Spurred to get involved by Obama, Democrat Roberto Alves says he has ‘will’ to help Danbury – Danbury News Times

DANBURY Heartbroken over the 2016 presidential election, Roberto Alves watched former President Obamas farewell speech with his wife.

In the speech, Obama urged people to grab a clipboard and run for office if they were disappointed in their elected officials.

That really spoke to me, said Alves, 38.

Alves, who immigrated to the United States at 5 and had his Green Card, became a U.S. citizen and ran for Danbury City Council in 2017. He lost then, but won an at-large seat in 2019.

Now, the Democrat seeks to become Danburys next mayor.

Ive always had the want and the will to help people, he said.

Alves is running against Republican Dean Esposito, the mayors chief of staff, in the first open mayoral race in Danbury in 20 years.

Alves was born in Portugal, where his dad is from, but his family then moved to Brazil, his mothers home country. He was too young to remember Portugal, but from Brazil recalls his classmates, neighborhood grandmothers house and the tragedy of his grandfathers death.

At 5, his family decided to move to Danbury, where his uncle was a business owner. They arrived in the fall, and it was so much colder than Rio, Alves said. He attended kindergarten at what was then the Roberts Avenue School.

I felt different, he said. I didnt speak the language and recognized that as a kid. It was a whole new world and it was scary.

He said he was lucky that his teacher spoke Portuguese. He has stayed in touch to this day, he said.

Danbury is diverse, after all. Friends in his class spoke Portuguese and lived in his neighborhood, and his family went to a Portuguese church.

That made it easier, Alves said.

He worked hard to learn English.

I didnt want to have an accent, Alves said. I didnt want to be picked on.

Now, he embraces his Portuguese and Brazilian heritage, while loving being an American.

I still respect my cultural heritage, Alves said. I grew up in this country. I love it here.

His family has lived the immigrant story of struggle and success that many in Danbury are familiar with from those whose Italian or Irish grandparents came here to those newly arriving in the country, Alves said.

Alves dad, Augusto, worked various jobs, including in construction and as an overnight janitor, while his mom, Isaura, worked in laundromats, as a house cleaner and other odd jobs.

Alves, meanwhile, looked after his two younger sisters. His middle sister was born in Portugal and went to Brazil as a baby. His youngest sister was born in the United States.

Eventually, his parents owned OFaia Catering in Danbury.

They instilled that hard work ethic on their son, he said.

Its just that hardscrabble, grit, determination and lifestyle that America was built on, Alves said.

His friend Farley Santos said Alves has said his parents taught the candidate to help others who are less fortunate, even if you dont have much yourself.

Thats something thats ingrained and is a part of his values, Santos said. His values are Danbury values.

Alves met his wife, Robyn, through band in middle school. Although she remembers him from kindergarten, first and second grade, he doesnt.

I joke shes been chasing me since elementary school, Alves said.

They started dating in high school and went to prom together.

They married in 2012. Rather than spending money on a large wedding, they traveled the world for several months, including living in Brazil. They bought her grandfathers house, which is next to her fathers house.

Their son, Julius, is 8, and their daughter, Catalina, is 6.

Alves first foray into local politics was in advocating for more basketball courts in Danbury, he said.

He was driven to become more active in the community once he and his wife decided to raise their family in Danbury. Alves said he saw his peers leaving the city because of negative perceptions of the local public schools.

He said they started watching school board meetings and quickly realized it wasnt the Board of Education. It was the city and its current leadership that left the schools wanting.

Addressing the schools enrollment and funding challenges have been chief aspects of his campaign.

Former President Trump and the national rhetoric after the 2016 election pushed him to become more involved politically, he said.

Thats when he met Santos, who was among the Democratic candidates in 2017.

Roberto is a natural leader, said Santos, a City Council member. That really stood out back then and in every single election or organization or nonprofits that weve been involved with. He has a natural ability to bring people together.

He said he has seen this in food and backpack drives Alves has helped organize, as well as the candidates role on the Danbury Museum Board of Trustees.

After a couple years, Alves began to take the lead on local issues, said State Sen. Julie Kushner, D-Danbury.

As I got to know him better, I realized he was very sincere and hardworking and energetic and really hopeful about how to make this a better place to live in Danbury, she said.

She said she noticed his leadership after the police killing of George Floyd when younger people in the community looked up to him as they organized demonstrations in the city.

Kushner described Alves as a deep thinker.

He takes in a lot of information and takes advice from people, but ultimately he thinks about these things deeply and he makes decisions, she said.

Alves background as a technical sales engineer at Cartus Corporation in Danbury would be a benefit for the city, said state Rep. David Arconti, D-Danbury.

Hes been in board rooms all across the country, Arconti said. He knows what it takes to recruit a business.

Santos said Alves would be a strong advocate for families and first responders in Danbury.

He is passionate, Santos said. He loves this city. He says that over and over again, and thats because thats evident.

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Spurred to get involved by Obama, Democrat Roberto Alves says he has 'will' to help Danbury - Danbury News Times