Editor’s Note: The Cassetti podcast will occupy the front page Wednesday. The Tripp podcast will occupy the front page Thursday.
ANSONIA — Mayor David Cassetti says he’s earned a fourth term by shepherding economic development that has transformed Main Street, bringing back manufacturing jobs and laying the foundation for major investment in long-dormant former factories downtown.
Click play to listen to an interview with the mayor.
The Republican is being challenged Nov. 5 by Phil Tripp, an Alderman who switched parties in May. Click here for an interview with Tripp.
Cassetti sat down with The Valley Indy for a podcast interview last week. No questions or topics were provided in advance of the interview. There were no ground rules.
The following is a “show guide” for the interview.
The minutes and seconds noted below correlate to the point in time during the interview during which the topic described was broached.
Start of podcast to 7 minutes, 22 seconds
A statement regarding journalistic integrity, and then the intro to the interview — including rebuttals from several people Mayor Cassetti mentions during the interview, such as state Rep. Kara Rochelle, former school superintendent Carol Merlone, and school board president Bill Nimons.
8 minutes, 45 seconds
Cassetti is asked whether the city lost the lawsuit the school district brought against City Hall after Aldermen took back about $600,000 in funding.
Cassetti says the city was having a hard time getting financial information from the school district, so the government withheld money. The mayor is asked whether the city went through routine channels to get public information, such as the state’s Freedom of Information Commission.
11 minutes
The mayor is asked whether he thought the school funding dispute had a negative impact on the classrooms last year.
12 minutes, 27 seconds
The mayor is asked whether toxic personality differences played a part in the school vs city funding disputes.
14 minutes, 11 seconds
The mayor is asked why Ansonia government voted for a tax increase after Team Cassetti had billed themselves as the no-tax increase party.
16 minutes
The mayor talks about the S&P Ratings Direct decision to downgrade the city’s credit rating. The ratings agency issued statements similar to the criticism that has been coming from Ansonia Democrats.
Cassetti said the city used the city’s fund balance for valid reasons, and talks about how Democrats, when they ran City Hall, ran reserves that were much too large.
He points out the city’s credit rating is still high.
18 minutes
Cassetti talks about a major development application coming to Main Street and East Main Street. He responds to the accusation that Team Cassetti is planting announcement to garner votes just before an election.
Cassetti also talks about the desire to see a private sports complex built on Olson Drive, and whether he thinks the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development will actually lift a deed restriction on the property.
22 minutes, 30 seconds
Cassetti talks more about the Olson Drive concept.
24 minutes, 20 seconds
A message from the sponsor, ValleyGivesBack.org!
27 minutes
Why did Mayor Cassetti and Alderman Tripp have a falling out?
Cassetti traces it back to Tripp’s failed attempt to become a state Senator.
28 minutes, 27 seconds
Cassetti is asked why the Ansonia Republican Party waited until Tripp was a Democrat to denounce Facebook posts Tripp made while he was a registered Republican.
31 minutes
Cassetti says economic development is his greatest accomplishment since being elected in 2013.
32 minutes, 30 seconds
Mayor Cassetti gives his stance on whether the school districts in Ansonia and Derby should regionalize.
37 minutes
What’s going on with the empty Big Y?
“The City of Ansonia is not losing one penny of tax revenue,” Cassetti says.
39 minutes, 38 seconds
Cassetti talks about bringing in and paying Seymour First Selectman Kurt Miller to help put together the most recent city budget. Why?
41 minutes, 40 seconds
Cassetti says that small tax increases in Ansonia might happen every two years because costs continually rise.
43 minutes, 40 seconds
Cassetti backs off the statement about small tax increases, saying it “could” happen moving forward.
44 minutes, 56 seconds
Cassetti talks about his refusal to participate in a debate at Ansonia High School, saying the Democrats just want to bring in people to yell and scream.
“I’m the incumbent mayor, he’s (Phil Tripp) the challenger, and we gotta run by his rules?” the mayor says.
Cassetti said he prefers to debate on a podcast, which reaches more Ansonia residents.
The Valley Indy then asks under what conditions would the mayor accept a public debate with this opponent.
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“Navel Gazing: The Valley Indy Podcast” is a weekly talk show on this website.
Music courtesy of The Bad Slugs.
In addition to being on YouTube and Libsyn, the Valley Indy’s “Navel Gazing” podcast is available on:
Pandora (find the app in your app store)
Click here for previous episodes.
