchecked soil contamination still in the ground at O’Sullivan’s Island, a public park, and infrastructure issues at the city’s parking garage on Thompson Place.
There was also a great deal of infighting within her own party, demonstrated by a series of Aldermen meetings marked by bickering among Democrats.
In the prepared statement, the following items were listed at Dugatto achievements during her first term:
- “Saving” taxpayers $3.4 million dollars by settling a lawsuit with the federal Environmental Protection Agency over money Derby owed for PCB removal at O’Sullivan’s Island
- Approving solar panels for the city’s old landfill, which will save the city money on electricity
- Modernizing Derby City Hall with new computers to replace laughably old machines
During her first term, residents approved $31.2 million in repairs to the city’s sewer system. That vote is going to increase the average sewer bill by more than $100.
The Derby tax board approved a 1.1 percent tax increase during Dugatto’s first term as mayor.
