Danbury Candidate Profile: Cindy Owens For City Council

DANBURY, CT — The 2019 municipal election is heating up in Danbury and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office.

Danbury Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Cindy Owens, 65, is running for City Council-At-Large as an unaffiliated candidate. She attended Ithaca College where she majored in both physical education and communications. She worked in quality control for the mechanical and optical aerospace industries for 25 years, owned the video production studio Brass Ring Video Concepts for over 10 years, as well as the computer build and repair business SSCS for more than five years.

"However, above it all, my biggest and longest love is as a drummer, either for the bands I was in, subbed for or most of all, my own band, Spam Brando for so many years!" she told Patch.

The single most pressing issue facing our town/district is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The inequality of services and updated infrastructure between the more well-off vs the poorer wards of Danbury.

This is because two wards, in particular, house most of the Hispanic/Latino population. The 1st and 7th wards see less improvement than others that are REGULARLY maintained. There's a glaring difference in how these sections are being serviced.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I answer to NO ONE except those residing in Danbury, whether they vote for me or not. I have been an active thorn in the side of Danbury politicians for so long that now, they routinely ignore anything I ask for in my neck of the woods.

I am the one looking to lower these ridiculous personal property vehicle taxes. I am the one looking to bring back common sense to what the Police Department is able to ticket regarding vehicular violations. The Mayor has seen fit to have NO law on the books as to whether a vehicle can park ON a corner and even, to park the wrong way on any given street.

There are NO laws in place for this. There are SO many other things that I address on my ever-expanding website. I am the only one maintaining it. I have no outside help.

There lacks a critical set of thinking skills in the Danbury government for YEARS, whether it's on the Common Council, in the Zoning Department or in the Facilities Department, even the Housing Department, run without ANY oversight from Danbury. That means, there IS no oversight. I would like to see Danbury a lot more active in where their presence is invisible.

List other issues that define your campaign platform:

• Real road repair, not inadequate, FAULTY quick patching - during the Election quarter,
• LOCK the park gates at night,
• End the lottery program to force children to travel out of their districts and provide MORE schools to equalize standards across ALL schools,
• STOP the valet service of bus pick up for ALL children over the age of elementary school and
  1. build more bus shelters
  2. construct a LOT more sidewalks and repair the decrepit ones. (see my website) to facilitate these changes,

• STOP the construction of any more condo complexes, including the proposed one in the vacant News-Times property,
• Build more needed schools, due to Boughton's and the City Council's shortsightedness regarding illegal immigrants AND lopsided Census reports most might not fill out in the first place,
• Come up with a better plan to rein in this ever-expanding city's influx of illegals, with the Hispanic/Latino population here creating more need for services to help them. This 30% number Danbury has come up with is laughable. The Westside contains most of this population and the services are NOT equal for what Boughton has created,
• Bring BACK high school, even middle school trade courses, such as welding, automotive repair, and carpentry, for example. Not every child wants or is able to afford college,
• Rectify homelessness with city or private jobs and housing. I've watched a poor homeless man in the same spot for 2+ years with no help and nowhere to go, off Wildman Street, on RAILROAD property. How sad is that?

THIS is just the tip of the iceberg. I have the time and the will to tackle anything they want to throw at me. The rest had better be prepared to take it on as well.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

"Never let your shortcomings be the highlight of your performance." Ok, so I made that one up. I use that in my own everyday life as well.