Mayor Richard Dziekan at Twisted Vine on July 12, 2023.
DERBY — Mayor Richard Dziekan officially kicked off his re-election campaign Wednesday night with one major change — he will not be seeking the endorsement of the Derby Republican Town Committee.
Instead, Dziekan said he will collect signatures in order to trigger a Republican Primary on Sept. 12, during which all registered Republicans in Derby will have a chance to choose whether they want Dziekan to be the Republican nominee.
The change is happening because members of the Derby Republican Town Committee are expected to nominate Alderman Gino DiGiovanni for the mayor’s office. DiGiovanni, who is also the DRTC chairman, announced his intent to seek the nomination in March.
In a speech in front of supporters at Twisted Vine on Wednesday, Mayor Dziekan positioned himself as both an incumbent running for his fourth term — and a candidate outside the local political establishment.
“Tonight, as I stand before you, I ask the voters to stay the course and once again, on Sept. 12 prove the politicians wrong,” Dziekan told a crowd of about 75 people. “Yes, I said Sept. 12. I am not seeking the approval or endorsement of any politicians, regardless of party. While I was pursuing progress, my opponent was pursuing politics and packing the town committee with his supporters. So, I will take my case directly to the voters to secure a place on the November ballot as the Republican candidate for mayor.”
The Valley Indy reached out to Derby Town/City Clerk Marc Garofalo after Dziekan’s announcement. Garofalo said that 61 signatures from Republican voters are needed to force a primary in September. The general election is in November.
Dziekan said he has a strong record that should propel him back into office.
He touted various victories, such as coming into office as the city was on “verge of bankruptcy,” a characterization never used before, yet being able to grow the fund balance today to more than $3 million and to keep taxes stable for the past two years.
Dziekan also spoke of progress being made downtown, with construction of a 90-unit Cedar Village housing development soon to begin, along with the 100-unit, mixed-use development, Trolley Pointe starting to take shape on the former Lifetouch Studios property. The long-awaited widening of Route 34 by the state is also underway.
Dziekan said the hiring a full-time economic development director on his watch will mean only better things for Derby’s future, including a recent grant application submitted to make long overdue improvements to the municipal parking garage downtown. Dziekan also said he received word this week from the state Department of Economic and Community Development that state money will be coming in to help fund the city’s acquisition of and removal and relocation of the former scrapyard on Factory Street. That property, in the downtown redevelopment zone on the Housatonic River, Dziekan vowed, will ultimately house a new Derby Senior Center.
“We are making big progress for our little city,” Dziekan said.
Reaction
In addition to facing a challenge from DiGiovanni inside his own Republican Party, Derby Democrats are expected to nominate former Alderman Joseph DiMartino to run for mayor. DiMartino lost to Dziekan by a slim margin two years ago.
DiMartino is on vacation so he was not available for comment.
Democratic Town Committee Chairman Aniello Malerba III said he was not surprised by the mayor’s news.
“When you’re an absentee mayor, it’s no surprise that he has lost the support of his party,” Malerba said. “It’s four months to the election. That is the only time Rich Dziekan communicates with Derby.”
Dziekan said he did not lose the support of Republicans — just the small group who comprise the Republican committee.
DiGiovanni said he was hoping Dziekan would go through the traditional process to get the nomination.
“As chairman of the RTC, and on behalf of the members, after hearing of the Mayor’s announcement tonight, we are disappointed that Rich is not seeking the endorsement from the RTC, and from the members who have supported him over the last three elections,” said DiGiovanni via a text to the Valley Indy. “As a (mayoral) candidate, I do agree with Rich on one thing — the voters will decide on Sept. 12.”
The GOP plans to hold its nominating caucus at 7 p.m. July 19 at the Hotchkiss Hose Co., according to DiGiovanni. The Democrats will nominate a slate of candidates at 7 p.m. July 24 at the Veterans Memorial Building on Atwater Avenue.
