Ansonia Mayor David Cassetti likes his job — and he’d like to keep it.
The mayor walked into the high school auditorium with “Eye of the Tiger” blaring Thursday night for his second “State of the City” address, then spent an hour reviewing his administration’s accomplishments since he took office two years ago.
And before exiting to REO Speedwagon’s “Roll With the Changes,” he vowed to press forward on the biggest of those accomplishments — two consecutive property tax decreases — if re-elected next month.
“The fight to reduce taxes and fees is not over,” Cassetti said. “It’s a fight that I pledge to continue so long as I sit in the mayor’s chair.”
Ed Adamowski, Cassetti’s Democratic opponent called Thursday’s event a “dog and pony show” when reached afterward by the Valley Indy.
About 100 people showed up for the event, during which the mayor introduced several of his department heads to provide update for residents.
Treasurer Judy Larkin-Nicolari, Public Works Director Douglas Novak, Police Chief Kevin Hale, Assistant Schools Superintendent Michael Wilson, and Economic Development Director Sheila O’Malley delivered remarks.
Click the play button below to listen to the event in its entirety.
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During his opening remarks, Cassetti said the city’s grand list of taxable real estate has increased $433,595, and that the city will have a budget surplus of about $2.7 million.
It’s an election year, and portions of Cassetti’s speech were obviously meant to respond to his opponent’s top criticism — that the Ansonia Republicans are draining city reserves to provide tax relief, a city fiscal policy that just isn’t sustainable.
“Some people may be wondering how all this is possible. They might even be asking ‘Is this all smoke and mirrors?’” Cassetti said, referring to complaints from Democrats. “The answer is simple: smart budgeting and sound fiscal management makes all the difference. Thanks to our professional finance team, the city’s finances are now rock solid.”
Cassetti went on to announce that the city’s fund balance — from which the city has borrowed to deliver tax decreases — is now $4 million higher than when he took office in 2013, thanks to the past two years’ surpluses.
The fund balance is now 25.88 percent of the annual budget, Cassetti announced.
Earlier this year, the mayor said that before he took office, the fund balance had been maintained at around 17 percent, calling that number “shockingly high” and citing it as evidence that residents have been overtaxed.
So what gives? Isn’t it too high again?
“It is too high,” Cassetti said after Thursday’s event. “It’s definitely too high. What we want to do is we want (to use it for) some projects we want to do and some tax relief.”
During Thursday’s event Judy Larkin-Nicolari, the city’s treasurer, said that Ansonia’s payments to service its current debt will fall off the books by 2020, giving the city flexibility to invest in infrastructure and other improvements going forward.
At last year’s “State of the City” event, Cassetti announced that a deal was in place for a new owner to take over Healey Ford, a long-empty former car dealership downtown.
Nothing has happened at the site since, a point Adamowksi made in a guest column delivered a few hours before Cassetti’s speech.
But O’Malley, the city’s economic development director, said Thursday that the deal was still going forward.
She said the delay is down to the new owner, Road Ready Used Cars, doing environmental due diligence at the site.
’Dog And Pony Show’
Adamowski did not attend Thursday’s event, but dismissed Cassetti’s news regarding the boost to the city’s fund balance when reached Thursday.
“I’d like to see all that on paper,” Adamowski said, noting that the city has not yet released an audit of its most recent fiscal year. “Last I heard there was $9 million in there.”
“It’s a dog and pony show,” Adamowski said. “It’s been a dog and pony show for two years and it will be another dog and pony show if he gets in again.”
“What other mayor do you know in the history of the state of Connecticut has a state of the city address and walks in to ‘Eye of the Tiger’?” Adamowski said. “Seriously, have you ever heard of such a thing? I know I haven’t.”
He said he looks forward to discussing the issues with Cassetti face-to-face Oct. 26, when both candidates are scheduled to appear on the Valley Indy’s weekly radio show.
“I’m psyched,” Adamowski said. “I wish it was tomorrow.”
