Mayor: Danbury fueling state’s comeback
In his first State of the City address, Esposito emphasizes COVID recovery
DANBURY — Mayor Dean Esposito touted plans to open a downtown building for the health department and other goals in his first State of the City address on Friday afternoon.
On his 10th day as mayor, Esposito highlighted the city’s achievements and the “work we must do in the next two years to keep our city as the driving force that fuels Connecticut’s comeback.”
Most of Esposito’s speech came in a pre-recorded video featuring clips of him around the city. The video was shown to the more than 400 people at the Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce’s annual luncheon, which included the presentation of the Cecil J. Previdi Award to Robert Bedoukian, of Bedoukian Research.
This year’s event wasn’t as groundbreaking as last year’s virtual program when former Mayor Mark Boughton publicly announced he was stepping down to become the state’s tax commissioner.
But unlike last year, the lunch was held in person at the Amber Room Colonnade. Attendees were required to show proof of COVID vaccination or a negative COVID tests taken within 72 hours of the event. Some attendees wore masks, but most did not.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the way we live, work and enjoy our city,” Esposito said in the video. “It’s because of the dedicated frontline workers, municipal employees, teachers and businesses of all
sizes that we’ve rebounded. We're ready for the next chapter in Danbury because of you.”
As part of that next chapter, Esposito envisions a building that would centralize health services. It’s an idea he pitched during his campaign.
“The city of Danbury’s Department of Health has grown dramatically the past two years,” he said. “Because of that growth, I’m actively working to acquire a downtown building that will centralize all health staff and services to better serve our residents in these times.”
The speech came the day after Danbury entered the state’s “red” alert zone, which means the city has averaged 15 new daily cases per 100,000 people over a two-week period.
“I know the COVID has been a little bit of an uprise here, but we’re going to stay steady with that,” Esposito said.
Schools, businesses, downtown
The first phase of longplanned upgrades to the city’s downtown sidewalks is nearly complete. A second phase is planned.
“I love our downtown,” Esposito said. “As your new mayor, I will work hard to make it the best it can be.”
For business, he look to
ensure that outdoor dining permits become permanent because many familyowned restaurants “have come to rely on it since COVID-19.”
“We’re the shining star of Connecticut,” Esposito said. “We’re going to continue to do that. We’re going to continue to support the businesses of Danbury in each and every way we can.”
Bedoukian, whose Danbury-based company specializes in fragrances and insect pheromones, emphasized the connection between the city, businesses and community partners in his speech.
“This award symbolizes the symbiotic relationship between the city, its businesses and its incredible nonprofits,” he said. “The need for all that became so clear during the early stages of the pandemic. That’s the definition of community.”
Esposito, meanwhile, aims to create a plan for a new fire headquarters that “will allow us to better protect our residents and businesses.” The headquarters on New Street is 50 years old, and the city has approved $500,000 to study the needs at the career and volunteer fire stations.
Adding more officers to a street crime unit and providing more funding to train cops are parts of his plan, he said.
He stressed his support for the schools, with the video showing him outside of Danbury High School, as well as the Summit development where the career academy is planned. He called on Danbury’s state legislators to support the charter school, a contentious plan that requires state funding to operate.
“I look forward to working with our delegation to fight for our students every day, to make sure that we get our fair share from the state of Connecticut,” Esposito said. “It's time we work together for the funding our children deserve.”