ANSONIA – Frank Tyszka says the city is in dire financial straits.
Tyszka, a Democrat, is challenging Republican incumbent Mayor David Cassetti for his seat this November. A numbers guy with an MBA, Tyszka said the city needs new faces to bring economic opportunity to Ansonia.
“Right now we’re in trouble. We’re not meeting payroll, so to speak, we’re selling stuff to meet payroll,” Tyszka said. “You can’t balance a budget on future revenue when there’s no future revenue.”
A former Alderman and member of the police and fire commissions, Tyszka said he would reassemble the city’s economic development commission if elected. He said the city is losing businesses because there aren’t enough voices in the room.
Tyszka announced his candidacy in May. He said that in his first 60 days in office, he would hire a full-time professional finance expert, order a forensic audit, enlist the city in regional economic development corporations, start searching for a new auditor and bond counsel, and meet with state legislators to build a relationship between the city and the state.
He told The Valley Indy that Ansonia is suffering from a toxic political culture. Tyszka, who described himself as “mostly retired” from his engineering career at Sikorsky, said he was motivated to run after multiple people called and asked him to take on Cassetti.
“I get calls from people that are Republicans in town, saying this guy is just a black mark on the city right now. No respect for the people he represents,” Tyszka said.
He said the city’s coffers are drying up after the Cassetti administration sold the sewer system to Aquarion last year. He said he’d restore the city’s financial health by incentivizing new businesses and making budget cuts.
“If you’re selling assets to pay for liabilities, the assets are gone, and what do you have? You have nothing,” Tyszka said. “It’s got to stop. We’ve got to balance the budget, we’ve got to look at making some cuts. And we’ve got to look at really bringing some businesses back in.”
He also said the city needs to provide more options for senior housing. He said he would look at abandoned properties across town to see if they could be converted.
Tyszka, who played football for Ansonia High School in his youth, said that providing summer opportunities for children would be another focus of his administration. He said he’d reassemble the parks & recreation commission, which hasn’t held any meetings since 2021.
“I was mortified when I heard that they haven’t met in four years,” Tyszka said.
He said he’d work to bring more sports tournaments into town for the kids, as well as arts opportunities. He said he’d talk with the school board to expand college-credit and trades-related courses for students.
Tyszka said the city is in no position to be renovating Nolan Field, an approximately $8 million project that the Aldermen approved in May.
He said that the city neglected the field for years, and that the renovation wouldn’t be needed if the city had taken better care of it.
“They let the field go to hell in a handbasket. The dugouts were falling apart,” Tyszka said.
He also suggested pumping the brakes on a new middle school, which is projected to cost the city about $13 million in construction costs after state reimbursement. He said he’d talk to the school board to see if they could hold off until the budget is in a healthier state.
“Okay, people: Here’s the financials. Do we really want a middle school today, or do we want to see what we can do in a couple of years,” Tyszka said.
He said that even though voters approved that spending in 2023, the city misled voters about the state of its finances. He said he doesn’t think voters would approve that spending if it were on the ballot today.
“I think if circumstances change, you’ve got to listen to the people,” Tyszka said.
Tyszka said there’s a lack of transparency all throughout city hall. He said there aren’t enough ways for people to make their voices heard.
“The boards don’t meet. The Board of Aldermen does Zoom calls. There’s no interaction with the public. There’s no open discussions on things that maybe the people in the town don’t want to do,” Tyszka said.
Tyszka previously said he would bring in-person meetings back if elected.
In May, Cassetti described Tyszka as being part of a ‘good old boys’ network. Ansonia Republicans have accused Ansonia Democrats of constantly spreading lies and misinformation about the city’s finances.
The mayor said Tyszka is connected to state Rep. Kara Rochelle, who he said wants to use Tyszka to ‘ghettoize’ the city. Tyszka told The Valley Indy that Cassetti’s comments were unprofessional.
“I can’t believe the leader of the city, the highest position in the city, would denigrate his own people, would make remarks about ‘ghettos.’ That’s not going to happen with me,” Tyszka said.
Tyszka said that he had been looking forward to enjoying retirement, and that he was only motivated to run because the city is in a fiscal crisis.
“I really didn’t want to run for mayor, but the way people perceive the city right now, there’s a ton of disrespect, there’s a fiscal gap. We’re in trouble financially, obviously, and there’s no transparency,” Tyszka said.
Tyszka, 70, lives on the hilltop with his wife Paula. He holds a master’s of business administration degree (MBA) from Sacred Heart University, as well as a bachelor’s degree in applied science from the United States Merchant Marine Academy.
Election Day is Nov. 4.
ENDORSED DEMOCRATS
Here is a list of candidates endorsed for public office by the Ansonia Democratic Town Committee on July 16:
Mayor:
Frank Tyszka
Treasurer:
Joe Confinante
Town Clerk:
Beth Lynch
Board of Aldermen:
First Ward Alder:
Jackie Daniels
Tyler Kennedy
Second Ward Alder:
Frank Pergola
Jaylen Daniels
Third Ward Alder:
Adam Prestin
Sean Rallis
Fourth Ward Alder:
Rohan Brown
Noah Darrow
Fifth Ward Alder:
Chris Rogers
Patricia DaSilva
Sixth Ward Alder:
Dan Stahl
Lisa Buendia-McManus
Seventh Ward Alder:
Lisa Glazer
Anne Lynch
Board of Education:
Dave Knapp
Paula Tyszka
Sheriffs:
Sean Rowley
Chris Grizzle