City Must Take Economic Development into It's Own Hands

In a reference to the pending appointment of a city Economic Development Coordinator, Danbury Mayor was sworn in for his sixth term Tuesday, saying local elections are about local results.

"Foreclosures are at record numbers in Danbury and across the nation," Boughton said. "Our job is to spur economic development."

Danbury has been in the process during 2011 of selecting a new director of economic development, and the appointment is likely to come in December.

"We can't change the state or the federal economy. It's out of our hands," Boughton said. "What we can do is make Danbury a jobs-friendly city."

Boughton said another goal of the next two years will be lowering the costs of government by reducing employee benefits and a second goal is to promote education. He said the growth of the city's school population must be addressed with some kind of extra school and classroom space.

"This is probably the absolute worst time," Boughton said. He said the City Council will start working on this issue in December, and has said previously voters will be asked to consider a bond issue in April to address the overcrowding problem.