Joseph DiMartino (left) and Owney Malerba, Democratic Party leader.
DERBY – Joseph DiMartino and the Democratic slate of candidates swept Tuesday’s municipal election, with DiMartino ousting Republican incumbent Mayor Richard Dziekan from his seat by a vote of 1,263 to 727.
“The residents took back their city,” DiMartino told supporters at his Minerva Street campaign headquarters.“We ran a campaign on facts, we let the residents know what was going on in their city, and they listened. Today is a new beginning for Derby.”
DiMartino said he’s excited to get to work.
“So now it’s our job to give back to the residents that just voted us in and work all together and straighten this town out and bring it back to where it used to be,” DiMartino said. “We can make a huge difference in turning this city around. I cannot wait to work with every board and every one of you to make that happen.”
The father of four thanked the many folks who helped him land the mayor’s seat, including all those who knocked on residents’ doors with him, his campaign team, his under-ticket and especially his wife and high school sweetheart of more than 30 years, Lori.
Before heading over to the Quail & Ale with his supporters to celebrate his victory, DiMartino said he realizes there’s a lot of work ahead to get Derby back to a place everyone can be proud of.
“We have a lot of work to do, let’s get our feet wet and let’s get going,” DiMartino said. “We start Dec. 2, we get sworn in and we get to work.”
This was DiMartino’s second time running for mayor.
Two years ago, he lost to Dziekan by 48 votes.
DiMartino plans to fill all open positions in Derby City Hall, including the finance director position and tax collector position. Both positions have been vacant for more than a year.
He also plans to conduct a full forensic audit of the city’s finances to determine what type of condition they’re in.
Derby Mayor Richard Dziekan checks his phone as results arrive.
At Mayor Rich Dziekan’s storefront headquarters — just down Minerva Street from where DiMartino’s supporters gathered – election night began with optimism. Though Dziekan was a petitioning candidate and not the official GOP nominee, there was hope that his track record over the past six years could carry him to victory.
That optimism was further fueled by reports of high voter turnout in Derby in a race that drew national attention due to Republican-backed mayoral candidate Gino DiGiovanni’s Jan. 6‑related charges.
Shortly before 8 p.m., Dziekan campaign manager Jim Blaskewicz headed across the street to City Hall to get the vote tallies.
“Come back a winner or don’t come back,” Dziekan quipped.
Upon Blaskewicz’s return, the mood changed quickly. Studying the initial results on a cell phone, Dziekan told about 20 supporters: “I think Joe won. It looks like he did.” He continued: “It was a good run. It’s been a good six years.”
In a short speech, Dziekan thanked a long list of supporters, then went around the room shaking hands, exchanging hugs and fielding compliments.
“You’re the best mayor this city ever had,” said one admirer.
Minutes later, Dziekan analyzed the results that showed that he and DiGiovanni combined outpolled DiMartino.
“The Republican Party screwed up,” Dziekan told The Valley Independent Sentinel. “They thought I was going to lose it. (But) if they didn’t (nominate) Gino, we would have won. So kudos to them … It’s sad. I tried telling Gino, “Don’t do this. Stay united.” And they didn’t. They handed it over to the Democrats.”
When his term is over, Dziekan said he’ll continue working as a police constable in Bethany and also continue advocating for veterans as a trustee for the state Department of Veterans Affairs.
“That’s my passion, too,” he said. “This (defeat) ain’t putting me down. Six years I’ve been here. How many people can say they’ve been a mayor for six years?”
Gino DiGiovanni
DiGiovanni, because of the federal charges pending from his presence inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, attracted national attention to the mayor’s race.
The New York Times listed it as a race to watch.
DiGiovanni, who gave up a seat on the Board of Aldermen to run for mayor, gathered with supporters at Riverwalk Social on Elizabeth Street.
The mood at the start of the evening was hopeful, if a bit anxious.
“We put the work in, we put the effort in, and now it’s in the hands of the Lord,” one supporter said.
But DiMartino’s support from voters was recognized early.
Some DiGiovanni supporters said the numbers didn’t add up. Others blamed Dziekan for causing a split in the vote. DiGiovanni, upon seeing the results, paced to the other side of the room, where he leaned over the second floor’s railing and stared at the ground.
By 9 p.m., DiGiovanni was ready to concede, and he struck a more conciliatory note in his concession.
“My team picked it up, and we fell a little bit short,” he told reporters. He also thanked his campaign for their support following his father’s passing on Saturday. “They stepped up, they filled the hole, and that’s what teamwork’s all about.”
DiGiovanni’s campaign had attracted the attention of outlets including The New York Times and NBC Connecticut, in large part due to his presence at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He currently faces four federal misdemeanor charges relating to his entering of the Capitol on that day.
But in his concession, he said that the national scrutiny didn’t hurt him.
“To be honest with you, I think it helped put a spotlight on Derby,” he said. “Derby was front page news of almost every paper this side of the Mississippi. That’s a good thing in my opinion.”
DiGiovanni said he had no regrets.
