New Year's wishes to a bunch of special people.

Doing a post like this is always risky, but I want to express to you how thankful I am for a terrific year. So in no particular order, here it goes:

Thanks to the staff in the Mayor's office. Mike, Ted, Elisa, Wendy, Rebbecca, Dru, Pat and Joan, you guys are awesome and I am lucky to work with you. You care about our city and it shows each and every day.

Wayne Baker, Dan Jowdy, Scozz, Jean Natale, MaryAnn, Pete Jabara, and every candidate who ran for office in November, as well as all of the volunteers, thank you for a huge victory.

To the media(past and present), Mark Langlois, Eugene Driscoll, Pirro, Miller, Karen Ali, Marietta, Eileen, Brian, Art Cummings, and yes Mary Connolly (I know I will regret this later)as well as the folks at the Tribuna: Celia, Manu, and Angela, thank you for doing your job fairly and objectively, you are a pleasure to work with and I am proud to know you. Oops! Almost forgot Irv, Pudgie, and Jillian at WLAD...sorry ditto for you guys as well.

To the staff at City Hall and all of the Department heads, you guys are awesome. You make the City shine and you make my job so much fun and so rewarding-thank you.

To my old friends in Danbury Public School system, keep up the terrific work. I am so proud to be a Mayor of a City that cares about its children.

To the members of the Common Council, Democrats and Republicans alike, great job in 07' thank you for caring about Danbury and thank you for all of your efforts.

Same for all of our appointed and elected Boards and Commissions.

I am excited about our future and excited about Danbury. So here's wishing to an awesome 2008 for each of you. Let's keep Danbury moving forward.

First Night should be a blast.

If you want some good old fashion fun on New Years Eve, check out First Night here in City Center Danbury. Starting at 4:00 PM, it concludes at 8:00 PM with Fireworks viewing from the roof of the new Bardo Parking Garage. There will be games, musical acts, and a celebration of all that is good in our community! I have included a link to the First Night Danbury web page here. So check it out, it should a blast.

In this season of joy, let's not forget the homeless.

Over the last several weeks there has been several announcements relating to Homelessness here in Danbury.

In my State of the City speech, I indicated that we would be taking a new approach to the operation of our homeless shelter. I am proud of the work that is done by our staff there, but the sad fact is that we continue to serve the same population over and over again.

So what is the answer? I believe that we have to work with our chronically homeless population to help them re-integrate back in to society. We need to develop a strategy that encourages self improvement, success, and restores confidence back to our clients.

Since most of the chronically homeless face mental health issues, substance abuse issues, and other challenges, part of our work at the homeless shelter will be to encourage clients to get the help that they need, so that can take that first tentative step towards independence.

I have met with Caitlan Randano our Director of Welfare, and we are in the process of drafting policies that will help our residents do just that. We will present our new guidelines to staff at the shelter first, then release the plan to the public at large.

Secondly, HUD gave us a tremendous Christmas present by increasing our funding of homelessness initiatives 29%. After receiving a congratulatory call from HUD officials, they cited the innovative and creative steps that Danbury has taken in addressing homelessness. They were particularly impressed with our Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness. Good news for some of our most challenged residents..

All the Best,
Mayor Mark

Wishing you and your family all the best this holiday season...

Sincerely,
Mark D. Boughton
Mayor

Sign up for twitter!!!

I am offering a new service here at Mayor Mark's Blog. It is called twitter and it is shown on the top right side bar of this page. The service will allow you to get instant updates of activities and events that I am up to, as well as real time information and news as it happens. You can read it online, or you can sign up for text message updates. Check it out.

Anthrax clean up..

It has been an interesting and frustrating week as we are in the final stages of getting the house on Padanaram Rd. (Rt. 37) cleaned of anthrax. As of this writing we are about 8 hours into the fumigation process and we have several more hours to go. Then the house has to ventilate and then the EPA will do another round of testing. Needless to say, the traffic has been a nightmare around this area and the businesses are suffering.

