Letter: Mayor Dziekan Values Progress Over Partisanship

As a lifelong resident of Derby, if there is one thing that I have come to realize about local politics, it is that party affiliation means very little in the grand scheme. In fact, what matters most is simply doing what is right for your community, regardless of party affiliation.

It is far too easy to point fingers at the other side. On the other hand, it takes resolve to reach out to the other side to come together to facilitate a common goal.

Until less than two years ago, I was a registered Democrat as soon as I was eligible to vote at the age of 18. Over the years, I became rather active in the Derby Democratic Town Committee, even serving as the chairman of the party’s 3rd Ward, and volunteered and served as an advisor for a few mayoral campaigns. Because of that involvement, I met some incredible people who I am proud to call friends today.

However, rather than continue to toe the party line as a Democrat, I decided a couple of years ago to change my voter registration to unaffiliated. When Mayor Dziekan reached out to me this summer with an invitation to run on his Republican ticket for alderman in the 3rd Ward, it was an easy decision for me because he possesses many of the same views and aspirations for Derby as I do.

For example, on his first day in office in 2017, Mayor Dziekan hired Carmen DiCenso as Derby’s Economic Development Liaison. Carmen DiCenso, a Democrat, previously served as the president of the Derby Board of Aldermen/Alderwomen. This was an optimistic sign of the positive changes to come as Mayor Dziekan made decisions that were best for Derby, regardless of party affiliation.

In addition, soon after hiring Carmen DiCenso, Mayor Dziekan once again reached across party lines and to hire Lynn DiGiovanni as a consultant for his new administration. Lynn DiGiovanni, the sister-in-law of former Mayor Anita Dugatto, held the same position under the previous Democratic administration and possessed important institutional knowledge concerning redevelopment grants Derby had recently received. Again, this decision was in the best interest of Derby and not about party affiliation.

And, when appointing members of the Ansonia-Derby Regionalization Committee to study the feasibility to regionalize Derby’s school system with Ansonia’s, Mayor Dziekan was once again careful in his selection of the five members of the committee to represent Derby: two Democrats, two Republicans and one unaffiliated. The common theme with Mayor Dziekan has been proven in his actions with Derby above politics.”

As someone who was born in Derby, raised in Derby, and has remained in Derby to raise my family, I have a sincere vested interest in doing what is best for our small city. I look forward to continuing my work to make Derby the best it can be, and hope to be able to continue that work on the Derby Board of Aldermen/Alderwomen along with our impartial mayor, Richard Dziekan.

The writer is running on the Republican line to represent the Third Ward on the Derby Board of Aldermen/Alderwomen.

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