DERBY — Joe DiMartino and the rest of the Democrats do not understand Derby’s finances, nor the city charter. The charter, Derby’s rules for governing, outlines the duties and responsibilities regarding the city’s finances. DiMartino is attempting to portray former UConn basketball player Maria Conlon, as someone who will “bring a new level of trust to the financial state of the city.” Conlon pledges to be “an independent voice for financial integrity” and one who will keep Derby citizens “updated on the status of our financial affairs.” Conlon has been the Treasurer since July and has yet to even submit a report to the Board of Aldermen, let alone Derby taxpayers.
In reality, the charter gives the responsibility for managing the city’s finances to the Finance Director, not the Treasurer. In fact, the Treasurer has four functions as its responsibility.
1. Work with the city’s bond professional, Barry Bernabe, acting on his recommendations in the issuance of city bonds and providing the numbers related to bonding to the Tax Board for the annual budget.
2.Make journal entries for taxes collected in the City’s General Ledger system.
3. Provide a signature to create an electronic image, which is applied to city checks when written.
4. Serve on the pension review board, chaired by former Democratic Alderman Steven Iaccoune, that has failed to meet regularly.
That’s it. The day-to-day operation regarding the city finances is overseen and managed by the Finance Director.
The Dziekan administration saw the need to change both the person occupying the position of Finance Director as well as the process for hiring them. The Dziekan administration called for the resignation of the former Finance Director who was appointed by the previous Democratic administration. Dziekan then chose to form a hiring committee made up of people with experience as municipal finance directors in addition to a bipartisan group of Derby office holders, in order to have a non-political process to hire the new Finance Director.
Instead of the typical political appointment process used by the former Democratic administration that was responsible for the $1.2 million accounting error that occurred, as well as bankrupting the city’s fund balance causing a drop in the city’s credit rating and triggering involvement by a state oversight board regarding Derby’s finances, Mayor Dziekan chose the non-political, bipartisan approach to the hiring of our current Finance Director.
The result of the Dziekan administration’s efforts was the hiring of Agata Herasimowicz, a professional with “a long history in government finance” as recorded in the Valley Indy article from May 27. Herasimowicz’s hiring was unanimously approved by the Board of Aldermen, which included Joe DiMartino. In fact, Democratic Alderwoman DeGennaro said she looked forward to the “competence and professionalism” Herasimowicz would bring to the position.
The state of Derby’s finances is finally sound. That is a direct result of actions taken by the Dziekan administration. The state oversight board in its reports has affirmed this, as has the credit rating agency who has maintained the city’s solid credit rating.
We do not need another City Treasurer who looks to expand their role and power. We just need someone capable to carry them out. As the former Chair of the Tax Board, I believe I have the credibility to get the job done the way it is intended to be!
Judy Szewczyk
The writer is chairwoman of the Derby Board of Apportionment and Taxation and is running on the Republican line for Treasurer.