“We fought a hard, clean race,” DiGiovanni told reporters. “I didn’t hit anybody below the belt. That’s just not my character, and I wasn’t going to start doing that at the end, even though I had a lot of arrows getting flung at me left and right.”
Dziekan appeared to face an uphill battle heading into this election.
In addition to losing the support of the voters within the Derby Republican Town Committee, Dziekan previously lost the support of people who previously ran on his under-ticket.
Both Jim Gildea, the long-time Derby Board of Education member, and Alderman Rob Hyder, said they lost confidence in Dziekan’s leadership. Gildea and Hyder are important to mention because they were key players in Dziekan’s previous re-election campaign.
Hyder, in a post on Facebook, said he was among six candidates under the Democrat Party’s banner who previously ran with Dziekan.
Dziekan, upon getting re-elected two years ago by a narrow margin, brought in veteran Derby politico Walt Mayhew as his chief of staff, replacing the popular Andrew Baklik, who opted to pursue other interests.
Mayhew became a polarizing figure in Dziekan’s administration, with Gildea, Hyder and DiGiovanni eventually citing him by name as one of the reasons they stopped supporting Dziekan.
The mayor stood by Mayhew, crediting him with making sure municipal meetings were run by the letter of the Derby Charter – as interpreted by the Derby corporation counsel. That meant eliminating subcommittee meetings, which the administration thought were being used to stall Dziekan initiatives.
The tension prevented the administration from closing the Derby Senior Center and moving members to Ansonia, and from purchasing and removing a scrap yard in the redevelopment zone in order to spur investment.
The Dziekan administration pointed to progress, such as Trolley Pointe, a town house project under construction on Main Street, and “Cedar Village,” a townhouse development on Minerva and Caroline streets which includes a few affordable units as mandated by the state.
In addition, the state’s Route 34/Main Street project finally began under Dziekan’s watch, along with the rehab of the Derby-Shelton bridge.
Derby finances, though, remained troubled under Dziekan’s watch, according to the state’s Municipal Finance Advisory Commission.
In August, commission members voted to make Derby’s appearances in front of the commission mandatory instead of voluntary.
The commissioners questioned the accuracy of financial data being sent from Derby City Hall. They pointed out the city’s June 30, 2022 audit report, issued in June 2023, showed the city used $1.9 in fund balance to deal with an operating deficit – while previously projecting a $1.1 million operating surplus.
These are the numbers that were sent to Secretary of State from Derby City Hall.
(BOLD denotes winner)
MAYOR
Joseph DiMartino (Democrat): 1,263
Gino DiGiovanni Jr (Republican): 656
Sharlene McEvoy: (Petitioning Candidate): 250
Mayor Rich Dziekan (Petitioning Candidate): 727
TREASURER
Maria Conlon {D}: 1,768
Heidi DiGiovanni {R}: 865
CONSTABLE
“Owney” Malerba Jr. {D}: 1,440
Carl Malerba Sr. {R}: 1,123
BOARD OF ALDERMEN/ALDERWOMEN
First Ward
(three get elected)
Amy L.Pettinicchi {D}: 296
Sarah Widomski {D}: 310
Arthur Newberg {D}: 289
Sam Pollastro: {R}: 248
Rich DiCarlo: {R}: 280
Judy Szewczyk: {R}: 256
Second Ward:
(three get elected)
George F. Kurtyka {D}: 419
Ronald M. Sill {D}: 479
Jessica Barrios-Perez {D}: 423
Julian Campoli {R}: 356
Anthony Mullin {R}: 282
Nick DiGiovanni {R}: 292
Third Ward:
(three get elected)
David Chevarella {D}: 746
Robert Hyder {D}: 658
Robon Falcioni-Smith {D}: 629
Michael Alberta {R}: 512
Matthew Beck {R}: 538
Ann Kimball {R}: 556
BOARD OF APPORTIONMENT & TAXATION
(10 get elected)
Tina Parelli-Silkoff {D}: 1,426
Jennifer Desroches {D}: 1,511
Colleen Germain- Ezzo {D}: 1,475
Kristen Mancini-Wright {D}: 1,490
Michael Gray {D}: 1,374
Bhamini Patel {D}: 1,292
Jose Rivera {R}: 1,302
Isa Simmons-Derby {R}: 1,262
Robert Miller Jr. {R}: 1,247
Mark Johnson {R}: 1,172
Laura Wabno {R}: 1,384
Ashley Simon {R}: 1,269
BOARD OF EDUCATION
(Nine get elected)
Kenneth Marcucio Sr. {D}: 1,570
Daniel P. Foley Jr. {D}: 1,506
Jim Gildea {D}: 1,568
Kimberly Tovar {D}: 1,304
Jennifer Lewis-Caruso {D}: 1,466
Melissa Mongillo {D}: 1,522
John Campoli {R}: 1,203
Karla Malerba {R}: 1,294
John DeCarlo III {R}: 1,200
Laura Harris {R}: 1,421
Janine Netto {R}: 1,260
Rebecca O’Hara {R}: 1,348
