VIDEO: What would be different with a Lynn Taborsak administration

Friday, November 04, 2011
Time: 11:38 AM

This week, Lynn Taborsak was a guest on David Stevenson's local access show "Progressive Soup" and talked about what her administration would look like her watch as opposed to the one man rule we currently have under the current Dishonest Man in Chief."


LOCAL ACCESS VIDEO: Community Forum 11.03.11 broadcast


Time: 11:36 AM


Danbury Democratic caucus express frustration with CL&P


Time: 9:32 AM

The following letter from the Danbury Democratic caucus was sent to CL&P CEO Jeffery Butler.


Follow the money trail: The Boughton 2011 files

Wednesday, November 02, 2011
Time: 4:50 PM

"We get thousands of checks from thousands of people and we just wouldn't have any way of knowing something like that is happening."

Mayor Boughton's response to his acceptance of James Galante alleged bundled campaign contributions


You didn't think I'd forget to grab a copy of our mayor's campaign finance statements?

As we approach Election Day, I thought it would be great to post a copy of our city's last honest man's finance statements.

When it comes to Mark Boughton, it's always important to show who's kissing the emperor's ring who donates to the mayor campaign as it usually reveals quite a bit about other matters such as:
  • Additional illegal bundled campaign contributions from James Galante


  • Democratic town committee members who donated to Boughton's campaign,


  • An family-owned immigrant newspaper that has donated (along with immediate family members) over 600 dollars in in-kind advertising contributions in late 2005 (NOTE: although the in-kind advertising contribution was received on 10.10.05, Boughton's campaign did not disclose the contribution until after the election against then Democratic mayoral candidate Dean Esposito on 01.10.06). The same business donated over 1,400 to Boughton during the 2007 campaign cycle (including 1,100 after the ICE ACCESS program was introduced in during the October Common Council meeting)


  • Massive contributions from developers (including the infamous Dan Bertram of BRT) and well as


  • Contributions from some of the top anti-immigrant, racist, xenophobes in the area.


  • Contribution from the main players who contributed to the worst episode in the history of Danbury: The James Dyer scandal of the 1980s.

Help follow the money trail and connect the dots...
January 10 2011 campaign finance statement

April 10 2011 campaign finance statement

July 10 2011 campaign finance statement

October 10 2011 campaign finance statement

November 1 2011 campaign finance statement

THE CASE AGAINST TROY GRANT: Sentencing day


Time: 10:21 AM

Today, convicted sex offender Troy Grant is scheduled be sentenced for the crimes he committed against the city's most vulnerable residents.

Grant, the former executive director of Pathways Danbury, advisor to the youth minister at New Hope Baptist Church, member of Younglife and the Harambee Center, faced up to 100 years in prison for his numerous charges of having sexual relations with minors. Grant later accepted a plea deal which will require him to serve no less than 12 and no more than 20 years in jail with 30 years probation and a life time registration as a sex offender.

At today's sentencing, the prosecution and defense will make their case for the amount of time Grant is to serve.

UPDATE 2:10 PM John Pirro over at the News-Times filed this report.
A judge sentenced Danbury minister and former youth counselor Troy Grant to 20 years in prison on Wednesday, calling him a "classic pedophile" who preyed on society's must vulnerable members.

Superior Court Judge Janet Reynolds brushed aside the defendant's attempted apology and a request by his lawyer for a lesser sentence in imposing the maximum term permitted by the deal that saw Grant plead guilty in September.

"If I could give you more than 20 years, I would," she said.

...more later.

UPDATE 2:00 PM: Grant has just been sentenced to the maximum amount of time he can serve via the plea deal: 20 years, 35 years probation, lifetime registration as a sex offender, NO contact with any children (even relatives).

...it's a shame that Judge Reynolds couldn't give Grant more time but seeing how inmates feel about sexual predators, it's fair to say that Grant will have a REAL uncomfortable time in prison.


THIS POST WILL BE UPDATED THROUGHOUT THE DAY WITH THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN THE CASE.

