File Photo
Alderwoman Barbara DeGennaro.
The City of Derby needs a mayor who will be a leader working as a team with all involved striving to better our beloved city, thus, why I am supporting Carmen DiCenso’s
bid to be the Democratic candidate for Derby’s next mayor.
Throughout his upbringing, coaching, employment, mentoring and political experience, Carmen has had a commitment to family, to better the youth, to community service, to being a team and to the City of Derby.
Having been both an elected and appointed official for three different administrations and serving six of my almost eight years on the Board of Aldermen/Alderwomen with Carmen, I have had the opportunity to see and experience his tireless dedication, passion, pride, respect and resolve for our great City.
I have heard his ideas, observed him immediately address and handle an issue and follow through to get a resolution and watched him be a visible part of Derby’s overall governmental functioning.
Furthermore, Carmen has capable management skills to effectively run city business and its support staff, can resolve daily challenges, has vision and ideas, can communicate appropriately, guide our residents with honesty, integrity and compassion, and motivate all to make the City of Derby better.
Moreover, five of eight sitting Democratic aldermen (besides myself and Carmen) who are seeking re-election (Sill, Olenoski, DiMartino, Donofrio and Iacuone) are supporting Carmen. This is a testament to our confidence in Carmen’s ability as our leader and as Mayor.
A very short, non-inclusive, factual summary of what we endured over the last four years with Anita Dugatto at the helm:
- Emails sent to individuals no longer for years BOA members or city officials;
- Has allowed her non-Derby resident, sister-in-law Lynn to run and represent Derby, attend meetings, be privy to our City’s public, private and personnel information;
- Has disseminated privileged, personal and executive session items to those not privy by law;
- No invites or last minute invites to various meetings, ceremonies and business openings;
- Has taken credit for BOA legislation/ordinances including voter approved sewer and road bond referendum improvement projects;
- Claiming the City has saved $1 million for the Roosevelt Drive pump station sewer project which has yet to go out to bid.
Additionally, under Anita Dugatto’s leadership, I, a successful solo practitioner with my law office located in downtown Derby for the past 26 years, was not one of the Derby businesses asked to be interviewed (by invitation only) for my input into downtown development nor has my small business been visited by her 20 hour per week/$60K Chief of Staff.
We can do better and we must do better.
Carmen is a leader who can embrace all elected and appointed officials, employees, city departments and residents of Derby as a team and give credit to whom and where it is due and not disregard nor disrespect an idea or accomplishment as his own but that of teamwork.
What is inherent about Derby’s culture is to participate in our government and community to better our City and have the motivation to do so. There is nothing more synonymous with working as a team with a leader to strive to do better.
That leader of the Team, our next Democratic candidate for Mayor of the City of Derby, must be Carmen DiCenso.
The writer represents Derby’s First Ward on the Board of Aldermen.
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