A Success Story

I received a complaint through my Alderman Art's Talk Derby To Me Facebook page about 1-month ago concerning flooding on B Street. Apparently, whenever there was a heavy rain, the neighborhood flooded. Not only did I receive a written complaint, but I received an actual video that demonstrated the water rushing down from Hawthorne Ave was causing the B Street area to flood.

Water flowing from Hawthorne

I asked the person to give me some time to talk to the right people and see if we could get the situation rectified.

The next morning, I stopped at the Public Works garage and showed the video to the Director. He asked for 2-weeks so that he could finish some other projects. Next, I informed the Mayor that I had made a request of the Director of Public Works and she did what any good chief executive does, she let her people do their job without micro-managing them.

Exiting the hill onto B Street

I assured the citizen we would be on top of this but we needed a couple of weeks.

He said thanks and I realized the clock was ticking.

Now, I've been around long enough to know that when a contractor asks for 2-weeks, it does not necessarily mean 2-weeks. I was formulating a strategy that would allow me to save face with the citizen while trying to motivate DPW but all the while being mindful of not pushing too hard to get the project going.

The aftermath

I can honestly say there was no need for running all of these scenarios in my mind. At the 2-week period, I called DPW to inquire about the project. I was informed that they had already started moving their equipment to the site.

Next, I was told the project was moving along but had been hampered a bit by some heavy rains we had experienced last week in the region.

At the beginning of this past week, I received a photo showing that a lot of work had been done and that DPW was nearly finished. I was excited and wanted to share their photos, but Director DeFala asked that I hold off until the project was completed.






Below are some pictures while the Public Works crew were on site this past week.

Water rushing down this week

Beginning of week with sewage drain cleared

The completed project

I am extremely proud of our City of Derby Public Works team. Their Director, Anthony DeFala is top-notch and has never failed to deliver when I've asked him to do something for the citizens of Derby.

I'd also like to thank Mayor Dugatto. While she has been focused on the big picture items like securing 5-million dollar grants for redevelopment, bringing in new businesses, and selling parcels that have for too long been unproductive, she's recognized the talented people running her departments and has allowed them to use their skills to make Derby a better place.

A final thought. I would say this is a success story. An issue was communicated to someone who represents them at the city level. The issue was brought to the attention of the people who could resolve the issue and through communication, respect, and pure good old-fashioned hard work, mission accomplished.

Not all complaints can be resolved as quickly as in this example, but I guarantee to listen. I guarantee I'll do everything in my power to move items forward. Derby has some great people working for them. The next time you have a gripe, a complaint, or even a compliment (yes, we do accept compliments), do yourself a favor and Talk Derby To Me.