So for the record, First and Last, Halas Farm Market, Jim Barbarie's, and Dom's Garden Center are all open and ready for business. Hopefully, the state DEP,DPH, and the EPA will be out of there before the weekend. Stay patient.

All The Best,
Mayor Mark

Traffic Cameras.

Over the last year we installed traffic cameras at key intersections throughout the City so residents can check their route to work, a city event, or just to go shopping. Our traffic engineers also use the system to make decisions about the timing of traffic signals, and traffic volume. The City of Danbury has been receiving a tremendous amount of internet traffic (excuse the pun) as people have been taking advantage of this new technology.

I am including the link for you, but you can always go to the City of Danbury website to directly access the cameras. Check it out, it is interesting and helpful when you are planning your commute.

All the Best,
Mayor Mark

State of the City 2007

By popular demand, here is the State of the City address that I gave to the Chamber of Commerce on Friday.

State of the City 2007
Danbury Connecticut

Thank you and I would like to thank each of you for being here today.

Congratulations are in order for Albert Salame and his organization. Albert is a visionary and a dedicated member of our community.

I would like to acknowledge all of our dedicated elected officials who are here today. Danbury works because we all work together regardless of party affiliation for the betterment of our city and our community.

I would also like to thank and recognize our team of dedicated city administrators and department heads for their work in making Danbury a better place.

Thank you Steve Bull and Harry Carey and the Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce for putting this event together.

I am also proud to be joined today by Police Chief Alan Baker and Fire Chief Geoff Herald. Both have taken bold steps to ensure that our streets are the safest in Connecticut.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to report to you today that City of Danbury is in strong financial shape, maintaining
the highest credit and bond ratings in our city's history.

As I speak to you here today, Danbury is experiencing strong economic growth and has the lowest unemployment rate in the State of Connecticut.

Our taxes continue to be some of the lowest in the state, and our sewer and water rates continue to be 100% below the state average.


While the downturn in the residential real estate market has impacted many areas, Danbury continues to be a desirable place to raise a family. Our business community continues to enjoy a positive economic climate and a positive outlook.


Our public improvement projects are marching forward, highlights include the new

Police Station which is under construction and set for completion in the fall of 2009.

The Rose Hill Bridge which in under construction and will be completed in the next several months.

A new elementary school which will be open sometime in 2009.

We also have completed a number of projects that have added value to our community.

Kaplanis Field was completed and dedicated in the fall.

The Bardo Parking Garage in our City Center is open and was dedicated just last month.
‘
A new fire station for the west side of the city was completed and dedicated in September, this new facility cuts response times to the west side of Danbury in half.

Last year at this event we rolled out a 311 resident information line that has won awards across the country for its creativity, its economy and its effectiveness.

In fact, since Dec 18, 2006, our 311 line has handled over 22,000 complaints ranging from potholes in a street to a lost pet.

Our Unified Neighborhood Inspection Team as worked with over 500 properties owners to bring them into compliance with our zoning laws. This year the State’s Attorney’s Office has assigned a prosecutor to work with the UNIT, the first such program in the State of Connecticut.

We have also set the table for more improvements and enhancements to our community. Specifically:

My administration is asking our residents to approve an open space intiative that has set a target of acquiring 1200 Acres of open space by the year 2012.

We are also asking the voters to support a number of infrastructure improvements as well as improvements to Parks and Recreation facilities at referendum to be held on Feb 5th

We have started the process to update and revise our City Charter.

The Chief of Police and I are beginning the process of reorganizing our Police Department to put more officers on the street.
The Fire Chief and I are beginning the process of a strategis study of our Fire Services.

This administration has accomplished much over the last several years and I am proud of its record.

I am also excited and energized by the prospects of another term in office. Yes we have challenges, but we also have so much to be proud of.

I am proud of our diverse community that celebrates life and recognizes the worth of each human being.

