The Mayor’s Office services constituents and supports the mayor’s administrative tasks. The mayor’s staff services thousands of individuals year round through phone calls, emails, letters and by way of walk-in visits. The staff oversees a variety of city projects and programs in addition to assisting other departments and organizations with their daily business.

            The office’s Chief of Staff is Wayne Shepperd.  Mr. Shepperd aids the mayor with the supervision of city projects, staffing and everyday operations.  Mr. Shepperd coordinates legislative matters scheduled for City Council consideration, and serves as an office liaison to several community organizations, and attends events or meetings when the mayor is unable to attend.

            The Community Services Coordinator, PJ Prunty, serves as the mayor’s liaison to the public.  Mr. Prunty assists the mayor with constituent requests for services, and coordinates city services for special events.  Mr. Prunty accompanies the mayor to the Mayor’s Senior Advisory Council and other community meetings to address concerns and service demands.  In addition, Mr. Prunty is active in managing Danbury TV (DTV) on channel 24, and the appointment of individuals to city boards and commissions. 

            Elisa Munoz provides scheduling and communication on behalf of the mayor and assists the mayor with the distribution and coordination of information, activities, and special events.  Ms. Munoz distributes information through the city’s website, organizes the city’s annual Clean City Danbury Day bulk waste collection event, and helps facilitate the Mayor’s Summer Reading Challenge for students of all ages through the Danbury Public Library.  Ms. Munoz also takes part in the planning, organization, and execution of fundraising events such as the Mayor’s Ball and the Mayor’s Cup golf tournament, both raise funds for local non-profit groups.  Several interns from local schools and universities throughout the year provide additional support to the office staff, these students are coordinated by Ms. Munoz.

            Joan Soderstrom serves as the Receptionist to the Mayor’s Office greeting all of the office’s guests and directing visitors to other office staff when needed.  Ms. Soderstrom also provides additional help to the mayor and his staff with various projects.

          The 2010/2011 fiscal year has been very busy in the Office of the Mayor.  Over the last year our community, like our nation, 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 continued to implement a spending and a hiring freeze, continued a 4 day work week to save on energy and overtime costs, and deferred some capital projects.  In addition, we have conducted internal assessments, and reviewed financial practices of various departments, resulting in the streamlining of city services successfully finding significant savings.

            The distribution of information has continued to be a priority to this office. While an open door policy continues to be the rule in the Mayor’s Office, the staff also wanted residents and visitors to have easy access to city news, events and services.  Included with tax bills, the Mayor’s Newsletter 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.  Mayor Boughton also extended his open door policy to Saturdays with a once-a-month event called Saturdays With The Mayor.  Doors are open to the Mayor’s Office to all residents for 2 hours for an intimate discussion of concerns and issues.

            Maintaining a high quality of life for our residents has been a major priority to this administration.  Emerging from an initial idea in 2005, the Liveable Neighborhoods Plan has evolved into 4 vital components.  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 on a regular basis and takes ACTION (Active Commitment Toward Improving Our Neighborhoods).  ACTION allows city personnel from various departments to interact with residents one on one.  CityLine 311 was created in 2006 as a way of allowing residents to be proactive in the effort to improve our neighborhoods by giving them an opportunity to immediately voice their concerns to a live operator.  CityLine is now also accessible via the internet and one’s I-Phone.

            Residents have become instrumental in our annual Clean City Danbury Day event.  Hundreds of residents, businesses and organizations partner with the city for the one day event, usually taking place at the beginning of May.  The event created 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 city now offers year-round electronic drop-off free of charge to Danbury residents at the waste station at 307 White Street.

            In 2009 the mayor created the SAVE program for seniors who wanted to give back to their community while gaining much needed tax credits to their property tax bills.  The overwhelming response by our senior community has resulted in a continued extension of the program which partnered dozens of senior volunteers with non-profit groups, filling the community’s need for free extra help.  The mayor was also instrumental in creating a property tax freeze for seniors, and a property tax phase-in after the 2007 property tax revaluation, as additional opportunities to assist many of our residents suffering directly from today’s bad economy.            

            Our younger citizens had the opportunity to do their part in the community by participating in the Summer Youth Employment program which encourages our younger citizens to gain an appreciation for work and income.  Over 50 students annually participate in the 6 week summer program started in 2006 by Mayor Boughton.  Currently, funding for this program comes from federal and state grants and from the Workforce Investment Board, and the program is facilitated by the Mayor’s Office and run by Danbury Youth Services and PAL.  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.           

            City Hall’s accessible art initiative is a huge hit.  Artwork by local artists is shown year-round on the third floor of City Hall.  Visitors are encouraged to take a stroll by the pieces while visiting the building for other business.  The display is a collaborative effort between the Mayor’s Office and the Housatonic Valley Cultural Alliance. 

            As a way to showcase the many cultures in our great city, the mayor provided land outside of City Hall for a project called the “Multi-Cultural Park”.  The park offers Danbury cultural groups the opportunity to erect monuments in celebration of their ancestry and heritage.  Currently there are 2 monuments in the park, the last being erected by Lebanese Americans.

            The Mayor’s Office has also maintained its connection with the senior community.  The mayor’s monthly Senior Advisory Board meetings at Elmwood Hall consist of an open discuss regarding important issues in the community.  The seniors are presented with updates regarding new projects as well as the state of the city; in turn our seniors offer valuable support and suggestions. 

            Throughout this fiscal year several city projects and programs have been very successful despite many challenges.  The Mayor’s Office is committed to supplying exceptional service while utilizing its resources to create further government operational efficiency.   The Mayor’s office is focused on enhancing existing city services, and is dedicated to providing these services in a cost effective manner.