Derby Mayor Rich Dziekan Delivers ‘State Of The City’

Derby Mayor Richard Dziekan gave his first ​“state of the city” address Wednesday, detailing what city government has been up to since he took office about 400 days ago.

The mayor’s speech, which was live-streamed on Valley Indy Facebook, can be viewed in its entirety below.

The mayor, by the way, will be running for a second, two-year term but he has not officially announced.

Less Drama

Probably the most striking change to Derby government observers during the past year — there’s much less fighting now between city officials.

Prior Mayor Anita Dugatto faced an insurgency from her fellow Democrats on the Board of Aldermen. Former Mayor Anthony Staffieri often sparred with the school district over spending, and faced a number of personnel issues toward the end of his tenure.

But Dziekan, a retired police officer, promised less political sniping when he took office — and so far, it’s happening.

“This past year has brought a real sense of camaraderie between the Republicans and Democrats working together to move the city forward,” Dziekan he said, describing the relationship between the two political parties as ​“functional and friendly.”

Helping the niceties — a bit of political cross-pollination happening in Dziekan’s administration.

One of his earliest moves was hiring Carmen DiCenso, a former Aldermen who had run for mayor in a Democratic primary, as a part-time economic development liaison.

DiCenso’s a former Derby football coach. Andrew Baklik, the mayor’s chief of staff, was one of DiCenso’s players.

One of Baklik’s closest friends is his neighbor, Aniello Malerba, the chairman of the regrouped Derby Town Democratic Committee.

Democratic Leader Responds

Malerba said Dziekan’s correct — there’s a spirit of community over politics in Derby at the moment.

“We are trying to work together,” Malerba said. ​“At the end of the day, we’re all trying to do what’s best for Derby.”

All the camaraderie doesn’t mean everyone agrees all the time. Just recently Malerba spoke out against giving a Marshall Lane business a tax break — and two Democrats on the Board of Aldermen voted against the measure.

But the tension in the room isn’t like it once was.

“You don’t know me, but I’m not the guy to bash Richie, or the administration for that matter,” Malerba said.

Instead, he said two parties should hold each other accountable.

To that end, Malerba said the 10 a.m. Wednesday state of the city address, which was mainly attended by city and school district employees, should have been held at a time when the general public could be there.

Malerba himself could not attend because he was at work. He watched a video later.

“It was a chance to engage people,” he said.

In addition, Malerba said Dziekan had promised during the campaign repeatedly to be a ​“full-time” mayor.

“He said that many times. I’d like to see him more engaged,” Malerba said.

Main Street Buildings To Come Down, Finally

Regarding specifically what’s been going on in Derby — the mayor’s full-text speech is posted at the end of the article, by the way — Dziekan gave an update on the long-planned-but-never-seems-to-quite happen Route 34/Main Street widening.

Dziekan announced that demo permits have been pulled by a state contractor to get rid of buildings at the corner of Factory and Main street that were purchased by the state several years ago.

But Dziekan didn’t give a specific date for the wrecking ball, because the contractor still has to remove asbestos from the buildings.

Giving dates for anything related to the Route 34 widening usually doesn’t work in Derby government’s favor. The previous administration announced in October 2017 the buildings would be gone within 90 days.

Dziekan also reminded residents that several buildings and an old silo in the redevelopment zone have been razed. He also said he’s been in contact with the Housatonic Railroad Co. to remove train tracks that run through the middle of the redevelopment zone.

Watch the WTNH video below for more on what’s happening in the long-stagnant redevelopment zone between Main Street and the Housatonic River. The story continues below the video.

Economic Development

Dziekan said there will be a ground-breaking this year for a fuel cell to be built on land next to a United Illuminating substation on Roosevelt Drive/Route 34 across from Bad Sons Beer Co.

Baklik, the mayor’s chief of staff, said the land generates about $1,500 in taxes.

The fuel cell will bolster the electrical grid and be a tax benefit of some $200,000, Dziekan said.

In addition, Big Y still plans to open a store at the former Walmart Plaza on Route 34/New Haven Avenue in east Derby.

“They are doing major improvements to the plaza and providing a convenient grocery option for the east side of town,” Dziekan said.

