Blackberry Storm.

Got it, love it, don't believe the bad reviews. Never believe the New York Times..

Happy Thanksgiving!

Its rough out there, no question about it. That is why this holiday season we have to help in our own way.

It's time to reach out to each other and make sure that our friends, families, and neighbors are ok.

It is also a time to reflect on what makes America great. The core values of every American are the same, regardless of religion, ethnicity, race, or political affiliation. That is what makes us so special.

So this holiday season, give a little more to your favorite non-profit, or donate your time to help a family in need, or say a simple prayer for our America.

We will get through this. We will do it together, united by a single purpose and the power of our good intentions.

We are the last best hope on earth, and don't you forget that.

Happy Thanksgiving. God Bless America.

All The Best,
Mayor Mark

Congratulations to Carter L. Marshall Lodge and the Jennie Bryant Temple.

Special thanks to Jerry Terman for putting these holiday Gift Baskets together for those in need.

Lecture at Wabash College.

This past Monday I was at Wabash College in Crawfordsville Indiana to conduct a lecture for "Unidos Por Sangre" or U.P.S.

U.P.S. is the Latin affairs club for the College. The lecture was about illegal immigration and its impact on communities as well as the prospects for some kind of immigration plan for the Obama administration.

The club is comprised of students from all over the United States of Latino descent. The students were well behaved (they have something called the "gentleman's rule", seems to work) as well as thoughtful in their questions and were interested in the topic.

I was incredibly impressed with the College. What a great place to receive an education.

Remember this name: Josh Lopez. He is a Danbury High School graduate, president of the club, and a junior at Wabash. Josh will be studying in Argentina in the spring semester. His parents live in Danbury and his sister was one of my students when I was teaching. Needless to say, I am sure Josh will do great things in life, he was a terrific host and I am proud of his accomplishments. Keep up the good work!

All The Best,
Mayor Mark

Welcome back 411th Civil Affairs Battalion!

Welcome home to our local heroes!! Thank you for your service.

Here it is.

Now, onto the Backus Avenue!

Padanaram Bridge set to open tomorrow at 12 PM.

Tomorrow, at 12 noon, I will cut the ribbon on the Padanaram Bridge, the third completed bridge of this year. All of this work comes on the heels of a bridge assessment and upgrading program I started following the tragic collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minnesota.

This means that you will finally be able to travel down Padanaram Rd. without facing a delay and without facing a detour. This also means that our Fire Apparatus will not have to avoid Padanaram Rd. on their way to a call.

Great job by Antonio Iadarola and the Construction Management Division.

Now on to the next one!

State of Connecticut Budget Deficit Creates Opportunity.

OK so maybe I am an optimist. But, the recent revelations by Gov. Rell that the State of Connecticut is facing a multi -billion dollar shortfall in 2010 and 2011 does create an opportunity for the Governor and the State Legislature to look at ways that we tax and finally, finally do something about property tax reform.

The next several years will not be easy and they will not be fun, but maybe, just maybe, the powers that be in the state house will see the current state budget crisis as an opportunity and maybe there will be a real discussion about taxation and how we raise revenue to run the state, and how we raise revenue to run our local municipalities.

These two issues are the real 800 lb gorilla in the room.

Democrats have talked about property tax reform (rightly so) and for years Republicans have talked about expenditures and how we spend our money (rightly so). All of these conversations have been counter productive because both groups are right. There should be reform on both issues.

The Governor is right, the State of Connecticut does spend too much on programming that has little or no impact on our communities and can be done more efficiently by the private sector. Our union benefits for state workers and our state workforce are way too big and way to bureaucratic. There has to be a conversation about these issues and the unions should participate in the conversation. But cutting the state budget, while necessary, is only half of the problem.

The Democratic caucuses are right as well, there must be property tax reform (not just a cap, that is not reform). The property tax is a regressive tax that does not measure an individuals ability to pay. There are many seniors who are house rich (even that is debatable in this market) and are living on a fixed income.

Difficult problems? No question. But now more than ever the state legislature must come together to work on these critical issues facing the taxpayers of Connecticut. There is opportunity, but only if they can seize it.

Let's hope that the state legislature does not spend its time arguing over silly issues this session while ignoring the Gorilla in the room.

Veterans Hall is finally dedicated!

Congratulations to our Construction Management Division for their hard work. This project is a tremendous testiment to our veterans.

Danbury Veterans Day Service

Veterans Day service will be held at 11:00 AM in front of the War Memorial. Dedication of Veterans Hall will take place following the service. Make sure that you thank a vet!

