Recognizing our City employees.

Friday was our annual City employee appreciation day picnic. I started this tradition several years ago as a way to thank our employees for their hard work and dedication throughout the year.

Government employment is different in the sense that we really do not have a mechanism to say thank you to our employees since most of our staff are members of a union. This means that bonuses and extra days off are out of the question and not appropriate.

That is why I take one day a year and on behalf of the 78,000 residents who live in Danbury, to say thank you for a job well done by the staff who work for the city.

I know that you join me in saying thanks as well.

All the Best,
MayorMark

Foreigner at the Ives Concert Park.

Next Thursday night will be a huge show at the Ives Concert Park as Foreigner will be playing. Opening act will be the Doug Wahlberg Band. I can honestly tell you that both bands are awesome. Tickets are still available for the show so I encourage you to come on over to a beautiful outdoor concert facility. In addition, the weather is supposed to be perfect! Gates open at 5:30. So, what are you waiting for? This is Urgent. Sorry, but I had to get that out of my system.

Groundbreaking for Police Headquarters.

On Friday July 2oth, we had a terrific day to break ground on the new Police Station. A crowd of almost 150 people arrived to celebrate the begining of this new facility. Thanks to everybody that has made this day possible. In particular, I want to thank Mike McLachlan for making the day such a success. Today, when I drove by the site, the contractor was begining to clear the site..I can't wait for this building to be completed.

A night to remember...

Last night was an exciting meeting for our candidates and for our City. We had over 250 people show up to the Amber Room to witness the nominations for local office. I was honored by the turnout and thrilled to see such enthusiasm for the progress that we have made in Danbury. Last night I also rolled out the Danbury Open Space Initiative for 2012. In this initiative I am calling on the City to preserve 1200 acres of open space by the year 2012. Think about it, 1200 acres is larger than New York City's Central Park. So let's DOIT BY 2012 and Embrace open Space!!!

Nominations Tonight...

I am looking forward to tonight as we announce our slate of candidates for the fall elections. We spend a lot of time recruiting candidates and getting them to run on our ticket. There are 46 positions on the ballot, and this year, once again we are running 46 people. The electoral process is exciting and is an important part of our republic. We have developed concrete plans for the future and we will spend the next 100 days laying them out for the public to consider. So...see ya on the campaign trail.

All the Best,
Mayor Mark

Police Station groundbreaking set for Friday.

The groundbreaking for the new Police Station that will be located across from St. Joseph's Church is set for 11:00 AM on Friday July 20th. The 70,000 square foot building will house up to 220 Officers and will serve the City for many many years to come. There will tons of parking for both employees and our residents, and there will be space for our community services division.

This project has been years in the planning. I want to thank Chief Baker, the Police Union, and all of our officers for their cooperation. I would also like to thank our City Engineer Farid Khouri, our Director of Public Works Antonio Iadarola and all of the other city staff that helped make this happen. Finally, I would like to thank the Common Council for their hard work and their support in getting the bond passed to finance the facility. Great job by all!

Please stop by and join us for the ground breaking.

All the Best,
MayorMark

Gearing Up.

My favorite time of the year is quickly approaching, campaign season. I actually look forward to campaigning and this year is no different. While many people have opined that we need a four year term for the office of mayor, in some ways I like the two year election cycle. A two year term keeps you sharp, and an active campaign season always allows you to reassess and reevaluate your positions.

This year I will enjoy the opportunity to address the challenges that City faces and discuss my record, and more importantly the path that Danbury must take to be successful.

Thursday night we will conduct our nominations at the Amber Room at 6:30 PM. I cordially invite you to attend as the event is open to the public. We will have speeches and you can meet the candidates for all of the elective offices one on one in an informal atmosphere. Join Us!

Gotta Go! Still working on my speech.

All the Best,
MayorMark

KC and the Sunshine Band rock the house!

Tonight Phyllis and I attended the concert at the Ives Center. KC and the Sunshine Band was awesome! They kept the audience on their feet for the entire show!! Hit after hit came out and they performed for a solid two hours. The only dissapointment was the weather which really depressed the turnout, but the small crowd was enthusiastic! Believe it or not, we stayed relatively dry. The next show is Foreigner on August 2nd. Get your tickets now because they are selling fast!

The Ives Authority is doing a great job and thanks to Union Savings Bank, we are in a much stronger financial position. Come by and check out a show!

All the Best,
MayorMark

Make each day count...

Over the last several days I have been tied up with some family issues. Specifically, my father-in-law has been at Danbury Hospital struggling to overcome some serious medical issues. Phyllis and I have been with him most of the week.

Hopefully, he is on the mend. I have never been so impressed with the level of care then what I have seen at Danbury Hospital. The Doctors, Nurses, and the entire staff have been excellent. I don't think our families could have made it this far without them.

We are lucky to have such angels among us...

All the Best,
MayorMark

First broadcast of Common Council meeting goes well.

Last night at our Common Council meeting we had an opportunity to test out our new equipment and actually broadcast a meeting live. Seems like everything went well and most importantly, the sound was good.

There are a lot of people to thank on this issue. For the last ten years, the Republicans who were a small minority on th Common Council, advocated and asked that the meetings be broadcast on TV. More recently, the Democrats on the Council (who rejected the idea when they were in the majority), have advocated that the meetings be broadcast on TV. For the record, both groups were right and they both deserve credit.

Ironically, I rarely have ever heard from the public regarding this issue. But that does not mean that it shouldn't be done, it does mean that sometimes you have to let people discover something that they did not have before.

Things seem to be going pretty well, and with the Council allocating $5000.00 for part-time salaries to pay for staff, you should see more and more content.

Have a terrific July 4th Holiday!!

All the Best,
MayorMark

PS. Special thanks to Ivon and John for their volunteer efforts in taping.

Fireworks at Candlewood.

Last night my wife Phyllis and I joined thousands of other Danburians in watching the fireworks show put on by the Danbury Volunteer Firefighter Council. It was a fantastic program and the fireworks were the best that I have seen yet. Congratulations to all that made this wonderful event happen and best wishes to all for a terrific fourth of July!!