Dziekan also touted the creation of a tax incentive program recently created to lure investment — and reinvestment — in Derby.

The city also relaunched its revolving loan program, which Mattei’s Deli on Roosevelt Drive is using to expand operations, the mayor said. United Wine & Liquor, next to United Cigar on Elizabeth Street, is set to open later this year. The business is using a $30,000 city-assisted loan to help.

Derby also sold 13 city-owned properties to get them back on the tax rolls, Dziekan said. The city also demolished three blighted houses under Dziekan’s watch.

The mayor’ remarks (as prepared) are posted below:

My goal here today is to give you a brief and broad overview of the state of the city. The following are just some of the accomplishments we have achieved since I took office at the end of 2017:

We should see an increase in our grand list this year

Upgraded street lighting for a yearly savings of $65,000

Johnson Controls project-utilizing energy savings under our existing budget to provide capital improvements to multiple city buildings at zero cost to the taxpayers.

Unclaimed funds from the state of CT totaling $85,738

Derby Feed Grain Silo taken down at zero cost to taxpayers

Route 34 widening project is back on track- three buildings have already been demolished and three more soon to be taken down.

Upgrades to three WPCA pump stations, one more on Roosevelt Drive in progress and on schedule

Parking garage lights upgraded to LEDs, providing the city with more than $62,000 in savings

Ordinance for RV’s and trailers that prevents from being an obstacle on city streets

Doing more with less-Reduction in salaries and staffing at city hall

Significant savings by switching vendor and/or broker on all city insurance policies-Health, Property/Liability, and Fire. We will know what those savings are specifically in July, but
so far, things are trending in a very positive direction.

We are working in conjunction with Aetna Whole Health and Griffin Hospital to provide wellness programs to all city employees – keeping our staff fit and healthy and contributing to the success of our little city’s largest employer.

Exploring multiple regionalization opportunities with Ansonia and other surrounding communities, including but not limited to the school system

Worked with the tax board and all city department heads to keep the budget flat resulting in stable tax rate for citizens

Sold 13 city-owned residential properties at city auction that are now back on the tax rolls.

Demolished three blighted houses and through work of the blight committee and blight officers, got another 24 properties removed from the blight list

In the process of seeking foreclosures on nine additional properties

Levee work that had been ignored for years, keeping us on the Army Corps of Engineers bad side, is now being done to bring Levee’s up to acceptable rating. This is important because without this rating, we cannot develop the adjacent land.

Fuel Cell Energy will be breaking ground this year on a fuel cell across from Bad Sons that will create a boost to the city energy grid and a large tax benefit of $200,000. The fuel cell will utilize and clean up the long underutilized riverfront property next to the UI substation on Roosevelt Drive.

Hawkins Street clean-up with assistance from state and local police and DEA.

Big Y opening in the fall of 2019. They are doing major improvements to the plaza and providing a convenient grocery option for the East side of town. Other major retailers to follow and increased traffic to the already existing area businesses, particularly in that plaza.

A Request for Qualifications for development on the South side of Main Street has been circulated and we are receiving good responses. A request for proposals from interested developers will be the next step.

City engineers and Rte 34 Widening project engineers have both been given additional tasks to perform across the street. While the Charettes, studies and DPZ master plan all provided good information to aide in the development of downtown, there was a clear lack of engineering and due diligence when it comes to the mapping, topography, environmental conditions. These are not the newsworthy, headline grabbing parts of economic development, but they are nonetheless necessary. The role of the city government should be to make these parcels development-ready for those who have the resources to develop them, and I think we’ve made a lot of progress in that regard.

Connecticut Conference of Municipalities events were attended by city hall staff as a means of continued education and a way to keep our employees up to date on issues that relate to municipal work. I’ve gotten countless positive reports from residents that the service in City Hall is friendly and helpful. City employees also say that morale has improved exponentially over the past year.

We inherited the VARCA building when state and federal funding of their programs was cut, and now we are in the process evaluating a use for the building that will be best for the city’s taxpayers.

