DERBY – The newly-endorsed Republican candidate for mayor said he has the experience, the ideas – not to mention the perfect last name – to govern Derby as the city’s top elected official.
“I promise to fight for our great city like it’s my last name,” the candidate, Scott Derby, said in a prepared statement.
The members of the Derby Republican Town Committee nominated Derby (the candidate) during a convention on July 16. The choice was unanimous, according to a statement sent by his campaign.
He’s challenging incumbent Mayor Joseph DiMartino, whose party nominated him for a second term July 16. Click here for a previous Valley Indy story.
In an interview July 21, The Valley Indy asked Derby what guarantees he can make if elected mayor of Derby (the city).
“I guarantee I’m going to see how we can better market Derby as a destination for visitors,” he said.
The city has good, locally-owned restaurants, and the candidate said he’ll do more to draw attention to the City of Derby, especially online.
“We have a very good food scene. We have the Greenway, which is one of the most popular in the state. There’s marketing to be done, and it doesn’t have to be billboards or on printed paper. Nowadays it’s the Internet. That’s where people should be getting all this information,” Derby said.
He promised to look into inexpensive marketing practices, such as social media or ads connected to search engine optimization. It should be easy for people to plug “City of Derby” into an online search engine and get a list of Derby-centric things to do and places to do, the candidate said.
He said he also wants elected officials and people who serve on the various boards and commissions more accountable to the people. He noted the Derby Ethics Board has not met in a long time.
Currently, the board only meets if a complaint is filed.
But Derby said he wants to explore whether the board of ethics can take a more proactive role in city government, such as deciding on potential conflicts of interest between a board member and their day job.
“My understanding is that almost nothing goes before them,” he said.
The candidate said the most important issue in Derby is a stable tax rate. City government has to get a handle on the commercial tax rate so that more businesses are willing to move to the city.
“We have to do everything we can to avoid raising taxes here,” Derby said.
He vowed to keep an eye on the Derby budget to eliminate mistakes. The ‘double counting’ of grant money, coupled with bad budget forecasts regarding health insurance, created deficits in Derby.
That can’t happen again, the candidate said.
He also said the city has to hire a full-time building inspector and a full-time zoning enforcement officer. Under former Mayor Rich Dziekan, a Republican, the city tried to save money by having a City of Shelton employee as building inspector. The City of Derby needs its own in order to make it more friendly to businesses owners looking to set up shop here, the candidate said.
Derby said the city also has to re-evaluate Payden Park and the new field house on Chatfield Street. It’s a brand new facility but the city has to do more to figure out how to monetize the facilities through rentals to third parties, he said.
“Its utilized just fine by the school themselves, but if you have a very great facility like that, it should be a place for regional events,” Derby said.
The candidate’s campaign manager is Matt Schwartz. Judy Szewczyk, the former chairwoman of the city’s tax board, is serving as his campaign treasurer.
Derby will begin knocking on doors soon, and a website will be live soon as well.
Gino DiGiovanni, Jr., the chairman of the Derby Republican Town Committee, said the endorsed candidate is not a politician – which the city needs.
“Scott is exactly the kind of leader Derby needs, he’s principled, compassionate, and committed to getting things done,” DiGiovanni said in a prepared statement.
Derby is a registered Republican who lives in west Derby with his wife, Isa Simmons-Derby, a former member of the city’s tax board. Their daughter, Yssa, is a 16-year-old junior at Derby High School, and their son, Aiden, is a 14-year-old sophomore at the high school.
Click here for a previous Valley Indy story on the candidate.
Derby works as a senior career coach with Goodwill Industries. He volunteers with The Bridgeport Roundtable, a group that advocates for and tries to help incarcerated people re-enter communities.
His family moved to Derby in 2021 after living in Bridgeport for about 17 years. Prior to that he lived in New Hampshire for almost 30 years.
This is the candidate’s first time running for political office. From 1998 until 2001 he worked as a legislative attorney for the New Hampshire office of legislative services. He first arrived in Connecticut in 2001 to work at his brother’s company in finance.
His wife, Isa, said her husband helps people every day, a trait that will help him succeed if elected mayor.
“I’ve seen Scott’s unwavering work ethic, his deep compassion, and his genuine love for this city, both as a husband and a father. He’s spent his entire career lifting others, and I know firsthand how much this community means to him,” she said in a prepared statement.
Here is the full slate of candidates endorsed by the Derby Republican Town Committee: