Danbury a shining light among Connecticut cities
Many of you have probably seen me post #DanburyPride as a hashtag on social media — I started using it back in 2016 to highlight our city’s many successes. While many Connecticut communities continue to struggle to grow — several dozen increased their tax rates last year — Danbury’s tax rate for this year remains flat. We haven’t pulled a rabbit out of our hats here in the Hat City — this is the result of years of sound policy and quantifiable growth.
#DanburyPride is more than just a campaign slogan — it embraces the numerous immigrant communities that have built and continue to build our great city, it honors the service of Danbury’s numerous veterans who have answered the call to service, the great educational institutions in our city that have provided new opportunities for your children, and it gives thanks for the police officers, firemen, and other city employees who keep our city safe and clean.
It’s 2019 — I’m not going to pretend that Danbury is the same city I grew up in or the one that first elected me mayor 18 years ago. It’s better.
Through our collective efforts, Danbury has become the most affordable, livable, and economically vibrant city in Connecticut.
Since 2010, our city population has increased 5 percent and our economic output has increased by more than 10 percent. While other cities have struggled to retain or attract millennials, Danbury has more than 24,000 residents between the ages of 20 and 39. These young residents flocking to Danbury ensure a future for the city that has raised you and me. Further, almost one third of our residents were born in a foreign country — a testament to the city’s welcoming community. While Connecticut has struggled to escape the Great Recession, Danbury has thrived.
Astonishingly enough, my political foes are trying to paint this growth as a weakness. But how could you view a city that has become home to thousands of new residents, new businesses, and young families as a negative?
Since last year, some 900 new businesses have registered in Danbury. In the same amount of time, 1,000 more Danbury residents are employed in our city and surrounding communities. We continue to remain a stronghold for large corporations such as Praxair, Ethan Allen, Acuren, Cartus, Boehringer Ingelheim, and other longstanding Danbury employers.
We’ve also made sure that we do our job and educate every student who arrives at our doorstep. Over the past five years, we’ve increased the graduation rate at Danbury High School by more than 4 percentage points. The graduation rate among Hispanic and Latino students has increased
13 percent since the 201213 school year to
74.2 percent in 2018.
With this success, we’ve also seen growth in our student population — that’s why I have been working with the Superintendent of Schools and other stakeholders to come up with a longterm plan to continue this track record of success. Educational achievement can’t be measured by dollars spent — we lose that battle every day compared to other cities and towns in Fairfield County. Graduation rates, college and technical school matriculation, and employment statistics are true measures of success and in Danbury they show we’re doing very well.
With growth comes a need for rethinking transportation around our city and improving access outside of Danbury. The release of the City’s Transit Opportunity District (TOD) study this year provided analysis of how to make sure that Danbury remains a hub for Western Connecticut. My plan involves rethinking how we approach public transportation in our region. We can move the city’s bus hub to the train station in order to ensure that multiple modes of transportation converge are at one central location.
My opponent has sent out mailers and paid for advertising that advertises “Change.” Do you want “change” or do you want continued success in the best city in Connecticut?
Together, we’ve made Danbury the Pride of Connecticut — let’s keep moving forward.
I’m not going to pretend that Danbury is the same city I grew up in or the one that first elected me mayor 18 years ago. It’s better.