Boughton + city education problems = OUT OF TOUCH

Tuesday, November 01, 2011
Time: 11:24 AM

As I stated several times over the last couple of years, the NUMBER ONE issue on the minds of residents in Danbury is NOT immigration or the economy but rather EDUCATION. The Danbury Patch fielded questions from residents for the mayoral candidates that reinforce my comment...as well as the fact that when it comes to the problems in our education system, Mayor Boughton is completely out of touch with the reality of the situation while Lynn Taborsak hit the nail on the head.

This is REQUIRED READING.
Lynn/Mark: Do you plan on addressing the issue of overcrowding in the Danbury Schools by re-evaluating the school budget and increasing it to enable the superintendent to build and renovate buildings thereby reducing the number of kids in each school?

Lynn Taborsak's response:

The Superintendent of Schools and the Board of Education have no authority to borrow money to build or renovate schools. That is the responsibility of the municipal government. The school district provides the programs, staff, equipment, books, and computers to educate our children. The city provide the buildings. They have to work together to resolve the issue of school overcrowding. Mayor Boughton has painted the school district as public enemy #1 because of the cost of school improvements to taxpayers. The truth is that many improvements like new boilers, new windows and solar panels save the district money down the road with lower energy costs. The city receives both Clean Energy grants and state reimbursement for those costs. We can’t have overcrowded, run-down substandard school facilities and expect children to succeed.

Mark Boughton's response:

We have a long range planning committee- the 2020 Task Force is finishing it's report. Once the report has been issued and the Task Force has formed a consensus on its recommendations, we will go to the voters looking for a positive vote. Building and renovating schools is an extremely costly process and will have a significant impact on your tax bill, therefore we must be sensitive to the needs of our taxpayers. Last year almost 200 families lost their home due to foreclosure, these are some of the most difficult economic times since the Great Depression. The final recommendations of the 2020 Task Force must be the most cost efficient possible if we are going to ask the voters to support it. Last fiscal year the Danbury Public Schools ran a significant surplus. That surplus was use to pay down expenses in the coming years. That should indicate the question is nor "does the BOE have enough money?" the question is "how does the BOE spend its money?" under state statute the Mayor or the City Council cannot tell the BOE how to spend its money.

2) Lynn/Mark: Do you feel that it is more important to spend money developing downtown Danbury or to spend that money on solving our school overcrowding problem?

Mark Boughton's response:

I believe that both our important. However, the priority must be balancing the numbers of students in our schools. Right now the BOE has rolled out a plan to address the short term needs, we are working on a long term solution.

Lynn Taborsak's response:

It’s more important to solve the problem of overcrowded schools than to spend taxpayer dollars developing the downtown. Here is why: We currently exceed the recommended class size for elementary school classes by 8. The middle school enrollment exceeds the State Department of Education guidelines by 200 to 300 students in both middle schools. The High School is bursting at the seams. You cannot provide high quality education in hallways, closets and storage rooms. You cannot expect “failing” schools to succeed in meeting the challenges they face with these substandard conditions. The City of Danbury is the landlord for the school district. If the Unified Neighborhood Inspection Team[UNIT] was empowered to crack down on substandard schools, Mayor Boughton would be in court with a list of violations a mile long. He is a bad landlord and he is afraid to tell voters the truth about overcrowding. We need a third middle school and 30 more elementary classrooms to start. We need to get the maximum state assistance possible and present voters with a plan we can afford.

Lynn/Mark: Are you willing to stop the rapid rate of new home/condo construction in order to put an end to the influx of families moving to the Danbury area which, in my opinion, is responsible for the overcrowding that we are now seeing in our schools? Of all the questions I feel the last one is the most important because all of these new homes are what is causing people to move to Danbury in the first place.

