E. Valley Photo
Dziekan
DERBY — A move to set structured working hours for the mayor died on the vine Thursday.
The item was included on the agenda of Thursday’s regularly scheduled Derby Board of Aldermen/Alderwomen meeting.
However, when it came up for discussion, only Alderman Charles Sampson spoke up, saying he opposed the idea. Ultimately the board took no action.
Sampson said the mayor’s position needs flexibility and cannot be structured like a traditional job. The mayor works after hours by attending night meetings, and has to be available outside the traditional 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. time frame, Sampson said. By day, part of the mayor’s job is to be out promoting the city and meeting with legislators to advance causes important to Derby, he said.
Forcing the mayor to work a structured work day would do more harm than good, Sampson said.
Mayor Rich Dziekan was re-elected by 48 votes on Nov. 2.
Derby Democrats and his Democratic opponent, outgoing Alderman Joseph DiMartino, made the mayor’s work schedule a cornerstone of their campaign.
Aniello Malerba III, the chairman of the Derby Democratic Town Committee, has a Freedom of Information Request pending with the Town of Bethany, where Dziekan works as a part-time police officer. The Democrats want to know precisely how many hours Dziekan works in Bethany.
During Thursday’s meeting, Malerba asked the board to take some type of action to regulate Dziekan’s hours, and called on the mayor to account for his hours spent in Bethany.
Resident Tom Lionetti called the questions political, and said that applying traditional work hours to a mayor’s job made no sense.
“You are a human being,” Lionetti said to Dziekan. “You have the right to work.”
In 2020, Derby voters approved adding the words “full-time” to the mayor’s job description in the Derby Charter. However, there are no further specifics.
In March, the Aldermen/Alderwomen voted to raise the mayor’s salary to $65,000, plus benefits. It had been $45,000.