I am proud of our elected officials, both Democrats and Republicans, that are committed to putting the needs of our city and its residents first.

We have a vibrant and strong Arts Community.

We have a University that is growing and is once again having a record year in terms of applications for enrollment for next year.

We have a Hospital that has just opened a brand new medical care facility that will take patient care to a new level.

Congratulations are also in order to Frank Kelly and his staff for being named a top 100 hundred hospital in the United States and for being ranked in the top 5% of all hospitals by HealthGrades.

We have a growing and diverse faith based community that has become care providers and partners with the city to help those who are the most challenged in our community.

We have a school system that out performs many other districts of similar size.

We also have a dedicated group of young people from Danbury High School who have made it their mission to inform us of the genocide that is taking place in the Darfur region in the Sudan.

In fact, I was so touched by the video made by our students that I asked our city pension boards to adopt a policy that prohibits investment by our pension funds (some 250 million dollars) in any company or organization that does business in the Darfur region of the Sudan as a protest to the genocide that has occurred there.

These students have learned that Margaret Mead was right when she said that a small group of committed people, can change the world.

Isn’t that one of the best lessons we can teach young people?

While I am proud of our community, I also recognize that we have challenges and just as you have grown to expect, we will meet them head on.

One challenge that we will address is the recent reevaluation which has shown dramatic increases in the value of our residents homes and your businesses.

We will address this challenge by using every tool in our toolbox to minimize the impact of the new assessments.

If you recall, we were faced with a similar situation in 2002, and working with the Common Council, we were able to craft a financial plan that did not result in large across the board tax increases for our residents. Today I pledge to do the same…

We are challenged by development that’s a good problem to have, but we need to manage it. Too often Danbury has been subject to development plans that are too intense, too dense, and quite frankly, show a lack of respect for the residents who live here.

In response to that, we have implemented new zoning regulations that were some what controversial, but that were important at protecting the quality of life of residents, and that provided a level of transparency so that our residents were informed of pending development plans.

We are also challenged by the issue of illegal immigration and its impact on our ability to deliver city services. As you are aware, over the years there has been much discussion and debate in our community surrounding this issue. Currently there is a proposal to enroll our Police Department in a program that will provide additional training to some of our officers in immigration law.

After careful analysis and review, and based on the recommendations from our Chief of Police, our Corporation Counsel, and with approval from the Common Council, the City will participate in this worthwhile program.

I also believe that our downtown area and our Main Street still represent a challenge to us. Main Street has made a lot of progress, but still has not reached its potential..

That is not to say that our downtown has suffered a lack of work or a lack of passion. To the contrary, many Mayors and many administrations have had great visions for the revitalization of our downtown.

But what we are lacking is a plan for downtown that will span administrations. We need a vision that respects the residents and the businesses who are currently downtown, and a plan that has buy in of all the major stake holders. But most importantly the plan will live on regardless of changes in administrations.

Within the next thirty days I will be appointing a task force of individuals to develop a plan for our downtown that is visionary and far reaching.
Our task force for Main Street will engage our residents, our property owners, our CityCenter team and our business community. This Task Force will develop a revitalization plan that will provide direction to help us implement policies, ideas, and innovative programs that will elevate our downtown.

This is not a criticism of the hard work that our City Center board has put in or the energy that it’s Director, Andrea Gartner provides.

Indeed it’s their concern and passion that have convinced me that the effort is worth it.

We also need to begin thinking long term about our school system and what education will be like in the future for Danbury children. I have spent many hours discussing the future of education in Danbury with our Superintendent, Dr. Pascarella.

We believe that it is time to provide long range planning for our students and that we should consider the learning styles of children, the demand s of working in the global economy, and the programming necessary to develop highly educated, highly skilled young adults in our community.

This means that our new educational system must be focused around programming. The Superintendent and I will appoint a long range planning committee that will look at the best programming across the country and then we will replicate here in our city.

We will design our facilities around our programming.
Not our programming around our facilities.