Lynn Taborsak's response:

3) According to the demographer hired by the school district to examine population trends, it’s the sale of small starter homes in the 4th, 5th and 6th Wards that is driving the increase in the school population in Danbury. I’m sure that the proliferation of condominiums and luxury townhouses contributes to the school population too, but not to the same extent. The real problem with “over-development” is that it costs more to provide services [fire, police, schools, libraries, roads, water, sewer and parks] than the tax revenue generated by each unit. Danbury turned over the largest tract of industrial zoned land in all of Fairfield County for thousands of condominium units in one meeting of the Zoning Commission in 2004. That was a terrible loss for tax base and for our economic development portfolio. In one evening, we saddled our blue-collar base with the expense of creating an upscale enclave on the out skirts of town. Yet many Danbury seniors can no longer manage the upkeep of a traditional single family home and need a variety of housing choices including subsidized senior housing, age-restricted developments, moderate rental units and more modest town houses where upkeep is included in the common charges. This kind of mixed housing can be key to revitalizing our downtown area where the infrastructure for water, roads, sewers and transportation already exists. We need more of our population and workforce downtown. We don’t need more luxury condominiums on Kennedy Boulevard either. This isn’t just like Baltimore as the Mayor tried to claim in our debate. We don’t have a harbor, a Major League baseball team, a children’s museum, a zoo or an aquarium.

Mark Boughton's response:

3) New condo's and homes are not where the influx students are coming from. Our Planning Department has studied new condo developments and older condo developments, and have concluded that the amount of children generated by these developments is small.

The areas that generating new children for our schools are the older neighborhoods with Victorian homes that have been renovated into a 3 and 4 family home - many before we even had zoning regulations that now prohibit such building.

Think about it, if 40% of the children now enrolling in our schools are living at or below the poverty level, they are not living in a $300,000 condo.

Several years ago we amended our Zoning Ordinances to prohibit much of the building that you see today that occurred in the late 80's and 90's. Homes that were built "shotgun" style on small lots, must now face the street, the zone around Virginia Ave. was changed to prohibit the type of building that you see there - the old RMF-3 Zone. Finally, "shotgun" style condo's have also been prohibited.

Unfortunately, many of the 3 and 4 family homes are pre-existing and non-conforming to today's regulations, but, under the law, they are allowed to continue their current use.
You cannot change history, but we are going to continue to manage responsible development in the future to ensure that our quality of life is protected.

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Monday, October 31, 2011
Time: 12:01 PM

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INDEPENDENT PARTY OF DANBNRY
DATABASE COMING SOON


“Facebook”“Twitter”“Email”

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CITY OF DANBURY VIDEO ARCHIVE (Dec 2012-present)

The Mercurial (RIP)
Danbury News Times
Danbury Patch
Danbury Hamlet Hub
Danbury Daily Voice
Tribuna Newspaper
CT News Junkie
CT Capitol Report

10.03.18 (PDF):
"Approval of Danbury Prospect Charter School"

10.30.20 (HatCityBLOG VID): Charter School discussion during 2020 interview with Julie Kushner

2018 (RADIO): WLAD
"State Board of Ed signs off on Danbury charter school proposal"

08.20 (VID): CT-LEAD
"Stand up for Education Justice" Rally

08.20.20 (OP-ED): KUSHNER: "Charter schools are not ‘magic bullet’ to improving Danbury schools"

09.13.20 (OP-ED): CHAPMAN
Candidate for state Senate supports charter school for Danbury

01.15.21 (VID): CT-LEAD
Danbury Prospect Charter School press conference

03.19.21 (OP-ED): CT MIRROR
"Danbury leaders do not want a charter school"

04.01.21 (OP-ED): CT-LEAD:
"Why did Sen. Kushner vote against us?"

