Just before the candidate was called up to make his acceptance speech, ex-Mayor Richard Grande asked Daniel Foley, Jr. to stand up.
“Hold your arms out,” Grande said.
Foley complied.
“Are your hands shaking?”
“Nope,” Foley said.
Foley is apparently good under pressure, one of the reasons city Democrats enthusiastically nominated him Tuesday to challenge Republican incumbent Anthony Staffieri for the Mayor’s Office.
In a speech in front of about 65 supporters at the Derby Veterans Memorial building, Foley, a retired Derby teacher, promised to put education at the top of his agenda.
Click the play button to hear Foley’s speech. Scroll down to see the complete list of candidates nominated by the Democrats.
“For several years now, many of our students have sought out other school districts because of a lack of services and resources offered to them,” Foley said. “We are lacking in local funding and community funding. We seriously need to make our students’ education a priority.”
Foley also criticized the Republicans in the city for not making progress on downtown redevelopment, as promised in previous elections. Instead, the city is being sued — and several downtown merchants have closed their doors, Foley said.
“I believe residents of the City of Derby are savvy enough to see through campaign rhetoric,” Foley said. “We, as Democrats, can do better.”
Foley, 59, is a life-long Derby resident. He taught in public schools for 37 years before retiring last year.
He is a 1967 graduate of Derby High School, where he was a three-sport athlete and co-captain of the football team.
Foley has a bachelor’s and a master’s degrees from Southern Connecticut State University — and a second master’s degree from Fairfield University.
He and his wife, Maureen, have been married for 35 years. They have three children, including a daughter, Kelly, who teaches at Derby Middle School.
Supporters described him Tuesday as a non-politician — a straight-talker who says what he means.
Ronald Luneau, Jr., a member of the Derby Democratic Committee, said Foley not only taught him in Derby schools — Foley also taught Luneau’s son, Ian.
He commended Foley’s honesty and integrity.
“Dan Foley never forgot where he came from, and that’s what Derby needs,” Luneau said.
The Derby Democrats nominated the following residents:
BOARD OF ALDERMEN
First Ward:
Barbara DeGennaro
Stephen Iacuone
Daniel Sexton
Second Ward:
George Kurtyka
Christine Robinson
Paul Varsanik, Jr.
Third Ward:
Ronald Slowik
Richard Volo, Sr.
Sandra Watson
BOARD OF EDUCATION
Jodi Chevarella
Stephanie D’Onofrio
Susan Churchill
Martin Hubbard
Kimberly Krieger
Kenneth Marcucio, Sr.
TOWN CLERK
Sheila Parizo
TREASURER
Donald North
CONSTABLE
Sylvester Fusco, Jr.
TAX BOARD
Anita Dugatto-Coscia
James Butler
Frank Lazowski, Sr.
Thomas Lionetti
Carlo Malerba, Jr.
William Zaleka, II
