Mayors of Derby, New London, and Waterbury fight back against stereotypes

On By Fred McNultyIn Videos

The Connecticut cities of Waterbury, New London, and Derby were claimed to have been amongst the “worst places” in a popular viral video, which has been criticized for its accuracy. Mieum Media touched base with the mayors of the ten cities implicated in the video to push back on conventional wisdom. Today, we speak with Mayor Neil O’Leary, Mayor Michael Passero, and Mayor Dziekan about their respective cities.

Introduction:

Meriden, New Britain, New Haven:

Bridgeport, Hartford, Willimantic, Windham:

Extended Interview with Mayor Michael Passero:

Extended Interview with Mayor Richard Dziekan:

Citations: 

#1: McNulty, Frederick. “Waterbury, CT to Nanyuki, Kenya: One Doctor’s Mission to Send Aid to Those in Need.” Mieum Media, 9 Jan. 2019, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLHOlZhtY_I. Accessed 27 May 2019.

#2: McNulty, Frederick. “An Abandoned Religious Theme Park in Waterbury is Coming Back to Life.” Mieum Media, 20 Mar. 2019, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrSYknfzCKw. Accessed 27 May 2019.

#3: McNulty, Frederick. “Millennials Love Horoscopes, Tarot Cards, and New Age Spiritualism. Why?” Mieum Media, 12 Dec. 2018, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDR8M-dUS0o. Accessed 27 May 2019.

 

#4: Fowlerville Observer. “1943 Basketball Team.” The Fowlerville Observer, 25 Jan. 2011, fowlerville.blogspot.com/2011/06/1943-basketball-team.html.

The image at 1:30 was taken in Fowlerville High School in Michigan in 1943 – not in Derby, Connecticut in 1951. 

#5: Sessions, Jeff. “Crowding Out U.S. Workers.” National Review, 6 Jan. 2014, http://www.nationalreview.com/2014/01/crowding-out-us-workers-jeff-sessions/.

The image that appears at 4:21 actually came from conservative news website National Review, and there is no evidence that it was taken in New London, Connecticut.

#6: Based on the bus stop within the image, it was originally captured in Brooklyn, New York City, New York – not in New London, Connecticut.

#7: “Parking/Transportation.” Wilshire, http://www.la-open.com/parking.

The image that appears at 4:44 was taken from a Los Angeles, California-based website. That L.A. site appears to have taken the image from KansasCyclist.com – and there is no evidence that it was captured anywhere in Connecticut.

#8:  Johnson, Nick. “The 10 WORST PLACES in CONNECTICUT Explained.” YouTube, 11 Oct. 2016, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSdLEQv3zrQ. Accessed 17 May 2019.

#9: “Office of the Mayor.” City of Waterbury, CT, http://www.waterburyct.org/mayor. Accessed 22 May 2019.

#10: Oglesby, Scott. “Connecticut Route 8.” Kurumi.com: Home, http://www.kurumi.com/roads/ct/ct8.html. Accessed 22 May 2019.

#11: “I Love Waterbury Connecticut 3/4 Sleeve T-shirt.” CafePress, http://www.cafepress.com/mf/97477150/i-love-waterbury-connecticut-3_tshirt?productId=1532390980. Accessed 22 May 2019.

#12:  “I’ll Have a Reuben Please.” TeknoAXE, 24 Feb. 2017, teknoaxe.com/Link_Code_4.php?q=1189. Accessed 21 May 2019. File originally posted online under an applicable Creative Commons license.

#13:  “The Unicycle Crew .” TeknoAXE, 24 Feb. 2017, teknoaxe.com/Link_Code_4.php?q=179. Accessed 22 Jul. 2012. File originally posted online under an applicable Creative Commons license.

#14: Outro Song: “Fill Me In” by Atwaters featuring Yeon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW0iKqFMoxo Used with artist’s consent. The contents and views of this video may not necessarily be shared with the artist.