The Danbury Democratic Mayoral candidate is making transportation infrastructure one of his key platforms and is linking it to downtown development.  If elected, Chris Setaro plans to order a traffic study in his first 100 days that will examine existing road, bus, and rail conditions to reduce congestion and ease travel around the city.  Republican incumbent Mayor Mark Boughton says he's doing that now.

Setaro says Danbury hasn’t seen a major traffic improvement plan since the 1980s, and since then there has been no real action to address the increasing problems faced by commuters every day.  He plans to rely on his experience as former City Council President to align bonding with retiring debt, holding the mill rate level, and repave the roads. 

Setaro says unmanaged growth during the past 18 years without a plan has led to crumbling roads, gridlocked streets, and a public transit system that is stuck in the past.  He wants to create incentives to encourage private investment centered around an improved Danbury train and bus hub to spur growth and help the environment.  

Republican incumbent Mark Boughton is touting plans to get a train connection from Danbury to the Southeast station and notes there are tax deferrals for businesses to locate around the train station, as well as an expedited permit review.  Boughton added there's already a proposal to move the bus hub to the train station.

Setaro says the failure to address these issues has hampered the city’s economic development and quality of life.  Setaro does not support tolls and has heard from some residents as he's gone door to door that they're not in favor of the idea other.