
For someone seeking elected office, it’s far too easy for them to say they will be bipartisan in a role if elected. It’s quite another to actually apply it once elected. That’s exactly what Mayor Dziekan has done in Derby.
As a Republican, Mayor Dziekan works side-by-side with Democrats and unaffiliated voters as a part of his administration on a daily basis. In fact, Mayor Dziekan actually hired Carmen DiCenso for one of the most-important positions in City Hall on his first day in office: Economic Development Liaison.
As a hot-button topic during each election season, economic development is consistently at the top of the list. So to hire a Democrat responsible for such an important role in the mayor’s administration, it shows that Mayor Dziekan practices what he preaches about bipartisanship and is succeeding with the most qualified individual, regardless what ones voter registration card reflects.
If you’ve attended any number of meetings of the various boards and commissions in town over the past two years, there is clearly a sense of impartiality and open-mindedness among members. Many votes of these various boards and commissions are often unanimous, and if not unanimous, are not even split along party lines in each case.
Mayor Dziekan’s ability to bring people together for the common purpose of making Derby as strong and viable a city as possible is reason to re-elect him for another term.
The writer is a Derby resident and an alternate on the city’s planning and zoning commission.
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The deadline to submit campaign-related letters is 8 p.m. Oct. 31, 2019.