City Councilman Roberto Alves Releases Small Business Plan

Press release from Alves for Danbury:

Sept. 10, 2021

City Councilman and Democratic candidate for mayor Roberto Alves today released his plan to support small businesses through the COVID-19 pandemic, cut red tape, and create opportunities for new and prospective businesses to thrive. The Alves plan takes advantage of city resources, American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding, and increased governmental efficiency to provide the necessary relief to Danbury’s existing small businesses and help recruit new ones to the city.

“Small businesses are the lifeblood of our economy, and they’ve been hit incredibly hard over the past 18 months,” said Councilman Roberto Alves. “If we want Danbury to reach its full potential, we need to focus on supporting small businesses as they recover and bringing in new ones. It is equally important that the city and the Office of Business Advocacy provide direct services to prospective and existing small businesses with a focus on filling empty storefronts and cutting red tape. It’s pretty simple: if we want businesses to grow and succeed in Danbury, we have to help them thrive. My plan is the only one that does this.” concluded Alves.

Each component of Alves’ small business plan, which can be seen below, calls for a renewed focus from the city and is centered around fiscal and administrative actions that the city can take on its own, including taking advantage of American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds to support businesses damaged by COVID-19, including funding pilot programs, non-repayable loans, and neighborhood revitalization grants all aimed at helping small businesses recover.

Additionally, the Alves plan places an emphasis on creating local jobs, growing the city’s grand list, invigorating business districts and commercial centers, and bolstering the city’s Office of Business Advocacy to better support and provide more direct services to businesses.

Alves for Danbury, Small Business Plan
Small business is the lifeblood of any local economy, that’s why it’s critical now more than ever that our city supports our existing businesses by providing COVID-related assistance through the use of American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds, cutting red tape, and investing in our community. It’s also equally important to bring in new business to create grand list growth, fill empty storefronts, and create good-paying local jobs.

  • Enhance downtown and our business districts by investing in infrastructure improvements and beautification, creating more parking, and increasing local transportation options
  • Implement new tax incentive programs made available to small businesses and commercial real estate developers who commit to property enhancements and create jobs in Danbury
  • Bolster our Office of Business Advocacy so it can provide more direct services to small businesses with a focus on assisting businesses with obtaining state and federal COVID relief loans and other available grant money
  • Create a commercial real estate vacancy portal for the city and prospective business owners to manage and help quickly fill vacant storefronts
  • Enhance Danbury’s marketing capabilities so that we can demonstrate to all small business owners our city’s vibrant future
  • Utilize technology to modernize the licensing and permitting process and enable small business owners to interact more efficiently with the city
  • Review the city’s zoning regulations in partnership with commercial property and business owners to maximize and utilize existing space on Mill Plain Rd
  • Thoughtfully and strategically apply ARP funds to help small businesses through pilot programs, non-repayable loans, and neighborhood revitalization grants, we can help bring our economy to life.

Roberto Alves has been endorsed by the Connecticut Working Families Party, Western Connecticut AFL-CIO, AFT Connecticut, SEIU 1199 New England, CSEA SEIU Local 2001, CEUI, and has earned the Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate Distinction. A product of Danbury’s public schools, Roberto Alves is a City Councilman At-Large and brings nearly a decade of private sector and community-driven experience to the position. He lives on West Redding Road in Danbury with his spouse Robyn, and their two children, Julius and Catalina.


This press release was produced by Alves for Danbury. The views expressed here are the author’s own.