Simply by sending out a gentle reminder to those who were delinquent, we collected $857,359in back taxes

The Derby Housing Authority finally sold the Baron Block.The new owner is doing major improvements and it is now back on the tax rolls.

My team and our corporate counsel are working out details of a contract with the Housatonic Railroad Company that will result in the removal of the spur from the middle of our redevelopment zone across the street. Much like the situation with the Army Corps, I was told that it was impossible to negotiate with them, but somehow, a simple phone call and open conversation has led us to this point.

We devised and instituted a tax incentive program that not only benefits new business and development, but also includes a provision for adaptive re-use: Providing a benefit to developers who come into town and to those who make major improvements to existing properties.

Opening of CT International Academy on Marshall Lane, who have proven to be great neighbors and an asset to the community.

Truly enjoyed Delivering Meals on Wheels with TEAM, another great organization in town. It’s amazing to see all that they do for people in the community.

The completion of the Civil War Monument project that was spearheaded by Jamie Cohen, which saw the refurbishment of a true gem on the Derby Green.

Solicited $1280 in funds for veterans through the Servicemen/Servicewomen program that allows people to donate to local military members.

Completed a Human Resources Assessment that revealed many deficiencies in the city’s HR practices. Some of which that have been in place for decades. My staff is working on correcting them and making sure we are doing all that we are supposed to do in today’s complex municipal work environment.

Actively participating in WPCA Regionalization Study with 5 surrounding towns which will provide us with some guidance for how to deal with our aging infrastructure.

Successfully negotiated the Public Works/WPCA Contract which failed to be ratified under previous administration.

Milled & paved 11 roads, replaced 53 manholes and 22 catch basin tops

Purchased/replaced the following equipment:
Fire Marshal truck
Four trucks for Public Works
58 sets of turnout gear for the fire department
Total replacement of Firefighter Accountability System (T PASS)

We have two revolving loans-Mattei’s, $25,000 will allow a local business to expand operation. United Wine & Liquor, $30,000 will allow a new business to curb construction costs on Elizabeth Street.

We were awarded the CT Connectivity grant for intersections of 34 and Sodom Lane and 34 and Gilbert/Bank Street. This grant will make both heavily used intersections more pedestrian friendly with installation of new sidewalks.

In addition to those improvements, you can expect Installation of new traffic control signals & pedestrian crossing indicators on Derby Ave./Bank Street, and a synchronization of traffic signals from Baldwin Road all the way down 34 leading into downtown Derby.

Residential Rehab Program continues to make loans available for residents to make improvements to their property.

The library continues to have improvements made to the waterproofing/window project from funds from the capital account and a grant from UI under the Neighborhood Assistance Act Program.

One of the most enjoyable tasks as Mayor was participating in so many events during 2018, including sharing coffee and donuts with our elderly residents’ at all four housing units several times throughout the year. Another favorite activity was visiting the schools for many of their special events, including Read Across America, Honor Awards, Science Fairs, Dr. Seuss Day, Veteran’s Day and the moving up/graduation ceremonies at all Derby schools, the list goes on and on. I am honored to be invited and look forward to connecting with the students and hope they enjoy my interaction.

I have had the opportunity to bring Derby into a positive spotlight while participating in The Valley Independent Sentinel podcasts, as a guest on the Anna & Raven show, The Chaz & AJ show and by being featured on Channel 3, 4 and 8 news on tv. These experiences afford me the opportunity to keep Derby residents and people all over the state informed about the current happenings in our city. We are trying to put Derby back on the map for all the good things we know exist here and the potential for so much more that will make us all proud to be residents.

I would like to take a moment to thank the following:

First and foremost, Mrs. Joan Payden for her sizable donation to Derby Schools for the turf baseball/softball field and state-of-art field house. This is such an impressive gift to the students of Derby that will be shared for generations to come. We cannot thank Mrs. Payden enough for her sincere generosity.

I’d like to thank the Board of Aldermen/Alderwomen and the Board of Taxation for their cooperation and efforts this year. Everything we do legislatively starts in the office behind the scenes, but without their blessing and their efforts, we wouldn’t get anything done around here.