Just a reminder: City Hall is closed today.

MayorMark's Blog featured on Fox61.

Thanks Rick, great job!

School budget faces tough test.

Planning has already begun for the 2009-2010 fiscal. Education spending accounts for approximately 65% of the City of Danbury's budget.

This week the State Department of Education has begun a process of identifying where they will cut 10% from their budget to accommodate Gov. Rell's directive of shaving all state department spending by 10% for the next fiscal year.

These cuts by the State will be painful on our school system. Unfortunately, the City of Danbury is not in a position to supplant the cuts with an increase in local taxes, nor should we have to. The simple fact is that the State of Connecticut has been short changing our public schools for years. The state has ignored the pleas of municipalities to develop a fair and equitable method of funding our schools for the last decade. Now, with these new cuts, it sets up each school district for failure.

On top of that, the State Board of Education just recommended costly new high school graduation requirements. Talk about being out of touch!

Of course our current economic conditions are dire, and that means that State of Connecticut will have to rethink they way it does business. But these cuts will have a devastating impact, and it will be our job to inform the state legislature that education cuts are unacceptable.

The News-Times has an article regarding the state's plan. In the meantime, I have written to our Superintendent of Schools Dr. Pascarella asking him to begin the planning process now for the education budget. Stay tuned, there will be rough sledding ahead.

Mayor Mark

Danbury MadHatters open with a great show.

It was an exciting night at the Danbury Icearena this past Saturday. Although the Madhatters lost the home opener, the level of hockey was terrific. It was great to see such a large crowd at the Icearena, and even Section 102 was on their best behavior. You can learn more about the Danbury MadHatters by clicking onto their website. Stop down at the Icearena and catch a game.

Congratulations to President-Elect Barack Obama

What an incredible accomplishment. I congratulate Senator Obama on a great victory and an inspiring campaign.

Running a Presidential campaign is difficult and incredibly complex. The Obama campaign was one of the most well organized campaigns in the history of our nation. Since he burst onto the national scene four years ago, Obama has energized all that he has touched.

His positive message of hope was an inspiration to many. Now the campaign is over, and the hard part begins. Every politician, from a local Mayor to a County Executive to the President of the United States, looks and the mirror and realizes that running for office is one thing, governing is something else.

I wish President-Elect Obama all the best and I lend him all of my support and my prayers as he leads our great nation.

All The Best,
Mayor Mark

Danbury election results.

Here are the official Danbury election results for Tuesday November 4th 2008.

Percentage of registered voters voting: 77% (04' turnout was 82%).

President:
Barack Obama: 16,028
John McCain: 10,732
Nader: 219
Write-in: 30

US Congress:
David Cappiello: 10,964
Chris Murphy: 12,341
Chris Murphy: 1,365
Winn: 184
Harold Burbank: 145

Write in: 4

*State Senate:
Mike McLachlan: 11,192
Duane Perkins: 11,620
Duane Perkins: 1,257
Mike McLachlan: 940
Manuel Bataguas: 458

Perkins plurality in Danbury: +745

Bethel :

Sherman:

New Fairfield: McLachlan +1,700

McLachlan plurality:

*2nd District:
Melanie O'Brien: 1,454
Jason Bartlett: 2,239
O'Brien: 128

109th District:
Ted Farah: 2,660
Joe Taborsak: 4,824
Joe Taborsak: 565
Ted Farah: 169

110th District:
Roger Palanzo: 2,305
Bob Godfrey: 3,688
Bob Godfrey: 262

*138th District:
Jan Giegler:3,250
Bill Melillo: 3,307
Jan Giegler: 281


* indicates that there are multiple towns in the district. These results are for Danbury only. When I get complete results from surrounding towns, I will post them and calculate the plurality.

Today is election day, don't forget to vote!

I have included a link to the polling locations in the City of Danbury. Click here for more information about your voting location. Good luck to all of the candidates.

Election Night Coverage.

Tomorrow night I will be "twittering" local election results as soon as I have them. Make sure you sign up to be a follower on twitter so that you can get the results of your favorite candidate asap. Later on Wednesday I will post a wrap up. Good Luck to all of the candidates on both sides of the aisle.

Biker Rally for David Cappiello and Mike McLachlan

Special thanks to Don Clady for a great time at Danbury High School. All the candidates were there and it was a great way to build support for David and Mike. In attendance were two gold star fathers, as well as candidates and elected officials.