Ballot Position Lottery

This morning the Registrar of Voters held its lottery to determine the positions of the Board of Aldermen and Board of Education candidates on the November ballot. Below is the results of this lottery.

(Due to space constraints, the ballot has been turned 90 degrees.)

Position	Republican	Democrat	Independent
5	Palladino	Piccochi	DePillo
6	Baker	Begnal	Abreu
7	Van Stone	Pernerewski	Derouin
8	Padula	Caiazzo	Denze
9	Rush	Phelan	Telesca
10	Ciochetti	Negron	Adkins
11		Napoli	Booker
12		Petteway	Burgio
13		Brunelli	Mulcahy
14	Chauncey	Flaherty-Merrit	Sweeny
15	Stango	Harvey	Rosa
16	Gray	Morales	Stepanitis

Letter to the Zoning Commission

For the past few weeks there has been a lot of discussion regarding the proposed purchase of 101 acres of land up on Park Rd by the City of Waterbury. The land is currently owned by Mr. Norman Drubner, who is hoping to develop the land by putting approximately 500 condominiums on the property.

The local Neighborhood Association has been fighting this development for several months, and the Zoning Commission has a meeting on Wednesday (9/23) to discuss changing the zoning of the property so that only single family houses can be built there.

A few weeks ago Mr. Drubner offered to sell the 101 acre parcel to the city for a cost of $1.75 Million. The Mayor supported the idea, but the sale was contingent on the city dropping to proposed zoning change, and not putting any restrictions on the future use of the land. When the land was appraised, it was given a value of over $4 Million, but this was assuming the proposed development of the land proceeding as Mr. Drubner originally intended.

When the issue came before the Board of Aldermen two weeks ago it got a lot of attention, and became stalled in committee. Since then Mr. Drubner has pulled his sale offer to the city, and announced that he is going to continue working to get his original development plans approved.

With these recent developments I decided to weigh in on the issue, so I sent the following letter to the Waterbury Zoning Commission for their meeting on Wednesday.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Zoning Commission:

I wish to express my support for the zoning change of the 101.6 acres on Park Road from a designation of RM, to a designation of RS-12. As a lifelong resident of the City of Waterbury, I feel that this change will be in the best interests of all involved.

When the city decided to impose a moratorium on high-density developments over 1 year ago, there were several different reasons behind the city’s decision. These arguments included a desire to protect the integrity of our neighborhoods, a need for time to implement the changes recommended by the City’s Plan of Conservation and Development, and the conditions of the housing market providing the city with a glut of condominiums that were remaining available for considerable stretches of time. In the 18 months since the moratorium was imposed, none of these arguments against high-density developments have changed; in fact they have been strengthened.
I find it difficult to believe that any developer would be successful in quickly selling hundreds of new condominiums in this economy, with the large number of options already available to potential customers. I also feel that the surrounding community would not be well served by such a large addition of houses and residents to its infrastructure. While I am aware that there are several condominium developments already in the vicinity of this property, that is not justification enough to add another such development.

Furthermore, the attitude of the developer to the community leaves something to be desired. While it was noble that Mr. Drubner was willing to consider “gifting” the property to the city, his gesture rang hollow. The fact that the asking price could only be considered a gift if the property was appraised on what could be developed in the future, made the offer appear insincere, whatever Mr. Drubner’s intentions may have truly been. This, combined with a determination to have the proposed zoning change dropped, caused many residents to question Mr. Drubner’s motives. If Mr. Drubner truly wanted to work with the residents of the community, he would not be advocating against a zoning change that seems to blend with the needs and desires of the community.

In conclusion, I wish to reiterate my support for the proposed zoning change before this commission. By returning this property to a zoning conducive to single family housing, the city is not only reaffirming its commitment to the ideals of the 2005 Plan of Conservation and Development, it is also showing its support to the residents of the city who have fought with such determination against an unnecessary development. When you consider the conditions of the housing market, the desires of the community, and the goals of the Plan of Conservation and Development, the choice seems clear. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

As always, I appreciate your feedback.

Theriault For Mayor?

