Derby Mayor Anita Dugatto reflected on her first 100 days in office during a speech March 17 in the Aldermanic Chambers in Derby City Hall.
The text below was provided by the mayor’s office.
Jack Walsh streamed the speech live on the Electronic Valley using Ustream.
Click here to watch the video.
“Good morning!
Thank you for joining me as I reflect on the first 100 days of my administration.
I am honored to stand here before you today. This day, St. Patrick’s Day, is exactly one year from the day I announced my intention to run for Mayor of Derby. On that day in 2013, I opened my speech with an Irish blessing. Little did I know how much I would need that blessing!
Thanks to modern media, many of you have had the opportunity to follow me on my 100-day journey as the most urgent situations rose to the top of my inbox. These newsworthy challenges were not new issues, but their timing was not ideal to mark a milestone in my administration. However, while they have taken time and energy to resolve, they are not impeding our progress in moving Derby forward. A lot of things have been accomplished in the midst of these challenges.
Let me share some of the progress that is taking place in our neighborhoods.
I have appointed police and fire commissioners who are committed to keeping our neighborhoods safe and building relationships in our community.
Blight has been a long-standing concern in our city. In response to that, I have strengthened our commitment to improving our neighborhoods by instituting a blight subcommittee under our Board of Aldermen to aggressively target blight and guide violators to resolution.
Great things are happening in our schools under the direction of our superintendent and Board of Education. Grants have been secured to enhance the educational process while minimizing the financial impact on our taxpayers. For example, I did a walk-through at Bradley and Irving Schools with an assessment team to identify opportunities to create a friendly and comfortable learning environment for our students. Just recently, I learned that tablets are being brought into our high school to meet current technology needs. I commend our team members who are committed to support the education of our students through creative solutions.
Through the State of Connecticut’s Step Up program, we are upholding our pledge to support Derby’s small businesses and manufacturers, while providing opportunities for unemployed workers. Under my leadership, Derby partnered with the CT Department of Labor to educate our local business owners about resources available to grow their companies while giving unemployed residents a chance at a job.
To ensure we are doing our best to meet the needs of our entire community, I have asked the Board of Aldermen to approve my appointment of a community engagement director. This director will act as a liaison to the senior center, library, early childhood development council, local TEAM agency, and many others. In addition, this appointment will ensure that Derby meets the requirements of social programs such as the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Fair Housing Act. This position will be funded without increasing our overall budget.
Hats off to our new street commissioner and his public works team. Mother Nature has put them through their paces! They are doing a wonderful job keeping Derby’s roads clear so our residents can safely get to work, school, and our local businesses. They have been busy clearing our streets, and have also cleaned and organized our city garage and performed much needed maintenance on our vital equipment. Our team proudly showed off their facility at a recent open house.
City Hall is Derby’s central business office, the hub of all legislative and municipal transactions. Progress is happening here as well, but not without some growing pains.
Upon taking office, we discovered that the technology system at City Hall is outdated and unreliable. Reliable technology is vital to the functioning of our city, so we are currently in the process of acquiring an improved technology infrastructure so we can do our jobs more efficiently. I am proud to say this will be accomplished without any additional cost to our taxpayers through the frugal use of available funds.
I wish I could have delivered this speech to you in the comfort of your own living room through the sleek interface of our new website. However, we are not quite there yet. A website is a modern tool vital to government transparency, communication, and organizational efficiency. It is a product that comes in many shapes and sizes. Our legislators want to be certain that the product we select is the right one for the job and that it is acquired at the right cost. I commend our aldermen for their diligence and aggressive pursuit of a vendor that will serve our needs now, and for the long-term.
As a city, we must be proactive, rather than reactive. To aid in this practice, I hold weekly meetings with department heads to keep a pulse on what is happening in our community. We use this time as an opportunity to talk about current issues and those that may affect us in the future.
Finally, I would be remiss if I did not talk about the progress that is taking place in economic development.
Business and residential stakeholders have identified what they believe is lacking in downtown Derby: a cultural attraction, as well as reasons to keep our restaurant patrons in town after dining. This information was gathered from work on a grant awarded to the city through the Vibrant Communities Initiative, a project of the CT Trust for Historic Preservation. This grant provides funding for a plan showcasing the marketability of one of Derby’s historic assets. My hope is that this plan will serve as a template and a catalyst for other revitalization projects. A series of public workshops will be held in conjunction with this initiative. I encourage everyone to take the opportunity to attend.
My commitment to expanding Derby’s tax base and bringing more employment and economic opportunities to our city remains strong. Right now, I am in the midst of identifying resources to develop a workable plan for our valuable downtown waterfront property. I have a team in place to inventory our available properties. Our planning and zoning commission is being positioned to scrutinize our current codes and ordinances to insure the most adaptable, development-friendly policies are in place. It is important to set a clear path for growth before moving forward.
I have spent quite a bit of time exploring the concept of Transit-Oriented Development, casually referred to as TOD. Study after study has shown that TOD is the future of community development. I am thrilled to say that Derby could not be better poised to take advantage of this modern planning concept. It has great potential to revolutionize Derby’s local economy. As we progress through the planning process, I am positioning our city to capitalize on this opportunity.
A lot is being accomplished to move our city forward. We are working hard and with good faith, but we can always do better. One way I intend to improve is to work more closely with our aldermen and state legislators by meeting with them on a regular basis, comparing notes, and exchanging ideas. Only by working together will the opportunity for success be greatest and the future for Derby be brightest.
Finally, I would like to thank all the members of our team – our elected officials, staff, and volunteers – for their dedication and commitment to our city.
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I would like to conclude by offering this Irish blessing.
May your troubles be less,
And your blessings be more.
And nothing but happiness,
Come through your door.
Thank you.”