photo:ethan fry Ansonia Alderman Daniel Evans sings a song at the Valley Indy's office May 6 during the Great Give. Economic Development Director Sheila O'Malley and Corporation Counsel John Marini stand to his right.
During brief remarks toward the end of the May 12 meeting, Evans said he’s resigning because the state’s tax burden is too high and he needs to move.
“The state of Connecticut over the past 10 years has lost about 300,000 residents,” he said, blaming high taxes. “It is my intent to make that 300,001.”
Evans said he’s put his home on White Oak Road up for sale.
Click the play button on the video below to see Evans’ remarks from Tuesday’s meeting.
He is the second Alderman in the past year to step down from the board.
In December, Jerome Fainer, a Fourth Ward Democrat, resigned and was replaced by Richard Kaslaitis, a Republican.
Per Section 143 of the city’s charter, the Board of Aldermen now has the power to appoint a new Alderman “from the freemen” of the city to serve out Evans’ term, which expires in December.
The charter, which was revised this year, does not specify that an Aldermen needs to be replaced by a resident in the same political party as the departing member — or, oddly, even the same ward.
Evans was elected to the board in November 2013, when Mayor David Cassetti defeated 14-year incumbent James Della Volpe and the Board of Aldermen went from Democratic to Republican control.
“Sorry to lose you,” Board of Aldermen President Phil Tripp told Evans.
“Thank you for your service,” Cassetti told Evans during Tuesday’s meeting.
Evans provided one of the highlights of the Valley Indy’s day-and-a-half webcast last week coinciding with the Great Give, a 36-hour fundraising effort sponsored by Give Local America, the Valley Community Foundation and the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.
Evans accompanied Cassetti and other Ansnoia officials to the Valley Indy office about 28 hours into the webcast and sang two songs to raise money for Ansonia school programs.
Watch the video below to see Evans’ performance, which, given his announcement Tuesday, was definitively not a re-election stunt.
Alderman Evans sings a tune in the Valley Indy office to motivate #TheGreatGive donations to Ansonia Public Schools.
Posted by Valley Independent Sentinel on Wednesday, May 6, 2015
