Half-Measures are NOT an option.

This speech was delivered before the Waterbury Board of Aldermen on December 11, 2006

Members of the Board of Aldermen, Mr. Mayor, my fellow citizens, tonight is a night of great importance here in Waterbury. Tonight the members of this board will vote to either approve or reject a short list of improvements to City Hall that will allow the building to remain open. As much as I love this grand building, I am urging the board to soundly reject these stopgap measures.

The measures being presented tonight are nothing more then a quick fix that looks cheap on paper, but will cost the city a lot of money in the long run. The fact that these improvements are necessary is not in dispute. What is in dispute, I feel, is whether or not these are the only improvements that should be undertaken.

City Hall is in bad shape, on this we can all agree. Years of neglect by mayors from both parties have left this majestic building a shambles. If Cass Gilbert and Henry Chase could see what has become of the city center that they envisioned almost ninety years ago, they would surely be spinning in their graves. We cannot, however, simply blame the mistakes of the past for the situation of the present, regardless of how easy it is to pass the buck backwards in time. What is needed now is action, decisive and sweeping action, to completely, and conclusively, correct the years of neglect that City Hall has suffered.

That need for conclusive action is exactly why I urge the board to reject tonight’s measures. They are nothing more then a band-aid in place of a much-needed tourniquet. Fixing these few critical fire code violations will certainly make the fire department happy, and the citizens happy, but only for a time. Eventually we will all have to revisit the problems on the second, third and fourth floors, only now they will have a larger price tag due to further weathering and inflation. And while the city waits, we waste money on renting space from private landlords to keep the government of Waterbury functional. This is not the way to run a city.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Board, I know that you appreciate the weight of the situation before us. It is evident in the informational meeting you had on Thursday, and in the repeated articles in the Republican-American where members of this board have shown their displeasure at any quick fixes. As we all know, however, the question of City Hall does not end tonight. If the board acts as I hope it will, and votes down this plan, Waterbury will need to consider what should be done to this building next. The newspaper has reported several options that have been put before the board, ranging from complete renovation, to the sale of the building to a private owner. Though you are not voting on these options tonight, I feel that it is important for you to know what the citizens of Waterbury expect of you, our elected Aldermen.

I feel that City Hall must be restored completely and properly. There is no room in such a historic building for half-measures and cutting corners. This is a building that deserves the grandeur that history has endowed it with. This is a building that should inspire wonder and reverence for future generations. This is a building to be treasured and cherished.

This is not a building that should be torn down. This is not a building that should be sold off and converted into something else. This is our City Hall. Not just for the city of Waterbury, but for the people of Waterbury. After all, the city is just lines on a map. What gives Waterbury its character, its essence, its very life are the people who make it up. The people who have the right to see their entire city government housed in one complex, not scattered throughout downtown. The people who have the right to see this building kept in the hands of the city and restored to glory.

Others here tonight will appeal to your sense of history, will provide you with facts and anecdotes regarding why this building should be properly restored. I offer no such numbers, or lessons. Members of the board, all I offer you tonight is an appeal to your sense of what is right for the city of Waterbury, and what this city deserves. This city, these people deserve the complete restoration of their building to the grandeur and status it once held in history. Nothing less will do.