Outgoing Danbury Mayor on Why He Said No City Council President

Joe Cavo's political story is a bit unique.

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He was a long-time city councilman, then Mayor and now he's headed back to city council, but not as the council's President.

It was not all that long ago that Joe Cavo was the President of Danbury's city council. Then, former Mayor Mark Boughton left City Hall to accept a state appointment from CT Governor Ned Lamont. That is when Cavo took over as Danbury Mayor, as the City charter dictates.

When it was time for the local parties to nominate candidates for Mayor, Joe Cavo took his name out of the running and endorsed his Chief of Staff Dean Esposito. Esposito was elected Mayor of Danbury on November 2, 2021 and Cavo was elected back to city council.

It's not only unconventional, but it's tough to follow Cavo's journey. But, he's been decisive the entire way, putting Danbury's needs before his own. Once he was elected back to the city council, council Republicans invited him to return to his role as President, Cavo declined.

The outgoing Mayor and incoming city councilman joined an interview on Thursday (11/11/21) and explained the decision, saying:

"Some of the leadership in the Republican party came to me right after the election and said, look if you want to be President, whatever position you want on the council, you are welcome to have that if you so choose.

It had been my decision, even prior to running, that if I were to win, I wouldn't seek a leadership position in the council because I'm still involved in the council in every aspect of it whether I am in leadership or not.

But, I think, you know, some of the folks that are there, especially my friend Vinny DiGilio is really the future of our party here in Danbury. He's bright, he's articulate, he's just really, really good at what he does.

And, I see him as some day running for Mayor of the City of Danbury. As you know, I chose not to, so I don't want to clog up the upper chamber by just being a place holder. I'd rather people be in those positions that are going to be active and actively seeking higher positions and future roles within the party.

So, it was my choice just to say, I'm not going to seek those roles because I really want to help flourish that upper tier, I'm not going to be part of that so I want someone to be a part of that and I am trying to push them up."

Cavo remains acting Mayor until Dean Esposito is officially sworn into office. If I didn't know what kind of people they were, I'd say there are some awkward office swaps going on at City Hall but I'm sure they've made a lighthearted joke of the process.

You can listen to a portion the interview with Joe Cavo above.

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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.

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