Arrived..

Just waiting on instructions from our nominee John McCain, on how we can help with the Hurricane relief efforts.

Wow!!

McCain picks Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. What a team and what a masterful stroke.

Convention Bound..

On Sunday morning I will be heading to Minneapolis-St. Paul for the Republican National Convention. I enjoy going to conventions, they are the place to be if you enjoy people watching. They are not the place to be if you expect any actual work to be done. These events are about the theater of politics and elections, not governing. Governing is much more difficult than winning an election.

In 2004 I was able to attend the Republican Convention in New York City. I had a ball. Got to meet all kinds of people. This year as a seasoned convention goer, I will be prepared. I will be blogging and twittering (is that a verb?) right here on MayorMark.Com. I have also been asked to blog for the NewsTimes. On Wednesday I will be on WTIC's Ray and Dianne in the morning and on WCBS radio from New York City later in the day.

Stay tuned...more to follow.

Who is this man???

This is the City of Danbury's Public Works Director Antonio Iadarola on his vintage tractor at the Bridewater Fair. He, well, never mind........ as long as he does the job...right?

One book, One Community Kicks Off!

The One book, One Community program encourages the Danbury and Western Connecticut State university communities to read the same book during the summer and fall of 2008, then come together to discuss the text in venues throughout the city and the university.

Congratulations to Mark Hasskarl our Library Director and to Linda Rinker from WCSU for putting together this wonderful program. The book is called "the namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri. I already have my copy, now it's your turn to pick a copy up and get reading!

For more information visit the website at www.onebookdanbury.org.

City considers a 4 Day work week.

Recently there has been a lot of talk regarding the City of Danbury going to a four day work week. I have spent a lot of time working with the employees here at City Hall to craft an operational plan that will offer more services to our residents, and at the same time reduce our energy costs. Sound like nirvana? Not really.

Yesterday we had a vote by our municipal employees to adopt a new work schedule and our staff voted to move forward with the change. Make no mistake. This will involve some change. Our new schedule for City Hall will be as follows:

Mon. 7:30 AM-6:00 PM
Tues. 7:30 AM-6:00 PM
Wed. 7:30 AM-6:00 PM
Thurs. 7:30 AM-6:30 PM
Fri.- Closed

City Hall will be open for an additional 2.5 hours during the week. This new program will also allow us to save approximately $150,000 in heating costs not to mention the savings on gasoline for our fleet.

No question that change is difficult. But it is also important to work smarter in these difficult times. I believe that as time goes on, the residents will get used to the new schedule.

Cell tower wrong for Stadley Rough neighborhoods.

Last night I hosted a meeting with residents of the Stadley Rough Rd. area to discuss the proposed cell tower at 52 Stadley Rough Rd. According to the application to the Connecticut Siting Council submitted by Optisite, the cell tower would be 140' high and would have 4 potential carriers located on it.

This application is deeply flawed and the City of Danbury Cell Tower Task Force is currently working on a presentation to the Siting Council on Sept. 9 to illustrate the deficiencies in the application.

This is not the first time that my administration has had to step in and vigorously oppose a location for the tower. Several years ago, there was a similar proposal for the location of a cell tower at another location in the same area. Like the previous proposal, this cell tower proposal will infringe on the character of the neighborhood. Locating a cell tower in the middle of a long established residential area impacts the quality of life for all.

There is an important Public Hearing on Sept. 9th 2008 at Broadview Middle School at 7PM where the public can voice their opposition. I would encourage the public to attend this important meeting to express our concerns about this proposal. In the meantime, if you want more information, the neighborhood has set up a website at www.nocelltower.we.bs. Check it out. See you on the 9th of September.

India's Independence Day.

Today we celebrated India's Independence Day by raising the flag of India over our City in Hall in Danbury. We have many Indian-Americans living in Danbury and in the Greater Danbury Area. With almost 200 hundred people attending the celebration, it is obvious that the Indian community is one of the most vibrant in Danbury. Speeches were given by State Senator David Cappiello, and by members of the Greater Danbury Indian Association. Special thanks to Councilman Shay Nagarsheth for putting this event together.

Proud to be from Danbury..

This flag in Iraq was carried by one of our proud Danbury soldiers serving as an MP in Iraq. Doug Clark has served about six months and will have to serve about six more months to complete his tour (he is holding the flag on the end, third from the right).

"The entire City of Danbury is proud of you Doug, we thank you for your courage and your passion in America. Be safe, and come home soon. A grateful community awaits you."

All The Best,
Mayor Mark

Religious procession makes its way through the streets of Gouveia.

The President of the Camera (mayor) and his wife, myself, and my tour guide Manuel
Cipriano, prepare to begin the religious procession that takes place through the streets of Gouveia.






The crucifixion is carried through the town in a solemn procession to commemorate the last days of Jesus Christ. Most of the community is Catholic and this is an annual event.




The statute makes its way back to the Church after walking through the town streets.

A new friend for Danbury.

I did make a special friend while I was in Portugal! This is an Estrela Mountain Dog. Unfortunately, I could not take him home.

Pictures from Portugal.

The Mayor of Gouveia or President of the Camera, Alvaro Amero and I share a laugh before I address the members of the community in the Council Chambers in the City Hall of Gouveia. I have a ton of pictures and will set up a slide show somewhere somehow. Stay patient..

Dispatch from Portugal.

OK I will be quick, but just a quick message to all that Portugal is awesome. I spent most of today touring schools, medical facilities, and a rehabilitation clinic. I also toured a Winery. The weather is spectacular, I am in a small town called Gouveia which is our sister city and is located in the mountains north of Lisbon. I have seen tons of Danbury people here and will attending a wedding tomorrow of a Danbury family whose daughter is getting married.
Thats the good. The bad? No internet and no cell phone which means that I am sitting at an internet cafe. Boy, technological deprivation is painful. Gotta go...hope all is well.

Common Council wrap up.

Quiet night at the Common Council meeting. The Council voted to purchase 1.4 acres of land located in the Ives Concert Park. The Council also approved the SAVE program for seniors and provided a spirited discussion on leasing land at Broadview Middle School (it did not go through). All in all, a solid, efficient night, that all Danburians can be proud of.

All The Best,
Mayor Mark

Thank you Gov. Rell.

This post is a little late or at little early depending on how you look at it, but come Monday (sorry Parrotheads) the State Bond Commission will vote on 40 million dollars to complete the Rt. 7 widening. This project has been ongoing for the last several years as the state D.O.T. via our Gov. has made a commitment to begin the widening. This initiative has been talked about for the last 75 years.

I would also like to thank State Representative John Frey from Ridgefield who did an outstanding job at alerting the Gov. that the federal government was not going to have the funds to complete the expansion. It is rare that a public servant will look beyond their own interests to put the needs of the region first. John did that so Ridgefield and Danbury will both benefit. Great job.

A widened Rt. 7 will help Danbury grow economically, and will help with traffic flow on that side of the city. Thanks again to Gov. Rell for her support!

Fire out at Highland Avenue.

Thanks to the hard work of our Fire Department. Nice stop. Keep up the good work.