Candidate for Mayor, Helena Abrantes, Response to Danbury Residents' Questions: April 26, 2007 Broadcast.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Description:
Candidate for Mayor, Helena Abrantes answers questions from Danbury residents. Below are some of the questions and answers. To get more in depth answers to the questions, please watch the show.
Helena Abrantes Response to Danbury Residents' Questions
QUESTION: What would Helena Abrantes do differently than Mayor Boughton to improve the quality of life in Danbury?
ANSWER: I will attend to special details such as cleaner streets, beautification efforts like we did on Main Street and Elmwood Park throughout the city and at our “gateway” points into the city. I will increase the overall number of police officers in the police department to ensure safer neighborhoods. I will focus on recreational opportunities for people of all ages. And I will keep taxes down, keep sewer and septage rates stable and lower water rates.
QUESTION: What are Helena Abrantes’ views on global warming?
ANSWER: I believe our planet is in trouble. Negative effects on our environment can be reversed by changing our habits since many of these effects are caused by those of us in the largest and most populated industrialized countries.
Locally, I will reduce the number of city vehicles in the overall fleet and phase-in hybrid and other alternative fuel type vehicles. I will continue to add to our open space inventory of land to maintain a proper balance in our city and work with leaders in surrounding towns to further educate and increase awareness about the kinds of things we can do at home to make a difference.
QUESTION: What would you do to fix the current lack of child care in the Danbury area?
ANSWER: More employers have family friendly programs that offer assistance or flexibility to working families with children. I would work with business leaders to encourage more programs, meet with working women and men and establish a panel of representative women and men, leaders in government and business to better assess and address the need.
QUESTION: Does Abrantes plan to have more recreational programs for the youth of Danbury? Currently, there are very few programs.
ANSWER: I led the effort as a leader on the Common Council where I served for over 6 years to add new youth programs, like a skateboard park, a young teen gathering center with recreational and enrichment programs available. And, I will work to see if we could develop an indoor sports/soccer venue that would meet both youth and adult recreational needs.
QUESTION: I’d like to know Helena’s view on the mayor’s budget. Seeing that State Sen. David Cappiello called Boughton’s moving up the date of the budget “irresponsible” and Rep. Godfrey calling the budget a “folly”, I want to know does Helena think it was right for the mayor to present a budget so early that based on imaginary figures from the governor’s budget?
ANSWER: I agree with Representative Godfrey and Senator Cappiello. First, this is the MAYOR’S BUDGET, not the Director of Finance’s budget. The Mayor should know what he proposed in every line item in the budget he presents to the Common Council. Therefore, there was no need to move up the timetable just because the Director of Finance was resigning. He should have stayed with the schedule followed for decades by Mayors of both parties and presented the budget to the Council in early April at the latest as the Charter of the City requires.
On the matter of including the Governor’s numbers in his budget – he only did this to paint a rosier tax picture at the time he delivered the budget. My concern is that he will have to raise taxes even higher again – something he has done each year he has been in office, by the way – if the State Legislators lower the Governor’s numbers.
QUESTION: When did the Democrats declare war on the republicans and vice versa to the detriment of the general public?
ANSWER: No war. Should be a civil debate about the issues at every level of government. That is healty and what our founding fathers fostered.
QUESTION: Will you encourage employers to come to Danbury who pay a livable wage and provide benefits? This does not include box stores and fast food restaurants.
ANSWER: I have always supported proper economic growth and development that brought good quality paying jobs in Danbury. I am opposed to re-zoning land that would allow more big box retail or fast food type, high-traffic generating retail business. As a leader on the Council, I worked to keep and expand GE Capital, Cartus and others in Danbury and their quality jobs.
QUESTION: Will you stop the city government from hiring part-time people for 19 hours a week to avoid paying benefits and holidays?
ANSWER: Anyone hired to work less than 20 hours per week does not receive benefits. I would hire people on a part-time basis only when a part-time person is all that is needed to get the job done within a particular department, but never to avoid paying benefits or avoid union membership. The City must lead as an employer by example.
QUESTION: Will you continue to follow the implementation of the Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness?
ANSWER: We built the city shelter on New Street and setup a coalition of homeless service providers, churches, food banks to address homelessness with the Housing Authority, including Amos House.
QUESTION: Will you support the new Bottle Bill or will you start enforcing the current recycling laws?
ANSWER: I have spoken to Representative Joe Taborsak about this proposal. Recycling laws must be followed and enforced with a greater emphasis, not just when it is fashionable to do so. Can’t properly care for our environment or address climate change if we aren’t committed to doing our fair share of being environmentally responsible.
QUESTION: Would you allow low income families to use parks and recreation facilities for free?
ANSWER: Our parks are public places, open to anyone without discrimination. A few parks, like the Town Park for example, have nominal fees for use as do some of the recreational programs.
QUESTION: Would you amend the city charger and what would it be?
ANSWER: I believe the City Charter is long due for revision. Last time there was successful Charter revision was under the Eriquez administration in the early 90’s. This Mayor has not adhered to the spirit or intent of the Charter. (Examples: Finance & Personnel, Parks & Recreation Director and Parks Maintenance, Deputy Fire Chief, along with financial settlements, etc.)
I am committed to working with the Common Council to establish a Charter Revision Commission and I will propose recommended changes for the Commission and the public to consider.
QUESTION: Would you support changes in the grant process to stop duplication of efforts?
ANSWER: I believe we can provide grant assistance for those agencies and programs that meet the priority needs of our community in a very supportive and effective way.
QUESTION: Currently there are different water rates for resident in Danbury. Some residents are paying commercial rate. Would you accept this practice or would you change it?
ANSWER: I am committed to returning the water rates and rate structure to the way we had set them when I was on the Council during the Eriquez administration. Did you know that the water rates in this city were actually lower in 2001 than they were in 1989 when Gene first took office. This proves you can make improvements to our water quality, at our water treatment facilities, at our reservoirs and dams as we did while keeping rates down. So, the current practice should change and revert to a structure similar to the previous one that was more fair to city water users.
QUESTION: Do you support the Mayor’s proposed tax increase?
ANSWER: No. He has raised taxes each year he has been in office and sewer and water rates, too. This is unacceptable. When I was on the Common Council, we worked with Mayor Eriquez to keep taxes down. Several years during his term we had no tax increases. One year there even was a tax reduction. If you work hard on the budget and plan properly, you can do that. And, that’s what I plan to do.
