In his last state of the city address Mayor Cassetti announced a new tenant had been secured for the Healey Ford property.
He said “There is a signed agreement between a company and the owners of the Healey Ford property. You will see site renovations and changes to that property in the very near future.” ‑Valley Independent Sentinel 10/10/14.
As you may have noticed not a thing has happened in the year since. After being vacant for nearly four years and an announcement by the mayor during the city’s highest profile mayoral event, there is still zero progress on this property from this administration.
One property where the city has taken initiative is the Ansonia Copper and Brass building. The city forgave thousands and thousands in back taxes in order to demolish this property.
Here is the kicker… The property is directly adjacent from the mayor’s business.
This begs the question — Did the Mayor direct the city to forgive those taxes for his personal gain?
These blunders are a microcosm of the dull leadership shown by this administration.
When you look at some of our Valley neighbors you see them tackling blight issues and growing their economies. Our neighbors throughout the region are moving their respective municipalities forward while we’re bogged down with feckless leadership.
I hope in tonight’s address the mayor doesn’t announce “done deals” that aren’t so, and instead begins to tackle the challenges facing our city rather than take credit for a tax reduction by stealing from our savings that will cripple our city’s future.
The writer represents Ansonia’s First Ward on the Board of Aldermen and is running for mayor on the Democratic line.
