December 2025 Update From Danbury Mayor Roberto Alves

**News Release Submitted by Danbury Mayor Roberto Alves**

Dec. 22, 2025

Happy Holidays, Danbury!

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season, and that all of you have been able to take some well-deserved time away from your daily duties to spend time with your families.

As we shift into the holiday spirit and get ready for the new year, I’m reflecting on all our City has accomplished over the past year. We successfully exceeded our goal of paving 15 miles of road by finishing off the paving season with 17.06 miles of road—a historic amount for Danbury. We have increased road safety, focusing on distracted and reckless driving, and our brand new Bus Patrol safety program is helping keep our children safe from drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses.

We have put a direct focus on increasing public safety in our community, hiring and promoting 65 police officers and firefighters over the past year. We have also invested in facility repairs and state-of-the-art equipment to ensure the safety of our first responders and the community they serve. As the city continues to grow, our first responders will continue to need our increased support to adapt.
Also, this year, Danbury finally completed its overdue audits, getting us off State Watch and back on track. I’m excited to share more with you in the coming months about exciting new businesses coming to Danbury. In a time where shopping malls are struggling, our Danbury Fair Mall is thriving with new business and entertainment offerings for the whole family. We have exciting new youth outreach programs coming, including the opening of a Boys and Girls Clubhouse and a youth MMA after-school program with UFC Legends Glover Teixeira and Alex Pereira. There is so much to be proud of over this past year, and even more to look forward to.

I’m so grateful to be in this position and to serve each resident, and I can’t wait to continue the work we’re doing together.

Sincerely,

Mayor Roberto L. Alves

NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

State of the City Address
On December 12th, I delivered the State of the City Address where I discussed and reflected on the incredible progress our City has made this past year. I was proud to give updates on our restored financial status, our improvements in public safety and infrastructure, and our incredibly healthy and successful business atmosphere. I also announced several key initiatives we’re looking forward to in the new year, including creating a Fire Cadet Program, expanding partnerships between local employers and Danbury High School’s Career Academy, and I will be proposing red-light and speed cameras to the City Council to improve traffic safety. I am honored to continue working with our community to drive Danbury forward.

Epic Flight Academy Coming to Danbury Municipal Airport
Epic Flight Academy, a national leader in aviation education, is bringing a brand-new flight training campus to the Danbury Municipal Airport. This academy will open the door for more of our local residents to pursue careers in aviation. The school will open with 10 employees to start, and will welcome its first class of 30 students. As the aviation industry is experiencing a pilot shortage nationwide, we believe Danbury is the perfect place to develop the next generation of pilots and aviation professionals.

Shoprite Opening In Nutmeg Square Shopping Plaza
A brand new Cingari Family ShopRite is coming to the Nutmeg Square plaza on Newtown Road! After a highly successful reopening of the ShopRite on Padanaram Road, the Cingari family is proud to bring another store to Danbury, investing over $40 million in our City. This new store will bring more job opportunities to our community and fill the void for neighbors who relied on the former Stop & Shop location for their grocery needs. As Danbury continues to stand out as an economic engine of our region, I’m excited to welcome another ShopRite location into our city.

Danbury Holiday Lights Contest
This holiday season, Councilman John Laughinghouse and I invited residents to participate in our first Annual Danbury Holiday Lights Contest! It has been great to see everyone get into the holiday spirit with all of the lights and decorations, and we can’t wait to announce the winners on December 22! Thank you to everyone for participating and making this event a success. We are excited to make this a new annual community tradition!

Signed, Sealed, Delivered for Danbury!

Safe Streets Danbury Launches
We have officially launched an initiative titled Safe Streets Danbury, which focuses on making our roadways safer. We’re focused on developing plans for a stronger and more connected transportation system to help prevent serious accidents across the city and protect all commuters, whether on foot or by vehicle. The project is still in its early stages, so I encourage all residents to learn more and share feedback to ensure that this program is the most beneficial it can be for all Danbury’s residents and neighborhoods.

To learn more and share your feedback, please visit www.safestreetsdanbury.com.

City Council Begins New Term
Congratulations to all newly elected members of the Danbury City Council! I look forward to working with Danbury’s newly elected legislative body and thank them for volunteering their time to service.
Beginning in January 2026, the regularly scheduled monthly meeting of the City Council will start at 7:00 PM. We encourage all interested residents to attend these meetings to stay informed and involved, and hope that this time change will make it more convenient for residents to attend the full meeting. In the coming weeks, we will also be announcing more information regarding the town hall schedules for the new year. Keep an eye out for more information about town halls and City Council updates through our newsletters, our social media, and our website!

Danbury Happenings

Holiday Festivities Take Over Danbury
We rang in holiday cheer early this month at our annual Light the Lights Winter Festival with CityCenter Danbury, and stopped by the holiday party at our Senior Center. We also supported great initiatives to help children and families in need throughout the holiday season with Danbury 98Q’s Bags & Bears event and a Stuff-A-Cruiser Toy Drive hosted by the Police Department and AAA.

Celebrating Our Community
I look forward to continuing to serve Danbury and growing together as a community. Recently, we visited the Greater Danbury Area Men’s Club, congratulated Joe Baker Humanitarian Award Winner, April Furey, at the NFCAR Holiday Luncheon, and celebrated the 150th anniversary of Saint Peter Church on Main Street!