Politics & Government

Why Beth Daponte Wants to Be Mayor of Stratford

News that Aurora Products is leaving Stratford and taking its 200 employees to Orange is a big part of the reason Beth Daponte is seeking the Democratic nomination for Stratford mayor.

“Two hundred jobs and we aren’t bending over backwards? We need to bend over backwards.”

Stephanie Blackwell, Aurora’s founder and owner, told the Stratford Star the company wasn’t able to find “suitable,” “fairly priced” land in Stratford on which to expand the 400 Long Beach Boulevard business. She told the newspaper that Aurora approached the town but “got no help in that regard.”

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Daponte called that “disturbing.” She said the mayor’s office should put economic development number one.

“It’s important we grow our economic base so the tax burden is shared,” Daponte, who’s up against Joe Paul for the Democratic nomination (which will be decided July 17), told Stratford Patch in an interview on her Broad Street porch Monday afternoon.

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“I’m not sure what this administration’s priorities are,” she said.

Daponte grew up in Stratford. She had a paper route here, spent time as a kid working at Shakespeare Theatre and graduated from Stratford High School in 1980.

She said Stratford has changed “a tremendous amount” since her childhood on Minor Avenue. For one thing, the air is cleaner, especially in her old neighborhood.

But there are still several shortcomings, Daponte said. She said many relate to stalled chances at economic development. She provided the long-shuttered Shakespeare Theatre as an example.

“The theatre has become symbolic of Stratford’s failure. That’s an economic opportunity that you shouldn’t pass up.”

Last April, a consulting group presented three options for breathing new life into the theatre. The concepts ranged in price from $3.2 million for a “temporary” theatre to $29.6 million for a venue that would be open year-round, put on 192 events a year and potentially rake in $2 million in annual revenue.

Daponte wouldn’t say which option best suits Stratford but said the coordination and development of partnerships can ensure the theatre’s success. She added that Stratford has the creative populace to support the arts.

“If you want to attract and contain (business), you have to provide amenities.”

Daponte has a Ph.D. in demography from the University of Chicago. She ‘s taught at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and, more recently, the Yale School of Management.

The Democratic mayoral hopeful also spent two years evaluating efficiency at the United Nations, where she looked at operations in Haiti, the Sudan and the Republic of Congo. She said it was her job to make sure programs were sustainable and having the intended effect.

Asked why she deserves the Democratic nomination, Daponte said, “My skill set is right for the job.”


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