I’ve listened to the mayoral candidate Podcasts; and, I also read the minutes from the Board of Alderman meetings. I’ve given a great deal of thought for my vote for ‘Zeke’; and, here are my reasons below:
First, for years driving through downtown, you would notice the looming, aged grain silo on the sight of the former Derby Feed Company. Within months, Mayor Dziekan executed the plan to demolish the silo and haul it away – creating a blank slate for the future development of downtown. Zeke did this at no cost to the residents of Derby.
Second, Derby is a distressed municipality – the leadership often has to find creative ways to fund projects that would be minor issues in towns like Greenwich, where they have the revenue for projects. So, I remember parents and teachers at Irving School being rightfully upset at the high temperatures in the classrooms in May and June two years ago. Mayor Dziekan heard his citizens and acted on it. He brought in a company with experience in capital projects like air conditioning, using energy savings in other city buildings.
There are now new LED lights in City Hall and the other city owned buildings that lower the electric bills for those buildings. Also, if you attended a meeting in the Aldermanic Chambers, you know that this was sorely needed because the room is usually >80 degrees in the summer. The savings generated from the lights and other small improvements pay for bigger things like new A/C at Irving School and City Hall.
Third, Roosevelt Drive across from Bad Sons Beer Company has an empty industrial lot that has brought in roughly $1,500 per year in tax revenue. Mayor Dziekan worked with a company called Fuel Cell Energy to work out a 20-year deal that will bring in $200,000 per year from that one parcel! This project represents a guaranteed $4 Million, an aesthetic improvement to the neighborhood and a boost to the energy grid in the valley.
Finally, I participated in last year’s citywide cleanup with Mayor Dziekan, city staff and residents and students from DHS. Mayor Dziekan had partnered with Home Depot to get materials and assistance in cleaning up the city. He was more excited than any of us when we found out that through our efforts, more than 1,900 pounds of litter was removed from the streets of our city. I look forward to participating again this year on October 30th; and I encourage all residents to contact City Hall to help if you can.
In summary as a City Planning Major, I see that Mayor Dziekan is right up there with big city Mayors working to solve complex issues with all parties…the feds, the state and city officials in the name of progress! They say “it takes a village”, but it also takes strong leadership. I’m confident that Mayor Dziekan has earned two-plus years to continue his success!
The writer lives in Derby.
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