05.06.21 (VID): Danbury rally to fully fund public schools

10.07.21 (VID): Danbury City-Wide PTO "Meet the Candidates" education forum

10.07.21 NEWSTIMES
Danbury candidates quarrel over charter school, education funding

01.10.22 NEWSTIMES
"New operator named for Danbury charter school: ‘I’m a huge advocate for parent choice’"

01.10.22 NEWSTIMES
"Some Danbury Democrats ‘open minded’ about charter school after new, CT operator named"

01.21.22 (OP-ED): CT MIRROR
"Lessons from Danbury: Ending the dual process for charter school approval"

02.09.22 NEWSTIMES
"Proposed Danbury charter school won’t open in 2022, governor leaves funding out of budget"

02.18.22 NEWSTIMES:
Danbury residents plead for charter school funds in 9-hour state budget hearing: ‘Just exhausted’

03.05.22 (LTE):
Time has come for Danbury charter school

03.12.22 (OP-ED): TAYLOR
"Why I am excited about the Danbury Charter School"

03.16.22 (LTE):
"Why a Danbury Charter School?"

04.02.22 CT EXAMINER:
"Crowding and a Lack of Options for Danbury Students, But No Agreement on Solutions"

04.04.22 (OP-ED): DCS
"Danbury Charter School plans debut"

04.07.22 (PODCAST): (CEA)
"SENATOR KUSHNER DISCUSSES POINTS OF OPTIMISM FOR DANBURY PUBLIC SCHOOLS"

04.18.22 (VID): CT-LEAD
Protest press conference

04.25.22 (RADIO): WSHU
Latino group call on Connecticut lawmakers to open a Danbury charter school

06.03.22 (OP-ED): KUSHNER:
"Career Academy ‘a great deal for Danbury"

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On September 26, 2007, ten plaintiffs filed suit in response to an arrest of aday laborers at a public park in Danbury, Connecticut. Plaintiffs amended their complaint on November 26, 2007.

The amended complaint states that plaintiffs sought to remedy the continued discriminatory and unauthorized enforcement of federal immigration laws against the Latino residents of the City of Danbury by Danbury's mayor and its police department.

Plaintiffs allege that the arrests violated their Fourth Amendment rights and the Connecticut Constitution because defendants conducted the arrests without valid warrants, in the absence of exigent circumstances, and without probable cause to believe that plaintiffs were engaged in unlawful activity. In addition, plaintiffs allege that defendants improperly stopped, detained, investigated, searched and arrested plaintiffs. Plaintiffs also allege that defendants violated their Fourteenth Amendment rights when they intentionally targeted plaintiffs, and arrested and detained them on the basis of their race, ethnicity and perceived national origin. Plaintiffs raise First Amendment, Due Process and tort claims.

Plaintiffs request declaratory relief, damages and attorneys fees.

CLICK HERE TO READ/DOWNLOAD MAYOR BOUGHTON'S DEPOSITION

CLICK HERE TO READ/DOWNLOAD MIKE McLACHLAN (then MAYOR CHIEF OF STAFF) DEPOSITION

Danbury Area Coalition for the Rights of Immigrants v.
U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security
3:06-cv-01992-RNC ( D. Conn. )

(02.25.08) Court docket

(10.24.07) Memorandum in Opposition to Defendant's Emergency Motion for Protective Order

(09.26.07) Press Release

(12.14.06) Complaint


Barrera v. Boughton, No. 07-01436
(D. Conn. filed Sept. 26, 2007)

(02.25.08) Court Docket

Amended complaint

Defendants' Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Subject Matter Jurisdiction

Defendants' Motion to Dismiss State Law Claims

Plaintiffs' Opposition to Motion to Dismiss

Order on Motion to Dismiss

Defendants' Answer to Amended Complaint

NEW HAVEN REGISTER: Immigrant's 2006 arrest was flawed Danbury mayor testifies

(10.05.07 (VIDEO) Boughton mislead the public about Danbury's involvement in raid

