On March 25, Governor Ned Lamont toured the Greater Danbury region and granted Tribuna an opportunity to shadow him and to conduct an exclusive interview.  

His day started early, as the keynote speaker for the Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce at the Amber Room Colonnade. Lamont spoke of improving transportation, reducing business hurdles, avoiding tax increases, and eliminating income taxes for pension funds on which retirees depend, the gas tax, and education. 

The governor's keynote was followed by a question-and-answer period. Catalina Ferreira-Molina, deputy CEO of LEAD, Latinos for Educational Advocacy and Diversity– asked the governor about his thoughts on supporting the charter school in Danbury this year by granting it the funds it needs to get started. 

Lamont replied, "Well, we have the Charter Academy going in, and I understood that for the charter school, they weren't ready this cycle. They may be ready next cycle, and at some point, I'll look at it. Absolutely. You can't have a great city, and you’ve got to have great schools to go along with that, and I’ve got to make sure that everybody has that opportunity." 

The governor also expressed his frustration with his open choice initiative, "I tried something this year in which, I was a little disappointed to tell you the truth. It's called open choice and we have a lot of crowded urban schools and a lot of suburban schools that don't have, you know, full occupancy. So, we said, we'll pay $15,000 for every kid you take from one of these crowded urban schools. I haven't gotten the response I need." 

Molina felt the governor had avoided answering the question, "I was referring to the Danbury Charter, not the Career Academy. Although our organization fully supports the Career Academy, which will be a high school, the academy will not help with the overcrowding issue at the middle school level. Our charter will be able to address that directly and provide a curriculum that elevates our immigrant students." 

The governor then visited surrounding towns and returned to Danbury for the Greek flag-raising ceremony, followed by a visit with the Danbury Delegation and Veterans Affairs Commissioner Tom Saadi to St. Joseph Parish and School. The governor was there to witness the thousands of pre-filled bags of supplies that students, families, the parish, and community members had donated to ship to Poland's front-line workers. The bags will be given to Ukrainian women, mothers, and children who have fled to Poland. 

Later that afternoon, Lamont sat down with Mayor Dean Esposito, Superintendent Kevin Walston, and several of Danbury's state delegation members for a luncheon with informal conversation open to the press, and a discussion on the city's most pressing issue continued, namely, school overcrowding. 

Walston told the governor that Danbury needed help with the district's inability to keep up with the population growth projected by demographic studies. 

When asked by Tribuna to expand on the demographic breakdown of the district’s growth, he explained that it is mainly due to an increasing population of English-language learners. The district is nearing 65 percent Hispanic and Latino, with a dire need for specialized support, including bilingual teachers. 

"The minute we opened the building, we were at capacity at that school. And five years later, now, we're adding a new addition, at further cost to the taxpayer,” Walston said. "We are asking the governor for an opportunity to relax the formula that allows for state reimbursement of building school additions to accommodate growth." 

He also explained why Governor Lamont should invest in Danbury and provided him with a detailed overview of the new Career Academy. 

After the luncheon, Tribuna was granted an exclusive interview with the governor to focus on pressing issues of equity and the immigrant community. 

Tribuna: Governor, you have heard about the growth in Danbury, and part of that growth is directly from the immigrant community. We have had a continuous flow of new community members arriving in the past two years. During the pandemic, it became evident that access to health care in the immigrant community is a matter of public safety and public health. With that said, what are your plans to expand health care access for undocumented immigrants? I know there are plans already in the works for undocumented children of a certain age, so if you could just let us know what you are planning to do for adults. When the next pandemic hits, will all people have a medical home, and be able to better address their needs? 

Governor Lamont: So, as you point out, we are making incremental steps. For the first time, we have provided prenatal support for all families, including immigrant families, including the undocumented, and we will also be providing support up to age – is it 8, or 10? 

Tribuna: Yes, it's 8, starting in 2023. 

Governor Lamont: I want to make sure that those kids get the very best start. More broadly, you are going to have more school-based clinics and such. If you are asking when does the entire immigrant population, or the undocumented, get access to all the health care, that is something we are working on, but we are making incremental steps every year. 

Tribuna: How do you envision using the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act fund to enable a comprehensive approach to equity? What ideas have you heard from across the state on how the funds could be used for community equity and justice? How do you see that being played out as well, beyond bridges? 

Governor Lamont: Well, I was talking with Dean. I mean, we desperately all need all these kids. I need them trained. I need them working, so it's a matter of equity. It's also a matter of smart. This state is going to fall behind unless we make sure each of those kids gets to go to a career academy, learn a skill so they can stay in Connecticut; that's at the heart of everything we are trying to do. We have set aside 200 million bucks a year to allow small minority-owned businesses to get some of the capital they need to grow right on the Main Street here in Danbury, so venture capital doesn't just go to some people, but goes to everybody with a great idea and a track record. 

Tribuna: One last question, if I could? Our publication is in English, Portuguese, and Spanish. What is your message to the immigrant community here in Danbury? 

Governor Lamont: I think the mayor and I both agree. Thank you for making Connecticut your home. Thank you for making Danbury your home. We are proud that this is where you want to be. I hope it is where you raise your family. I hope your kids learn a skill. I hope they choose to stay here in Connecticut. It's the right thing for you and your family, and it's what we want to accomplish as a state, and I think Danbury is a shining example. 

Photos by Al Robinson.