The Autobiography of a Third Son.

De: David S. Cassetti, David Cassetti

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

Mayor David S. Cassetti, The Autobiography of a Third Son, is a no holds barred story of a city, its citizens and their Mayor, populist every man Dave Cassetti, a colorful, charming and charismatic man who is deeply embedded in the fabric and culture of a city that he so dearly loves. And that’s what this book is, a love story of sorts, told by a man whose passions run deep.
Cassetti covers a lot of territory in the book, from his modest, in fact, often poor and disruptive childhood, his rise to become the Connecticut State Welterweight boxing champion, building a statewide construction firm and his political career.
He tells of his early days in politics, first working on the police commission, then Alderman and his ultimate run for mayor, when he formed a coalition from a small base of supporter that set the stage for X more successful terms.
Transitioning from campaigning to governing, Cassetti’s stories depict the skills that enable a city politician to lead effectively and illustrates how problem-solving pragmatism is essential for success.
Dave Cassetti came into office when the Ansonia, was facing deep financial problems and tells about the hundreds of hours spent getting the city on a more firm fiscal footing which included reviving the private sector along with coming up with often inventive ways to cut spending. Cassetti is characteristically frank when talking about his opponents, his political colleagues, his many political triumphs and his unsuccessful run for the state house.
But, primarily this is a book about successful urban planning and gives the reader interesting perspectives on how local government operates and looks at the day to day issues of how local government operates. He also discusses, sometimes in depth, how he deals with various interest groups, the numerous personality types, the fiscal issues, bargaining with city employees and contractors. Its all here. The triumphs and challenges, from the mundane to the unexpected, from snow removal, trash collection, and drinkable water, Cassetti describes it all from an insider’s view.
Cassetti points out that no mayor can accomplish everything on his own and gives ample credit to his staff. He tells how his staff worked to recruit businesses back to Main Street motivating them through tax reforms and improved services.
In many way this is an extraordinary auto biography that chronicles the place of the city in the Twenty-first century, with its growing diverse population and inclusive politics,
told through Cassetti’s unique style that is readable, richly contextualized and through stories that are sometimes touching and profoundly human.
Cassetti has an eye for detail that makes even the ordinary interesting as well as the abilty to make the often sophisticated and overly complicated political realm understandable. There is also an openness, and honesty in Cassetti’s emotions when he discusses his loves and hates, hopes and fears, all laid bare for the reader.
Cassetti tells a compelling story through anecdotes, advice, and insights, all rich in detail, that will interest any student of civic affair and those future generation of administrators and urban scholars with a desire to understand how to make a successful municipal government work.