Ansonia Mayor Candidates Debate Future Of Downtown Industrial Properties

ANSONIA – As election season heats up and the old SHW Casting plant comes down, candidates for mayor are sparring over what should take the place of the dilapidated factory.

The 3.58-acre plant at 35 N. Main St. looks set to be entirely demolished this year, with chunks of the last remaining building coming down in recent weeks. Once an eyesore, and soon a blank slate for future redevelopment, the site has become the focus of remarks traded by Democratic mayoral candidate Frank Tyszka, Republican incumbent David Cassetti, and petitioning candidate Thomas Egan.

In a Hearst Connecticut article from Aug. 30, Cassetti described his administration’s work and listed potential uses for the property. 

“Potential uses could be a clean burn waste disposal plant and power facility, and a ceramics manufacturer,” the article said.

In the article, Cassetti said a clean burn plant would save the city millions and allow it to sell excess power to surrounding towns. 

City Democrats, including Tyszka, said Cassetti’s plans would endanger nearby residents in densely populated neighborhoods.

“What we absolutely don’t need is a toxic waste-to-energy plant located in a neighborhood that contains churches, daycare centers, and a school, all within yards of each other, in a city that has both a limited area and a high-density population,” Tyszka said in a campaign speech Sept. 25.

He said that a waste disposal plant would make Ansonia a dump for the rest of the state.

“Ansonia will become the garbage capital of Connecticut, with fleets of garbage trucks making their way down North Main Street, Pulaski Highway, Wakelee Avenue, and Franklin Street every single day, carrying garbage from dozens of other communities to be burned here in our city,” Tyszka said.

Cassetti sent out a Code Red robocall to city residents Sept. 25 saying that a waste disposal facility would not be coming to town.

“My words in a recent article were misunderstood — I was simply repeating ideas I’ve heard over the years,” Cassetti said in the robocall.

In the robocall, Cassetti also pointed to work his administration has done to bring the site back online. He also said he would ask the city’s Aldermen to put a deed restriction on the property to “ban any trash-burning plant or other hazardous use on the property.”

The mayor did not return calls for comment.

Both Tyszka and Cassetti’s comments also referenced the former Ansonia Copper & Brass complex, a neighboring abandoned factory spanning 75 Liberty St. and 7 Riverside Drive. Together with the SHW Casting plant, the properties make up what was once the economic engine powering Ansonia.

Egan posted a Facebook video Sept. 25, saying that the city doesn’t need a new waste disposal plant. In the video, Egan says he has an alternative plan which would bring 1,000 jobs to Ansonia.

“While my opponent pushes trash-burning plants, I’m bringing real economic development, real jobs, and real hope,” Egan said.

Democrats Say Robocall Violated State Law

City Democrats said on Facebook that Cassetti’s use of the Code Red system was for political purposes, and questioned its legality.

“Mayor Cassetti and his political Corporation Counsel John Marini are once again using the city’s alert system to engage in political activities by saying he was ‘misunderstood,’” said the post.

Marini denied that the Mayor’s phone call was political.

“That robocall does not express any sentiment for or against any candidate for political office. It’s addressing a matter of public concern so no, (I) disagree with that assessment,” Marini said.

In 2011, a Democratic-led Board of Aldermen under Mayor James Della Volpe voted unanimously to approve a waste-to-energy plant on North Division Street. Marini, who was then the sole Republican on the Board of Aldermen, voted for the plan.

However, after Cassetti took office in 2013, the project didn’t move forward. A developer for the project declared it dead in 2015, saying Cassetti and other city officials wouldn’t meet with him.

Currently, plans for the SHW Casting plant 35 N. Main St. include a $37 million rent-to-own fuel cell deal that was approved by the Board of Aldermen last year. City officials have also said they’d like to see data centers come to the site.

Election Day is Nov. 4.