Tonight I was at the regular meeting of the Waterbury Board of Aldermen, where I try and take the time to listen to the public speaking. I find this gives me an insight into what issues the citizens of Waterbury find important. It also allows me to keep tabs on what the other political parties are bringing up as "hot button" issues for the municipal election in November. Tonight, however, the public speaking portion of the Board of Aldermen meeting was unique.

The first speaker of the evening was Nick Coscia. Nick has made it a point in retirement to bring Waterbury politics to the citizens. He is a common sight at the Board of Aldermen meetings, has a regular show on the public access station, and is rarely seen without his video camera. Though I may not always agree with him, I respect his dedication to the city of Waterbury.

When Mr. Coscia got up to speak tonight he decided to open the meeting up with a bang. He commented that "the bases (were) loaded" tonight as all 3 mayoral candidates were in attendance. The 3 candidates were Mayor Jarjura, Alderman Vance, and Board of Education Commissioner John Theriault. As you know Alderman Vance is challenging Mayor Jarjura for the Democratic nomination, and Mayor Jarjura has been cross endorsed by the Republicans.

Mr. Coscia's comment caught several people in the room off guard, including Independent Alderman Frank Burgio who seemed (from where I was standing) to try and correct Mr. Coscia by telling him that there were only 2 candidates. At this point, however, Mr. Coscia reasserted his claim that there were 3 candidates, and again listed Mayor Jarjura, Alderman Vance, and Commissioner Theriault.

While I have no way of confirming Mr. Coscia's claim, there are two very interesting things to consider, which seem to support tonight's announcement. First, I had noticed Commissioner Theriault sitting in the back of the room at tonight's meeting. I found it unusual, because usually the Commissioner is busy with Board of Education meetings on Monday nights. Secondly, the Commissioner made no effort to correct Mr. Coscia's statement, and actually left shortly after the announcement was made.

We will have to wait and see if Mr. Coscia's statement tonight was correct or not, but for now it adds an interesting angle to what has already become a municipal race like no other.

The Campaign Gets Started

Now that the conventions are done, and everyone knows who is running for what on which ticket, the job of campaigning begins in earnest. Now it is time for us candidates to go out door knocking, shaking hands, meeting and listening to the citizens of Waterbury, and doing all we can to prove that we are the best people for the positions we are seeking. I hope to be able to show all of Waterbury that I will serve them well on the Board of Aldermen.

To get my message out, I have also started a Twitter account, and my own Facebook group.

For right now, I am heading back out to the Ponte Fest. Hopefully I'll see you there!

Why Am I Doing This?

In three months the citizens of Waterbury will be going to the polls to chose who will lead their City for the next two years. As you should be aware, my name will be on the Republican line this year, as I seek election to the Board of Aldermen. Often, when my friends and family hear about my decision to seek elected office, the number one question I am asked is why? Why am I taking on such a monumental task?

I know that I am taking an amazing chance by running for Board of Aldermen. I know that there is a chance that I could spend the next three months door knocking, working the crownd at events, hosting TV shows, poll standing...everything I can to get elected, only to find myself on the outside looking in on November 4. Despite these risks I am grateful for the opportunity to run, and am excited to get the campaign started.

So why run?

I am running because I feel that I can further help the City of Waterbury if I am fortunate enough to be elected to the Board of Aldermen. I want to see my hometown rise from the grip of the naysayers and doomsday prophets who feel that Waterbury’s best days are behind us. I want to be able to help silence all the critics who see a conspiracy behind every plan, impossibility behind every proposal.

The city of Waterbury is our city, and it will be as great as we make it. There are those who will do nothing but complain, those who will never present a viable proposal for the city, and those who will object to a plan without feeling the need to find an alternative solution. Those are the people that we must silence, the people that we must prove wrong with everything we say and do.

That is why I am before you tonight, to make the City of Waterbury, my hometown, as wonderful a city as possible. I want everyone to see in Waterbury what I have always seen, and I will work as hard as I can to realize that dream.

Hopefully you will share my vision and support me in November. I look forward to hearing from you.