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Eugene Driscoll | Jun 20, 2022 7:16 pm
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DERBY — Derby Mayor Rich Dziekan’s administration has changed the way the monthly agenda for the city’s legislative body is put together.
While the administration says they are simply following the Derby City Charter, the Democratic majority of the Board of Aldermen/Alderwomen think otherwise.
In this audio clip, Derby Town/City Clerk Marc Garofalo complains about the mayor’s new policies, saying it hurts the public’s access to local government.
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Eugene Driscoll | Jun 13, 2022 8:28 am
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SHELTON — Click play to watch and listen to an interview with Richard Knoll (on video) and Robert Margolies (by phone), the co-chairs of The Valley Refugee Resettlement Project.
The project’s goal is to help a refugee family find a home in the lower Naugatuck Valley.
The local resettlement project originated from the Huntington Congregational Church United Church of Christ in Shelton. The Valley Refugee Resettlement Project is teaming and getting guidance from Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Service (IRIS), a New Haven nonprofit organization that has been navigating the complicated rules to help refugees settle in the U.S. since 1982.
Helping a person or persons settle in the U.S. is a complicated process and The Valley Refugee Resettlement Project is looking for volunteers and donations.
‘Navel Gazing: The Valley Indy Podcast’ is a local news talk show that won first place for audio storytelling in the 2021 CT Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism Contest.
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Eugene Driscoll | Jun 10, 2022 12:18 pm
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The Derby Senior Center on Main Street (City of Derby photo).
ANSONIA/DERBY — The Derby Board of Aldermen & Alderwomen voted 5 – 4 on Thursday to reject an agreement that would have created a Derby-Ansonia Senior Center.
Ansonia is building a new senior center within 65 Main St., the same building that houses the new Ansonia Police Department. The combined senior center would have been there. Ansonia is still moving forward with its plans to open its facility in September.
Alderwoman Barbara DeGennaro, Alderwoman Anita Dugatto, Alderwoman Sarah Widomski, Alderman Brian Coppolo and Alderman Rob Hyder voted to reject the agreement.
Alderman Gino DiGiovanni, Alderman Ron Sill, Alderman Charles Sampson and Alderman Kevin Sharkey voted to approve the agreement.
The audio from the discussion is embedded below. The article continues after the podcast.
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Eugene Driscoll | May 19, 2022 5:36 pm
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DERBY — On this very special episode of “Navel Gazing: The Valley Indy Podcast,” Jason Carlucci, owner of The Dew Drop Inn in Derby, CT, talks about wings, inflation, and staying relevant in the ever-changing tavern world.
Thomas Hennick, the public education officer with the Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission, returns to the podcast to offer his informed opinions on a bunch or real-world open government issues faced by Valley Indy reporter Eugene Driscoll.
Derby Mayor Rich Dziekan addresses the crowd during an inauguration ceremony in December 2021.
DERBY – Mayor Rich Dziekan was willing to allocate more money for education in his budget but wanted to tie funding to academic performance, according to statements made at the Tuesday, April 5 meeting of the Derby Board of Apportionment and Taxation.
In addition, a $1 million increase in medical insurance costs for the school district precluded additional funding from the city because the mayor had capped all department increases to no more than 2.5 percent.
“First of all, let me just say the mayor was going to commit to a significant increase in funding for the board of ed in line with his 2.5 cap provided that there was a realignment of the educational spending, the establishment of measurable goals related to student performance and the necessary program shift to attain those goals,” Walt Mayhew told members of the tax board.
In an interview Wednesday, Jim Gildea, chairman of the Derby Board of Education, said the administration’s reasoning does not make sense.
“The fact of the matter is we have (received) zero percent three of the last four years, which certainly isn’t an appropriation from an administration that supports education,” Gildea said. “It’s also important to point out that during the four years of the previous administration, the Anita Dugatto administration„ this Derby Board of Education got $2.1 million. People can say whatever they want, but that is the fact. The facts speak very loudly that this administration has not been one to support education.”
Click play to listen to the latest episode of “Navel Gazing: The Valley Indy Podcast.” The episode features a 12-minute clip featuring Mayhew’s remarks on education funding, followed by a 10-minute interview from Gildea reacting to Mayhew’s comments.
