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Mark D. Boughton
Mayor
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| Address: |
155 Deer Hill Ave
Danbury, CT 06810 |
| Telephone: |
203-797-4511 |
| FAX: |
203-796-1666 |
Statement of Mission: The City of Danbury’s mission is to ensure a superior quality of life for its citizens by providing the most cost effective municipal services while preserving the cultural, historical and natural resources of the city. We are committed to working with citizens to enhance Danbury’s position as a premier place to live, work, and raise a family in a traditional yet progressive community.
Elected to a two year term, the Mayor is the presiding officer of the Common Council and is responsible for the administration of all City Departments.
For a detailed description of the Mayor's responsibilities please refer to the section of the City Charter listed as The Mayor
About Us
The Mayor’s Office supports the Mayor’s administrative functions, and services constituents. The Mayor’s Office services thousands of residents year round through phone calls, via emails and letters, walk in visits and through additional communications. The Mayor’s Staff has many duties and oversees a wide variety of city projects. Every staff member responds to constituent calls and assists individuals who visit the office.
The Administrative Assistant to the Mayor, Wayne Shepperd, aids the Mayor with the supervision of city projects, staffing and everyday operations. Mr. Shepperd coordinates legislative matters scheduled for Common Council consideration as well as the Mayor’s appointments to city boards and commissions. Mr. Shepperd represents the Mayor as a liaison to several community organizations and at events and meetings where a scheduling conflict occurs.
The Community Services Coordinator, Ted Cutsumpas, serves as the Mayor’s liaison to the public and city government. Mr. Cutsumpas assists the Mayor in the coordination of city services for special events, the Mayor’s Senior Advisory Council and constituent requests for services. In addition, he is active in managing Danbury TV (DTV) on channel 24 and the CityLine 311 call center.
The Executive Secretary to the Mayor, Wendy DaCosta, is responsible for the Mayor’s schedule. Requests for meetings and appearances for the Mayor are coordinated by Ms. DaCosta. In addition, the Mayor’s Executive Secretary prepares proclamations and award certificates to be presented by the Mayor. The Communications Coordinator, Elisa Munoz, assists the Mayor with media communications, public information activities, research and special event coordination. Joan Soderstrom serves as the Receptionist and helps the Mayor with various project communications.
Interns from local schools and universities provide support to the Mayor’s Office staff. Throughout the year, Drusilla Sniffin works on special projects and Rebecca Jowdy serves as a communications intern focusing on community outreach.
Successes
The 2008–2009 fiscal year has been a busy one for the Office of the Mayor. Several city projects have reached or are close to completion. A special ribbon cutting ceremony in April, full of pomp and circumstance, showcased the new Florence B. Sullivan Police Station. The culmination of years of planning, cooperation and hard work have resulted in a 75,000 sq. ft. facility with all the modern day technologies that would make any police department envious. Most importantly, the new police station will eventually be equipped for centralized dispatch for police, fire, and EMS. The facility is serving as a major downtown redevelopment initiative on Main Street.
Veterans Hall was recently completed and is now conveniently located in Rogers Park. The preexisting building was completely renovated and offers our veterans a special place to call their own. Next door to the Hall residents will soon be able to enjoy an all-purpose athletic field. The field will blow local sports teams and leagues away with its looks and functionality. The field will be dedicated this summer as the John Perry Memorial Field. The much anticipated construction of the new Ellsworth Avenue Elementary School is also nearing its completion. The new school will replace Roberts Avenue School.
Over the last year our city has had to deal with an increasingly difficult economy. Our city is faced with declining revenues in every aspect of the budget. In response to these challenges, we began a number of difficult, yet necessary, proactive steps to help mitigate the downturn in the economy. We implemented a spending freeze and a hiring freeze, deferred filling 14 positions, began a 4 day work week to save on energy and overtime costs, deferred some capital projects, renegotiated energy costs and other expenditures with our vendors, conducted internal assessments and reviews of financial practices of various departments, and reviewed the assignment of city vehicles. By streamlining city services we have been successful in finding significant savings.
An open door policy continues to be the rule in the Mayor’s Office. To help our residents gain better access to the Mayor, the office began to offer Saturdays with the Mayor in 2006. The success of the open discussions has prompted the office to continue the program. The Mayor’s Newsletter has also proven to be a source of information for our residents. Included with tax bills is a newsletter that comes directly from the mayor with information on important events, initiatives and programs. Regular mailings from the mayor and access to government meetings on television through DTV also provide our residents with information about the happenings of our city.
Maintaining a high quality of life for our residents continues to be a priority for us. Mayor Boughton’s “Liveable Neighborhood Plan” began in 2005 and has evolved into 4 vital elements. The Office of Neighborhood Assistance addresses quality of life complaints and focuses on improving city neighborhoods. The office also houses the Unified Neighborhood Inspection Team (UNIT) which goes into the community to perform inspections or ACTION (Active Commitment Toward Improving Our Neighborhoods), hold community forums to educate our residents and address issues in person. CityLine 311 allows residents to be interactive in the effort to improve our neighborhoods by giving them an opportunity to immediately voice their concerns to a live operator.
Our office encourages Danbury residents to take an active role in our community. Residents have become instrumental in the annual Clean City Danbury Day event. Hundreds of residents, businesses and organizations partner with the city in the one day event, usually taking place in April. The event established by Mayor Boughton in 2004, has collected hundreds of tons of garbage and debris, aiding the city’s efforts to preserve the beauty of our community. In addition, the office created the SAVE program for seniors who want to give back to their community. Through their volunteer work our non-profits are filling the need for extra help and seniors are gaining tax credits that can make a difference in today’s difficult economy. The Summer Youth Employment program encourages our younger citizens to gain an appreciation for work and income. Nearly 100 students annually participate in the 6 week summer program started in 2006 by Mayor Boughton. Our youngest residents are also encouraged to take part in community activities through the Mayor’s Summer Reading Challenge at our public library. Children are taught to read and improve their academic skills during the summer months when many would otherwise banish the learning process.
As communities evolve and grow it is necessary to make changes to the rules which our government follows. Developing new approaches to local government structure and its process is essential to being successful in our evolving world. For this reason, a Charter Revision Commission was developed in 2006. Charter Revision is one of the important steps in a democracy as it allows a group of citizens to recommend changes in government operations. This process is truly citizen government at its best. I asked Danbury residents to serve on the latest Charter Revision Commission which included three members of each major political party and three unaffiliated voters. Members of the Commission took part in numerous planning meetings and public hearings over the two year process. The final revisions to the Charter will be voted on by Danbury residents during a city-wide referendum in November.
City Hall’s Accessible Art initiative recently began to showcase artwork by local artists on the third floor. Visitors are encouraged to take a stroll by the pieces while visiting the building for other business or just to see the talent of our local residents. The display is a collaborative effort between the Mayor’s Office and HVCA.
The Mayor’s office has also maintained its connection with the senior community in Danbury. The Mayor’s monthly Senior Advisory Board meetings at Elmwood Hall discuss important issues in the community. The seniors are presented with updates of new projects and the state of the city and in turn our seniors offer valuable support and suggestions for many city projects.
The Mayor’s Office will continue to further its commitment to supplying the best services to all our residents. The office will utilize its resources to create further operational efficiency by enhancing its existing services, and continuing it’s dedication to providing municipal services in a cost effective manner.