Speaking of that, I want to thank the City Hall staff for all their hard work, especially my assistant Pam Gagliardi, who fields all the difficult phone calls and most importantly keeps me on task and in line. Most of what was accomplished through the Mayor’s office this year was truly a team effort and I’m lucky to have the staff I do.

I want to thank and acknowledge Dr. Conway and the Board of Education led by Jim Gildea for a successful year that included the following achievements:

· Created the position of Director of Curriculum and Instruction

· Filled 5 administrative vacancies – including a complete revamping of the DMS administration and Irving School

· Created new standalone Athletic Director position to free up administrators to focus on education and leading

· Rolled out attendance monitors at all schools

· Rolled out the SSO program and now have 1 SSO for each school

· Involved our students in policy discussions and administrator hiring

· Engaged in a thoughtful process to upgrade guidance counseling services

· Saw the initial roll out of the Advanced Manufacturing Center with a full roll out expected in the next 30 days as the agreement with Housatonic Community College has been signed.

Great work Board of Ed.

I would also like to recognize the Police Commission and Police Chief Jerry Narowski for the work that has been done by the Derby PD in the past year that includes but is not limited to:

· Continued execution of the police department strategic plan which includes a large amount of community outreach. Meeting with the public, interaction with youth at the schools and other venues, coffee with a cop, etc…

· Developed and started a department Facebook page that keeps citizens informed.

· Continue to field defibrillators and Narcan assisting the ambulance corp with their first responder mission (we have had multiple saves).

· Development of a Special Needs Awareness Program (SNAP)

· We hired two additional officers to backfill vacancies

· The department recently received a violent crime prevention grant for $38,000. This funding will allow the department to restore our police K9 program by purchasing and training a new police dog and related equipment. This funding will also allow our agency to purchase some new portable radios, patrol cameras, and ballistic vests.

· Developed a flat operating budget that allowed the department to reorganize the records division and redeploy a patrolman back to the patrol division reducing overtime expenses.

· Assisted the Board of Education with implementing the armed school security officer program.

Thank you to the PD for your hard work and dedication.

I would like to send a heartfelt thank you to all the businesses and residents that donated to our annual fireworks show. The success in raising funds was astounding and a true testament to the sense of community we enjoy here in Derby. Those that donated saved the taxpayers over $13,000 and the show was spectacular.

We also had so much enthusiasm when working in conjunction with Boy Scout Troop 3 and Ansonia City Hall at the first annual Mayor’s breakfast in October, raising over $10,000 collectively in support of scouting.

A special thank you to the Derby Home Depot for supporting the city all year long with charitable donations and providing physical assistance during the following projects:
Creating the community gardens in conjunction with the Valley United Way, refurbishing the ramp at the Veteran’s Memorial Hall and our city-wide clean-up day, which was a huge success and gave us a chance to get some well-deserving high school students involved in cleaning up our city.

This past year has brought a real sense of camaraderie between the Republicans and Democrats working together to move the city forward. We are currently in talks regarding charter revision and various other open issues, and the fact that we have a functional and friendly working relationship makes everything so much easier.

The common threads that run through all the successes I have enjoyed this year are communication, transparency and honesty. I pride myself on getting the necessary parties into a room to iron out whatever issues are on the table. This approach has worked in every instance and prevents the misconceptions and miscommunications that seem to have continually plagued small government. Everyone working for the greater good of our incredible ​“little city” is truly amazing to behold.

It has been an interesting and educational year for sure.

We constantly have big projects on the economic development front moving forward, but the true joy comes from my daily small victories. Whether helping a resident who has an issue with a tree, a pothole or garbage pickup, my staff and I pride ourselves on being responsive to resident requests and concerns. Just a few weeks ago, a retired veteran sought my help because he found himself with nowhere else to turn financially. I connected the gentleman with our Veterans’ Affairs department, and he now is receiving the benefits he is entitled to and he’s able to continue to live the kind of life our veterans deserve.

I love being the Mayor of Derby and I have a great appreciation for the responsibility of my office. I promise to continue the positive momentum of this first year and lead our city in forging a new and better identity that will make us all proud.

My staff and I are now available for any questions that you may have regarding anything including but not limited to what I have mentioned here this morning.