(09.18.07) Yale Law Students expose Danbury involvement in raid

(12.14.06) VIDEO: Interview with Yale Law Students at FOI presser

(12.14.06) VIDEO: Danbury 11 FOI complaint media roundup

City Clerk Jean Natale standing next to skinhead sparks outrage

(10.03.06) VIDEO: Danbury 11 rally

(09.29.06) VIDEO: Danbury 11 case deepens

Word of raid spread across the country

(09/29/06) VIDEO: Danbury 11 protest news conference

(09/29/06) Immigrant newspaper "El Canillita" gives best account of ICE day labor raid at Kennedy Park


trans_button Santos Family Story
VIDEO: Tereza Pereira's ordeal with ICE agents

VIDEO: Danbury Peace Coalition Immigration Forum (April 2006)
featuring Mayor Boughton and Immigration attorney Philip Berns

VIDEO: 2007 Stop the Raids immigration forum at WCSU

2007: Community protest anti-immigration forum

A tribute to Hispanic Center Director and immigrant activist Maria Cinta Lowe

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2023 MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS

Results:
11.15.23 Recanvass return
(Head Moderator Return Format)

11.07.23: Election night returns
(Head Moderator Return Format)

11.07.23: Initial returns


ESPOSITO FINANCE REPORTS:
Oct 10 2022
Jan 10 2023
Apr 10 2023
Jul 10 2023
Oct 10 2023

ALVES FINANCE REPORTS:
Apr 10 2023
Jul 10 2023
Oct 10 2023

CAMPAIGN SLATE DATABASE
Dem/GOP slate/ballot position

VIDEO: DRTC convention
VIDEO: DDTC conveniton


2021 (ALVES/ESPOSITO)

TOWN COMMITTEES
(VID) DDTC nomination convention
(PDF) DDTC campaign slate flyer

(VID) DRTC nomination convention
(PDF) DRTC campaign slate flyer

FORUMS/DEBATES
(VID) 2021 Danbury City-Wide PTO educational forum

CAMPAIGN FINANCE
First quarter
Alves Apr 10th SEEC filing

Second quarter
Alves Jul 10th SEEC filing
Esposito Jul 10th SEEC filing

Third quarter
Alves Oct 12th SEEC report
Esposito Oct 12th SEEC report

CAMPAIGN MAILERS
Alves "Jan 6th" attack mailer 10.21.21
Esposito "you can't trust Alves" attack mailer 10.20.21
Alves mailer 10.20.21
Alves mailer 09.30.21
Esposito mailer 09.28.21
Alves mailer 09.27.21
Esposito mailer 09.27.21


PAST CAMPAIGN COVERAGE

2005 (BOUGHTON/ESPOSITO)
Danbury 2005 election results
Newstimes Dean Esposito profile (10.25.05)

2007 (BOUGHTON/ABRANTES)
Danbury 2007 election results
(VID) Helana Abrantes TV ad
(VID) BRT tax deferral presser
(VID) Helena Abrantes "Community Forum" interview

2009 (BOUGHTON/GONCALVES)
Danbury 2009 election results
(VID) 2009 Danbury City-Wide PTO educational forum
(VID) 2009 Danbury Chamber of Commerce mayoral debate
(VID) 2009 DDTC nomination convention

2011 (BOUGHTON/TABORSAK)
Danbury 2011 election results
(VID) Saadi/Nero campaign kickoff

2013 (BOUGHTON/NO DTC ENDORSED CANDIDATE/MCALLISTER)
Danbury 2013 election results
(VID) 2013 DDTC nominaiton convention

2015 (BOUGHTON UNCHALLENGED)
Danbury 2015 election results

2017 (BOUGHTON/ALMEIDA)
Danbury 2017 election results
(VID) Al Almeida concession speech
(VID) 2017 Danbury City-Wide PTO educational forum
(VID) Al Almeida nomination acceptance speech

2019 (BOUGHTON/SETARO)
Danbury 2019 election results
(VID) 2019 NewsTimes Editorial Board interview with Mark Boughton and Chris Setaro
(VID) 2019 Danbury City-Wide PTO educational forum
(VID) 2019 Danbury Chamber of Commerce mayoral debate
(VID) 2019 convention endorsement speeches from Mark Boughton and Chris Setaro