Newly elected Danbury Mayor Dean Esposito joined the Ethan & Lou Show on I-95 Thursday (12/16/21)

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We wanted to find out how Esposito is settling into his new role, address a staff change he made and ask about a potential future beyond City Hall. First, we asked how he's finding the new job, Esposito replied:

"Oh my goodness, it's awesome, I have to tell you, it's everything I expected and more. You know actually being up here the last few years, knowing what the job entails but once you put that official top hat on, it's all speed ahead. It's very good, it's going very well."

Soon after taking office, Esposito made a staff change, moving away from Public Relations expert Taylor O'Brien in favor of John Kleinhans, a Republican from Niantic. Kleinhans has some history with Danbury, he used to worked as a strategist for former Mayor Mark Boughton. I asked Esposito to talk about the change and he responded by saying:

"Yeah, that was a big decision. Taylor is an outstanding employee here and as you know she helped Mayor Mark with the radio and all kinds of communications. She was very good, I thought that it was time for her to advance her career and she agreed and she moved on to the public sector. It was a big loss for us but she's young and very intelligent, a really good worker and I think she'll move up the ladder pretty quickly."

City of Danbury
City of Danbury
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Taylor O'Brien - pictured above

We wanted to know more about John Kleinhans and this is what Esposito had to say of his new hire:

"John is a, John I met years ago, he worked on Mayor Mark's campaigns for Governor and Lieutenant Governor and that is how I got to know him. He's originally from Eastern Connecticut, very loyal young man, he's got an outstanding resume with a lot of substance to it. So I think he's going to be a true asset here, as far as communications in the office and really dealing directly with the state issues and has a lot of connections to state Reps and state Senators. So, he's going to be a true asset."

City of Danbury
City of Danbury
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John Kleinhans - pictured above 

Kleinhans heard our interview and wanted to clear up how I was categorizing the staff changes. He told me that his role is a hybrid of Taylor O'Brien's former job and Marc Dillon's old position, he said Dillon also moved on. Kleinhans' official title is Government Affairs and Communications Advisor.

Later, I asked Esposito about the optics of the move and if it had anything to do with aspiring to a higher office, like Governor, he said:

"No, that's not my plan Lou. I gotta tell you, my goal is to continue to represent the people here in Danbury where I was born and raised, as you guys know, you heard it many time throughout the campaign. And, I'm just honored to be sitting in this chair right now in the Mayor's office and hopefully doing the service of the people of Danbury and that's my goal."

You can hear the entire interview with Dean Esposito in the Youtube video at the top of the page. Below is a video from Esposito's inauguration.

Esposito VS. Alves: A Complete Breakdown of Danbury’s 2021 Mayoral Race

Voting in a local election is one the best ways to express your beliefs and immediately impact the world around you but how can you really know a candidate from a few quotes in the local newspaper? You can't.

The paper cannot give you a sense for the candidates personality nor can they show you how the person performs under pressure. A radio interview is a much more intimate thing and you can learn who your local candidates are on a deeper level.

In the weeks leading up to the 2021 Danbury Mayoral Election, we believe we have provided Hat City voters with an unbiased view of their options. Each Friday we brought Roberto Alves and Dean Esposito on the Ethan and Lou Show and asked them both the same questions.

Because the person who goes last, has the ability/advantage of answering to the first candidate, we would alternate the order every few weeks. We did not endorse either candidate, we simply gave an even portrait of the two men, their politics and their vision for Danbury.

This is a look back at the I-95 Election coverage for you to review the day before Election. Below you will be given an excerpt from each article we did with the candidates and a link that can redirect you to the full article. Most of the articles include full interviews we conducted with your candidates, Vote tomorrow, it matters.

Examine One of Danbury's Most Disorganized + Dangerous Turns

Nothing to see here just an impossible turn, setup in a nonsensical fashion that leads to chaos and confusion behind the wheel in the Hat City. Danbury residents are infamous for their complaints about our roadways because there is plenty to complain about. I'd like to add to that long and distinguished list by pointing out a disastrous turn Downtown. Let us examine one of Danbury's Most Disorganized + Dangerous turns.

Danbury in Photos 2021

It's that time of year where media outlets inundate you with a braggard list of all the work they've done for the year. By December, everyone is pretty much out of ideas anyway. This is sort of like that. The following are photos I took of Danbury, CT for stories I wrote about the Hat City in 2021.

13 Dead Giveaways That You're Not From the Danbury Area

There is no great way to do this without laying out the boundaries. For the purposes of getting eyeballs on it, I said "Danbury Area" but we all know that this extends beyond. This is an odd place, and we all have a lot in common that we don't talk about because it's pointless to.

So, this list is for Danbury, Brookfield, Bethel, Ridgefield, Newtown, New Milford, New Fairfield, Brewster, Mahopac, Carmel, Somers and I guess we will include North Salem but only if you promise not to get cute with me. 

Being from the Greater Danbury Area means a lot of things and we can all identify them without having to ask too many questions or probe too deep. We can spot an outsider from a mile away. If you are attempting to blend, good luck and beware of the following.

These are 13 Dead Giveaways That You're Not From the Greater-Danbury Area.

 

 

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