For example, I envision a day when our students at Danbury High School are working hand in hand with Danbury Hospital exploring medical careers and providing real services to the Hospital while being evaluated at the same time.

I envision a day when Danbury students will partner with Western Ct. St. University and our Police Department to explore careers in policing. Our students might spend several hours a week with our Police Department, and then attend classes in the Criminal Justice program at Westconn in preparation for a career in law enforcement.

Our goal will be to break students into the smallest groups possible, use the assets around us, and create scores of learning academies all around the City with Danbury High School serving as the hub.

Imagine our young people working with corporations, with our non-profits, and the city, to give them real-world experience, and a sense of what is required for success in the new economy.

These academies will be our lighthouses of learning. They will light the way to success for our students.


As many of you know, we have also embarked on a program to address the issue of homelessness in the City. I have asked our Director of Welfare to begin drafting new guidelines for our City Shelter. Those guidelines will focus in on giving the clients who use our shelter hope,and a sense of purpose.

We are going to ask that people who use the shelter contribute to the city by requiring they complete some community service in exchange for staying in our shelter or contribute to themselves by enrolling in a program to get back on their feet.

Clients who use our shelter will be expected to either be taking positive steps to better themselves, or they will be contributing in some small way to better the community. Either way, they will begin to feel that they are part of the community in which they live.

Ladies and Gentleman, as you can see I am just as energized today as I was when I first took office in 2001.

I want to thank you for your support. Each of you has played a role in making Danbury a better place to live. Each of you has provided much needed advice and counsel to me over the years and I want to thank you.

I want to pledge to you today, that I will be as open and accessible as I was when I started this job. I will continue with Saturdays with the Mayor. Each quarter I will conduct Town Hall meetings around the city for residents to attend and ask questions as well as discuss issues that face Danbury.


The doors of my office are still wide open, and each year we service thousands of residents who have problems or concerns or just want a sympathetic ear.

Recently I received a lengthy e-mail from a young man named Adam who wanted me to make is mother “mother of the year” in his e-mail, he chronicles his life and the tough times that he and is mother went through. He recently found out that is mother never received any child support for him. She drove him to school, helped with his homework, worked two jobs.

Some nights things were so tight that she would not eat so that her son could eat. Yet she never complained. She never told her son that she was under such financial pressure.

It is an amazing story. When she found out that he had shared this with me she was upset-she didn’t want to be “mother of the year”. That is typical of people who are really the angels among us they don’t want recognition.

A mother’s love for her son on a cold winter night refusing to eat so her child could. These are the simple things that make life so important; things that we sometimes take for granted.

These are the people who understand the true meaning of the Holidays…

During this holiday season, I encourage to spend time with your families; after all, it is a magical time for our children.

Finally, I ask that you pray for our young men and young women overseas defending the cause of freedom. Pray for their safety and their speedy return.

God Bless You,
And God Bless America.

Thanks for a great year...

Two storms coming.... Means a white Christmas..

It looks like we may have a good chance at having a "White Christmas" after all. Two storms are predicted for later during the week. One for Thursday and one for Saturday into Sunday.

The Thursday storm is a fast moving affair that should clear out by midnight or so. We are expecting 4-8" in the greater Danbury area.

The Saturday storm is shaping up to be more significant with a potential of 6-12" in Danbury although it is too early to be accurate.

Both storms also carry the possibility of significant icing as well. Needless to say, we will have our public works crew ready to tackle both of these events should our predictions turn out accurate.

Stay tuned...

All the Best,
Mayor Mark

The Nutcracker.

For those of you who are interested in getting into the "holiday spirit". I would suggest you take in The Nutcracker, performed by the Danbury Music Center and the Danbury Symphony-Orchestra. It is a wonderful production that features many area children in key roles.

Of course in the interest of full disclosure, I do make a cameo appearence as "Mother Ginger" in ACT II (please don't share this with too many people). This is a fun and uplifting performance of a timeless classic.

