Saturdays with the Mayor kick off busy weekend.

I had a decent turnout for Saturdays with the Mayor. People came to talk about the recent flood, illegal immigration, housing issues, paving and a whole host of other issues. All in all we had about twenty people stop by and our residents were appreciative of the opportunity to meet one on one with me.

I also had a very busy weekend. Two events on Saturday night and events all day Sunday. Danbury is a busy city and this weekend was no exception.

A special congratulations to my friend Patti Cohen-Hecht for being recognized today for her commitment to our community.

All the Best,
MayorMark

FEMA drops in unannounced...

Representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency dropped by my office yesterday to have another look at damage done by the Nor'easter (don't you think that we should have come with a name for the storm?). At any rate they spent over four hours here in Danbury looking at businesses and homes that were damaged. Our quick assessment shows approximately 8 million dollars in damages. We are now waiting for the Governor to make her declaration...

All the Best,
MayorMark

Public Hearings..

Last night the Common Council conducted several public hearings on a variety of proposed ordinances. The Council adopted revisions to the Police Pension Ordinance that reflect the arbitration ruling by the State of Ct.

The Council adopted new ordinances regarding littering which provides expanded enforcement through the UNIT and new fines and penalties.

The Council adopted a new ordinance regarding honor boxes and also adopted the Parade Ordinance.

All these ordinances are solid initiatives that will help address some vexing issues.

Thanks to the Council for their hardwork.

All the Best,
Mayor Mark

Clean City Danbury Day a huge success!!!

Wow, am I exhausted. Yesterday's Clean City Danbury was a tremendous success. At last count we collected 200 tons of bulky waste and tons of TV's and computers. I believe that a lot of this stuff ends up on the side of the road without this event.

We are already brainstorming ideas for next year. The biggest challenge for us was some of the sites. The PAL building was too tight and Mill Plain was problematic as well.

Thanks to all of the Clean Team volunteers and to our City staff for making this project happen and go so smoothly. Nice work by all involved.

All the Best,
Mayor Mark

Cleaning up from the Nor'easter..

It has been a hectic couple of days as we are in the process of trying to account for the damage that was done to our city after the weekend storm.

My week started at 2:00 AM Monday morning. I activated the Emergency Operations Center after getting reports of flooding throughout the City. Immediately we dispersed our FireFighters to Jensen Mobile park to begin a limited evacuation. We also set up a shelter at the War Memorial that we used for residents who needed a place to stay. The Red Cross and our emergency personnel did a terrific job.

Our senior staff pretty much worked round the clock. As of this posting we still have several homes without power, but the city is gradually returning back to normal.

If you have any damage that you would like to report, please contact Mike McLachlan in my office at 797-4511.

All the Best,
MayorMark

Sorry for delay in not posting..

Sorry for the delay in not posting the last several days. I have been under the weather with a severe case of the flu. I actually had the flu shot earlier in the year, but Phyllis and I went to the Florida-Alabama border last weekend, and I am convinced that I picked something up in the plane.

Several random thoughts:

Democrats present their state budget:

On Thursday the Democrats voted their budget out of the Appropriations Committee. Their proposal adds approximately 350 million dollars to Governors budget, so I think both sides are trying to one up each other. The good news here is that both budgets reflect significant increases for Danbury. If things stay about the same, we will not have to open up Danbury's budget.

Smart growth forum:

It's good to see people engage in discussion about smart growth policies. As a founding member of 1000 Friends of Connecticut, I whole heartily support smart growth policies. Another good thing about this forum is to see that Danbury makes decisions based on smart growth principles. Kennedy Place on the old Amphenol property is a classic smart growth project. Any time that people can get educated on this project and smart growth principles, the better.

OK I have worn myself out. Back to bed and some more chicken soup.

All the Best,
Mayor Mark

Sometimes you gotta set the record straight..

Today there is an article in the News-Times regarding veterans and a meeting that was held Thursday night at the Catholic War Veterans with Rep. Godfrey and Rep. Taborsak.

According to the article, Representative Godfrey stated that Danbury hires a lobbyist to oppose increases in the eligibility guidelines for veterans so that they may receive a tax credit. This is absolutely silly and untrue.

Several years ago, Danbury Common Council members went to Hartford and argued for raising the income guidelines. Our City was the first to ask for these guidelines. We were thrilled when the legislature acted, and we were the first to enact the new guidelines.

Needless to say, I will respond to Rep. Godfrey in writing on Monday.

Danbury is proud of our veterans and we are proud to allow the maximum tax credit allowable by law for our local heroes. If and when they raise the guidelines again, Danbury will be right there to enact them.

Our veterans deserve nothing less.

All the Best,
Mayor Mark

Ted Cutsumpas joins the team..

I have been talking to Councilman Ted Cutsumpas for several months about joining the staff in my office. I believe that Ted's talents are the right blend for our City. Ted brings a wealth of customer service knowledge to Danbury and his talents and skills can only enhance our mission.

I am going to miss Ted on the Council, but I know that he can help Danbury residents and at the end of the day, thats what I got elected to do. Thanks Ted, for your service to Danbury, and thanks for joining the team...


All the Best,
MayorMark

Hartford Courant Editorial Board

Today I was at the Hartford Courant to meet with their editorial board. The issue at hand? School funding and finance. Specifically, I was there to address the report from the statewide school finance coalition that I am president of. It is called the Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding and we are currently engaged in a lawsuit to force the State of Connecticut to fully fund our schools. For too long the Legislature has not taken the issue of school finance seriously. With Gov. Rell's bold proposal, we have a unique opportunity to address the issue of school finance reform. Let's hope that our State Legislators have the courage and the guts to take it on..

All the Best,
Mayor Mark

Budget adopted.

Last night the Common Council adopted our spending plan for the 2007-08 fiscal year. I want to thank the members of the Council and our staff for all of their hardwork in ensuring a smooth process. The budget passed with a vote 0f 17 yes and 2 no. There were few changes and now we await the work that will be done by the Legislature on the state budget.

All the Best,
MayorMark

Road Race on Sunday.

This past Sunday, I ran a 5K road race on behalf of the Housatonic Valley Sports Authority. I finished the race and some of the more intrepid readers of this blog noticed that I finished almost last. I never was much of a runner but I did enjoy this event and have signed up for the next race called the Athletes for Christ 5K run. This race will take place on Sunday, April 22nd at 10:00 AM in Rogers Park. Clearly, I have no where to go but up....

All the Best,
MayorMark

Breaking Ground on a new addition at New Hope Church.

Today I participated in a ground breaking for New Hope Baptist Church. Pastor Ivan Pitts has an incredible vision for his church. The facility will double the size of the worship space and will clean up some blighted buildings.

It was a moving service and just a lot of fun. New Hope is always full of joy and Pastor Pitts is an outstanding preacher. I want to thank the congregation for allowing me to participate. I wish them the best as they embark on this new project.

All the Best,

MayorMark