Mayor Anita Dugatto told a crowd of about 60 people Saturday that in the last 11 months her administration has cleaned up blight, recovered back taxes and worked to rectify “years of neglecting our city’s infrastructure.”
In her first state of the city address, Dugatto, a Democrat, also called on key members of her administration to share details of progress in the Public Works Department, the tax office, the Board of Aldermen and the schools.
“While we have made great strides this past year, our work is not yet done,” Dugatto said, during the hour-and-a-half long speech at Derby High School. “In the coming year, I will continue to work toward the goals I have shared with you today.”
Dugatto said her accomplishments included:
- Cleanup of two blighted properties on Derby Avenue
- A delinquent tax sale that helped reclaim about $1 million in missing tax revenue
- A negotiation with the Environmental Protection Agency to reduce a $4 million bill for cleanup on O’Sullivan’s Island to $675,000
- Approval of $31.2 million for upgrades and repairs to the city’s sewer system
- The creation of an infrastructure oversight committee
Article continues after full video of the address, posted by Jack Walsh on the Electronic Valley website.
Updates from Tax Collector Denise Cesaroni, Public Works Director Anthony DeFala, Alderman Art Gerckens and Superintendent of Schools Matthew Conway interrupted Dugatto’s address, and included specifics about her stated accomplishments.
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal also spoke, saying Derby “may be the smallest city in geography, but it packs an economic punch.” He said Dugatto listens to the residents — something members of Congress could take to heart.
The speeches had two main themes: Change, while hard, is needed. And Derby officials are looking for input from the community.
Gerckens said the Board of Aldermen has faced tough decisions, such as when it heard Derby’s downtown parking garage needed repairs.
“It was tough and agonizing to close that garage while we got it inspected,” Gerckens said.
Dugatto’s decision to have a local company perform repairs stirred up discontent among some aldermen, who accused her of going behind their backs.
Conway spoke of the improvement in test scores in several categories among middle and high schoolers in Derby. He said Derby has become a leader in education.
“We will not sit on the sidelines and wait to see what other do,” Conway said, highlighting a freshman academy and a new fitness center at the high school.
Dugatto also focused on the positive.
“We need to maintain focus on what we have, not what we don’t,” Dugatto said. “Because for a little city, we sure have a lot to offer.”
Dugatto highlighted the offerings by handing out goody bags of Derby swag. The bags included mugs, travel cups, pens, calendars, magnets, a toothbrush and even a miniature baby Jesus figurine from St. Anthony’s Book Store. The bags were also stuffed with brochures and coupons for local restaurants and businesses.
“While the contents don’t reflect every business and organization in our city, they certainly represent a great sampling of what our community has to offer, Dugatto said.
During the event, Dugatto awarded resident Jack Walsh with the Mayor’s Award of Excellence for his work running the Electronic Valley website, which has housed the city’s meeting agendas, minutes, and other general information since the late 1990s.
In 2015, the city will start hosting its own website, Dugatto said.
A new website was supposed to be online a few months after she took office, but it’s nowhere to be seen a year later.
The project was delayed, she said, because the city first worked toward updating computers and the network at city hall to make sure it could support the new website.
Jerry Borrelli, the chairman of the town’s Republican Town Committee, who was not at the event but saw a video of the speech, said Dugatto made an unnecessary dig at the previous administration regarding the sewer upgrades.
“That’s something that has been let go long before,” Borrelli said. “That’s been neglected for much longer than that.”
Borrelli said while there are some positives in Derby, people in the state continue to struggle financially.
On Dugatto’s last year, he said: “She is doing the best she can. It’s a difficult job.”
Alderman Ron Sill said this was the first time Derby’s state of the city address was held as a major event, rather than a portion of a Board of Aldermen meeting.
“We have a lot of good in this city, and that’s what we’re trying to capitalize on,” Sill said.