Show times are tonight at 6:00 PM and tomorrow at 3:00 PM at Danbury High School. I believe that there are still tickets available. I have included this link to the Danbury Music Center's website.

Enjoy!
All The Best,
Mayor Mark

Blue Ribbon Commission on Housing and Economic Development

Governor Rell has asked that I chair a task force on Housing and Economic Development. The Task Force consists of members of the state government and appointees from the various caucuses. Our charge? To examine housing affordability in the state, with emphasis on economic growth and development. This will be a comprehensive report to the Governor and the Legislature as it relates to current housing policy in the state and its impact on our ability to grow the economy.

I am honored that Governor has asked that I undertake this project. I will be working with advocates and experts from across the state over the next several months to complete this study. Our goal is to have recommendations to present to the Governor by June 30th 2008. We also will have an interim report Feb. 1 so that the Legislature can consider some of our recommendations during the upcoming session.

I have scheduled our first meeting in the L.O.B. for Dec. 18th. I will keep you posted as we begin this process.

All the Best,
Mayor Mark

Revaluation information.

I have received about a half dozen or so phone calls regarding the recent reevaluation notices that were sent out at the end of last week.
Just to give you some background, the State of Connecticut requires us to do a reevaluation every 5 years. This is a statistical reevaluation based on what the market has done within the last year or so. In the 10th year each city and town is required to do a physical reevaluation. We included money in the bond vote to conduct the state required reevaluation in 2006. Cost for a statistical revaluation is about $400,000. A physical reevaluation is much more expensive. Notices went out last week once Vision Appraisal completed their work. This is about the same time that they went out 2002.

So why does the State of Connecticut require Cities and Towns to do this?
Here is the best explanation I have seen:

"The purpose of revaluation is to redistribute the property tax burden by assessing all taxable property at the same level of value. A revaluation is not intended to artificially raise revenues; its purpose is to value all properties by the same standard at the same point in time."

I would like to caution you that a higher assessment does not necessarily mean higher taxes. You cannot multiply your increase (mine went up by about $70,000) by the current mill rate. We will not be sure what will happen to the mill rate since there are many variables that play into our budget process. State Aid, Revenues, Department requests, and Grand List growth will determine what the new mill rate will be.

There also a number of steps that we can take to mitigate the increases. Much like we did in 2002. For example, we can phase in the reevaluation over 4 years.

If, for any reason, you think that there is a problem with your assessment, please set up an appointment immediately. The team from Vision will be here all month.

You can also go to the Vision Appraisal website. You can click here for the Vision Appraisal tax payer information. Of course, you can always contact my office at 203-797-4511 if need additional information.

All The Best,
Mayor Mark

4th Ward Neighborhood Meeting.

On Thursday I attended a neighborhood meeting of residents who live in the 4th Ward. It was an interesting evening. Residents are particularly concerned about the potential for a transfer station located off of Plumtrees Rd.

They also expressed concern about the look of Plumtrees Rd., the cut through that we are building to give residents access to a light at the end of Pocono Rd (exit 8), and various traffic issues.

Most of their concerns centered around quality of life issues. Something that we have worked hard at addressing during the time that I have been in office.

Roughly 40 or so people attended, and the majority stayed the whole 2 plus hours. Special thanks to Councilmen John Esposito and Tom Saadi, for arranging the event, and to State Rep. Bob Godfrey and State Rep. Joe Taborsak for attending. It was a positive night for all. Look for more of these kinds of forums in the future.

All The Best,
Mayor Mark

JOIN US TOMORROW.

We will be having the swearing in ceremony tomorrow for the newly elected officials.

Time: 3:00 PM
Where: Broadview Middle School

It should last about one hour. There will be light refreshments after..

See ya there!

UPDATE:
We are on for today. Rain, sleet, or snow. Check out Main Street. We are testing a new material to remove snow, ice, and sleet.

All the Best,
Mayor Mark