Rich Dziekan hugs a supporter after learning he had been elected mayor of Derby Nov. 7.
The transition process to usher in new leadership in Derby City Hall is expected to pick up steam this week.
Mayor-elect Rich Dziekan told The Valley Indy Monday he talked to Mayor Anita Dugatto about the transition over the weekend.
The two are expected to meet formally at some point this week, perhaps as early as Wednesday.
“I talked to Anita over the weekend, we’re going to be meeting with her either Wednesday or Friday for the transition, and to walk us around,” Dziekan said. “They promised a smooth transition and that’s how it’s going right now.”
Dziekan defeated the two-term incumbent mayor by 507 votes Nov. 7.
Dziekan attended a forum Monday at Ansonia City Hall during which state Rep. Linda Gentile talked about the recently adopted state budget.
Dziekan told The Valley Indy after the meeting that he was scheduled to interview candidates for Derby corporation counsel and administrative assistant.
“I’m glad we’ve got a few weeks to do that,” Dziekan said.
The mayor-elect also said he plans to announce Andrew Baklik as his chief of staff. Baklik was Dziekan’s campaign manager.
Baklik told The Valley Indy last week that Dziekan’s transition team had talked to Town Clerk Marc Garofalo and City Treasurer Keith McLiverty. Both men are veterans of the Derby political scene, and were re-elected Nov. 7 while running on the Democratic line.
“Those two guys are going to be valuable assets for us during the transition. They already know the lay of the land,” Baklik said.
People helping with the transition include Sam Pollastro, chairman of the Derby Republican Town Committee, and Judy Szewczyk, the chairwoman of the Derby Board of Apportionment and Taxation. Szewczyk previously managed campaigns for former Mayor Anthony Staffieri.
Both Dziekan and Baklik dropped into Aldermanic Chambers Tuesday during a Second Ward Aldermen recount.
Listen to The Valley Indy’s interview with Baklik below:
