DiGiovanni
DERBY — Second Ward Alderman Gino DiGiovanni announced this week he will be seeking the Republican nomination for mayor, which means three-term incumbent Mayor Rich Dziekan faces opposition from city Democrats and from within his own party.
DiGiovanni, 41, is the chairman of the Republican Town Committee. He said he believes he has the support of enough members of the committee to be formally nominated for mayor by the Republicans later this year.
“We have lost our unity as a city, and we have also lost our community involvement. In my administration I will make it a priority to bring the community together and to make the community part of the decision making process. For a city to succeed it must have the support of the community and have an open line of communication,” DiGiovanni told a crowd of supporters at The Quail & Ale restaurant on Derby Avenue on Tuesday.
Jan. 6 Involvement
DiGiovanni made national headlines in October 2022 when NBC Connecticut reported DiGiovanni was among the people who breached the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
In a video interview with The Valley Indy published in November, DiGiovanni acknowledged entering the U.S. Capitol, but said that heading toward the building was his only option due to the chaos outside. DiGiovanni said he walked through the building, looked around, then walked out an exit to find his truck and head back to Derby.
While his involvement at the U.S. Capitol made headlines, no one in Derby politics called for DiGiovanni to step away from his public positions. He is also an appointed member of the Derby Planning & Zoning Commission.
DiGiovanni was not on the Board of Aldermen & Alderwomen during the insurrection, nor was he charged with a crime.
Why Run?
In an interview on Wednesday with The Valley Indy, DiGiovanni credited Dziekan for laying the foundation for success in Derby, a city that has not quite seen the redevelopment success of its neighbors in Ansonia and Shelton.
DiGiovanni said his business experience — he runs DiGiovanni & Sons Construction — gives him the management experience needed to tackle complex issues.
“I’m the person who can take us to the next level,” DiGiovanni told The Valley Indy. “I feel it is time for someone with my business experience to be the leader in Derby so that things can move forward. There are things that have started, but the city needs to become proactive instead of reactive.”
DiGiovanni said Derby government has to figure out how to get more people involved in decision making. He said if elected he would seek to create a Charter Revision Commission, though he said he said he would talk specifics at a later date.
DiGiovanni is a lifelong Derby resident who attended grade school at St. Mary — St. Michael before graduating Derby High School in 1999. He achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. He studied construction management at Central Connecticut State University and said he has been with his construction company for about 20 years.
He and his wife, Heidi, live in west Derby.
DiGiovanni was elected to represent the Second Ward on the Derby Board of Aldermen & Alderwomen in November 2021. He is in his first, two-year term on the board.
Thomas Lionetti, a member of the Republican Town Committee, said DiGiovanni is the leader Derby needs.
“He’s hungry. He’s a go-getter. He wants to make Derby better,” Lionetti said.
Complicated Political Scene
Lionetti pointed out DiGiovanni was elected from Derby’s Second Ward – not an easy feat because the Second Ward leans heavily toward Democrats.
Like DiGiovanni, Lionetti was complimentary toward Dziekan, who was first elected in November 2017. But Lionetti said the mayor’s two re-election bids in 2019 and 2021 were too close for comfort, and that Dziekan has been losing supporters since 2021. Lionetti said he hoped Dziekan would step aside and unify the local GOP around DiGiovanni.
Alderman Rob Hyder, who ran on Dziekan’s ticket and played a key role in his re-election campaign, told The Valley Indy he will not support Dzkiena’s bid for another term.
Jim Gildea, the chairman of the Derby Board of Education who also played a key role in Dziekan’s past campaign, told The Valley Indy he will not support Dziekan’s re-election bid.
DiGiovanni, Lionetti, Hyder and Gildea all said the mayor’s decision to hire Walt Mayhew in January 2022 as his chief of staff was a mistake. All four said Mayhew is too combative and has hurt Dziekan’s re-election chances.
Hyder and Gildea did not say who they would support for mayor.
Dziekan Reacts
Dziekan filed paperwork to seek another term in December 2022.
In a written statement to The Valley Indy on Wednesday, the mayor said the reports of the death of his political career have been greatly exaggerated.
He said the public should look at the fact that last year’s budget held the line on taxes, and that his new budget (to be unveiled March 7 but copies are available to the public here) reduces the mill rate while growing the grant list.
“For the first time in decades our city has new development transforming our downtown, more businesses calling Derby home, and even more development that will soon become before the P&Z,” Dziekan said. “It is poor form, and an example of poor decision making for the party chairman (DiGiovanni), who is supposed to be working to unite the party and lead it to victory, to challenge a three-term incumbent mayor of the same party – and even poorer form when you are a sitting Alderman from the same party.”
DiGiovanni said he was surprised to hear the mayor’s reaction because he had talked to the mayor on several occasions about his intent to run.
“I did not blindside Rich,” DiGiovanni said. “I think he took the city as far as he could take it, but we need new leadership to keep it going.”
The Democrats and Republicans usually meet in the summer to formally nominate candidates. A GOP primary could be scheduled if the candidate who doesn’t get the nod from the party collects enough signatures.
Joseph DiMartino, a former Second Ward Alderman, announced his intention in January to seek the Democratic Town Committee’s nomination for mayor. DiMartino lost a close race to Dziekan in 2021.
“I welcome all candidates into the race for mayor. Our city only benefits from an open discussion and exchange of ideas. I am confident that the voters will see I have the best ideas and vision to move the City of Derby forward,” DiMartino said in a prepared statement.
Mayhew, the mayor’s current chief of staff who ran as a Democrat and was elected city treasurer in 2019 before resigning, said Democrats on the Derby Board of Aldermen & Alderwomen have been in “campaign mode” since Dziekan was re-elected in 2021.
The Democrats’ goal has been to stop any progress and to run out the clock until the November election, Mayhew said. Aniello Malerba III, the chairman of the Derby Democrats, said Dziekan is an absentee mayor who has let Mayhew run wild.
Mayhew, responding to criticism from DiGiovanni, Lionetti, Hyder and Gildea, said Dziekan has been working tirelessly to straighten Derby finances, which the Dziekan administration blames on past Democratic mayoral administrations.
Mayhew said Dziekan pursues policies that help residents, not political factions. The chief of staff pointed to the Main Street widening project, the approval of housing on Main Street, and new businesses as proof that Mayor Dziekan’s approach is working.
“He has been 100 percent consistent in that approach, and I have worked tirelessly to carry that mission out,” Mayhew said. “He fully intends to continue that mission and put his case directly before voters in November.”
