DANBURY — The city’s new emergency management director does not work solely for Danbury, but for the local hospital.
Matthew Cassavechia, the emergency medical services director at Danbury Hospital for 30 years, was appointed by City Council this week to manage emergency preparation and activities for Danbury.
With his appointment comes a closer arrangement between the city and Nuvance, the parent company of Danbury Hospital, which has operated the city’s ambulance services for 30 years.
“This now brings into us the resources of the hospital and Nuvance in general, in a much more tighter partnership which is what I want,” Mayor Mark Boughton said in a recent Facebook Live video.
This includes access to doctors and specialists, he said. The agreement between the city and hospital requires the latter to provide qualified personnel to perform emergency services, among other tasks.
Under the agreement, the city would pay Danbury Hospital’s parent company $5,500 monthly for five years.
The appointment comes as the city and world battles the coronavirus pandemic and a couple weeks after a tropical storm left some residents without power for a week.
The city has been without a permanent emergency management director for several months.
T.J. Wiedl, who retired as the fire chief in June, has been serving as the temporary emergency management director since March, after Paul Estefan, the airport administrator who had also held the position, retired.
Cassavechia and Wiedl will work side-by-side this month before the latter pulls back from the position, Boughton said.
City Council members praised Cassavechia’s credentials.
“We’re really very fortunate, especially with the terms of the agreement that you as mayor put together, to have someone of that caliber take on the responsibility of emergency services in Danbury,” member Warren Levy said to Boughton.
Cassavechia will continue his job with Danbury Hospital, while reporting directly to the mayor on emergency issues. In the past, a city employee has received a stipend to serve in the position, on top of his or her regular job.
Given the pandemic, storm and other recent emergencies, one City Council member questioned whether the position should be full-time.
“I would have no issue voting for a full-time city employee whose sole role is to be the city of Danbury’s EMD (emergency management director),” member Frank Salvatore said.
Boughton said the position would cost $140,000 a year. Other City Council members said they had no issue with keeping the person part-time.
The agreement with Danbury Hospital allows either the city or hospital to end the contract at any time without cause, so officials said they could easily leave the agreement and appoint a full-time person if necessary.
Bob Taborsak was the sole City Council member to vote against the appointment because he thought the director should stay a city employee.
“The fact that we’re giving this responsibility and turning it over a great deal to the hospital, rather than the city taking the responsibility itself to manage everything really causes me great concerns,” he said. “I really feel this should still remain under city government of Danbury.”
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August 20, 2020 at 10:00PM
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