The Democrat controlled BoAA has had a proposed job description for a full-time Economic Development Director and recommended search committee composition before their board since September 2021. They have done nothing with it.
This in spite of the fact that their own standard bearer in the last municipal election for mayor ran advocating the need for just such a hire to lead Derby’s economic development.
With the campaign over, the Mayor’s administration asked incoming BoAA President Sarah Widomski to place the job description and search committee on the agenda for the December BoAA meeting. She refused and when Alderman Hyder attempted to add it, Widomski led the Democrat Aldermen in unanimously rejecting it.
Both matters were dispatched to subcommittee in the January meeting. Later in January both the Mayor and his Chief of Staff appeared before the Operations and Procedures subcommittee where a projection and cooperative discussion resulted in a unanimous vote of the subcommittee to recommend a revised job description — which incorporated suggestions from subcommittee members and also to unanimously recommend a revised subcommittee composition back to the full board for adoption at their February meeting.
Yet when the February meeting is held, after a 15-minute delay, caused by President Widomski’s call for a Democrat caucus, when these items are brought forward Alderman Dugatto, who serves as the Chairperson of the subcommittee erroneously says that the subcommittee did not recommend them back to that full board for adoption, in spite of subcommittee member Hyder’s and Alderman Sampson who attended the meeting’s assertion of that being exactly what happened. As a result, the board did not approve either. If you review the recording of the subcommittee meeting, it is clear that Aldermen Hyder and Sampson were correct, which Alderwoman Dugatto later admitted.
As a result, the administration reaches out to both Alderwoman Dugatto and Alderman Sharkey to see if they were available to meet on Thursday, February 17 to reconsider both matters and when they indicate they are, the Mayor schedules a special meeting. But when the meeting is convened, not a single Do Nothing Democrat shows up!
With the Rt. 34 widening project set to begin, we need to get a full-time Economic Development Director in place so upon its completion, the south side of Main Street which has looked like a bombed-out remnant from WWII can be a proud gateway to our downtown. It’s time for the Do Nothing Democrats to stop acting like children, playing hide and seek, being obstructionists, and instead work together with the administration to hire a full-time EDD and begin to bring in to reality the bright future that Derby has before it and deserves!
Mike Alberta
Derby Resident
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