Michelle Woods Matthews)
How did Rilling feel about O&G’s withdrawal of its barge proposal? The resignations of two Common Council members within hours? What are his prospects for a seventh term in office? Read on.
What made you decide to pursue becoming mayor?
“I was born and raised in Norwalk. I know a lot of people here. When I made (police) lieutenant, people were saying, ‘One day, you’ll be the mayor of the City.’ When I became chief in 1995, I was chief for 17 years. After I retired from the police department in 2012, I started to think about running for mayor. But I started seeing things that weren’t happening in Norwalk that should be and things that were happening that shouldn’t. Norwalk was stagnated, and nothing was going on. So I felt that I could help make a difference.”
What do you think are the City’s biggest issues? What are you working on now to fix some of those issues?
“We want to improve the quality of life for people. We want to make sure they feel welcomed and provide equity and inclusion, and we want to make sure everybody feels like Norwalk is their home. We’re making Norwalk a more walkable, safer City. We’re going through the Complete Streets program. But the other issue I really feel is affecting Norwalk is the affordable housing study. We have to provide more affordable houses. We do more than most cities around the state. We have over 10% affordable housing. A lot of people in Norwalk are consuming one-third of their income, which puts them at a disadvantage. We have really taken a look at the affordable house, and I think that’s one of the main things we have to work on.”
What’s the optimal growth rate for the City, and at what point, if ever, do you stop?
“The market controls that. You don’t want to stop people from moving in because the City that doesn’t grow stagnates. I don’t think you can wave a magic wand and say no more people can move in. I think the market controls that. People will move in, and people will move out. We have approximately 91,000 living in Norwalk now, so we’re growing but not exploding. Norwalk was named by Fortune magazine the 29th best City to raise a family. We’re doing things right. The growth here is smart growth, and it’s controlled to a certain degree by the zoning regulations. I hear people say we need to build a wall around Norwalk–don’t let anyone else move in. It’s a silly thing to say you live here but you don’t want anyone else to live here.”
On Jan 23 of this year, you said: “The threats of climate change cannot be overstated, and it is our responsibility to do everything we can now to help mitigate the risks on behalf of our children, our grandchildren, and future generations.” What steps are being taken to address existing environmental concerns, such as the flooding on Water Street? Are there any new green initiatives or policies to reduce the City’s carbon footprint?
“One of the things we are doing is installing electric vehicle charging stations throughout the City. We want to make our entire fleet electric. We’d like to see electric school buses; the ones now are run on propane, which is a start in the right direction. We’re composting in several places throughout the City. Even something as simple as putting LED lights in the City, saving energy. We are developing apartment units around our multi-transportation hub. A lot of people that live in those units don’t have cars. They hop on the train to work, so we’re building miles and miles of bike lanes; we have the Wheels2U (service) that keeps cars off the road.”
This is a good transition into O&G’s decision to withdraw their barge plan temporarily. What do you have to say about this?
“I’m opposed to that use, and I didn’t hide my feelings. It wasn’t the proper use, and we want to make the best use of our waterfront. I thought it was poorly thought out, and I’m glad they withdrew. I thought that not only did the Planning & Zoning Commission listen to the public, but O&G did as well. They realized it was not popular, and O&G took the high road.”
What are some of the top priorities for the school system right now, and are there any remaining federal infrastructure monies?
“Many of the schools are state funded. If you look back at 2013, you’ll see my administration funded the Norwalk school system to a far greater degree than any previous administration. Lately, we had to cut down a bit because they wanted certain things. We try to fund the Board of Education as much as we can so they can educate our children. And we believe they are doing a remarkable job and people are moving here because they like our school system. We have the finest teachers. Many of our schools didn’t have air conditioning. Now, I think there are five or six that don’t have air conditioning, but we also want to update those air conditioning systems. We renovated Jefferson school, built a new Cranbury school, and also built for the first time a new South Norwalk school. We’re able to do this because the State of Connecticut helps build schools through the reimbursement program. We have a 25-year plan now, and every school in Norwalk will be renovated as new or a new one (built).”
An officer in the Norwalk Police Department was recently arrested for the fourth time. As a former police chief, what was your approach to handling repeated offenders within the ranks?
“Discipline is a very difficult thing in a union setting. You have to follow certain processes. There is a progressive discipline process. I always found when something rose to the termination of a police officer, it’s something you don’t like to see, but police officers are human beings, and they make the same mistakes, even sometimes to a greater degree, because they see things that most people don’t see in their entire lifetime. They see death, abuse, drug use, and so many things that have an impact on them. A police officer who sought help was looked at as a weakness. We changed all that. If our police officers are struggling, we want them to seek help. The vast majority of police officers are hard-working, dedicated, loyal men and women. The few individuals who would tarnish our badge don’t deserve the right to wear our uniform. When I was the chief, I said I’d stand with you when you’re right, and when you’re being criticized, I’ll stand next to you. But when you’re wrong, I’ll have to do what I have to do. To see someone get arrested four times, well, the third time he got arrested, the clerk threw it out because they looked at the evidence and didn’t find that it was any evidence that he did that rose to the level of the charge. The last one is very serious, and I have total confidence in our chief that the chief will handle this in the right way.”
Considering the fair number of Hispanics in the community and the 17.3% of Black residents in Norwalk, what are some DEI initiatives? Has an officer been appointed?
“The DEI person felt it wasn’t a good fit, so she decided to leave. We feel there are great opportunities now, and we’re trying to work with the schools of Norwalk to hire one DEI person…we are redefining the job description so the person will work with the Norwalk Public Schools and the City of Norwalk and be the DEI officer for both. It’s important for us to have a DEI officer. Right after the George Floyd case, I was the one to say we need a DEI officer; we need an equity and inclusion commission to look at the things happening in Norwalk and find where the inequities exist. We respect our diversity. Our diversity gives us our strength. I know it’s taking longer than we wanted to, but we’re still working with the Board of Education. If they’re not on board, we’ll still hire someone sooner rather than later.”
Two Common Council members from the same district resigned on the same day. Did you know that was coming? What do you think led to this? And how do you address the cause(s) so that it doesn’t happen again?
“I did not know it was coming. I was surprised and also disappointed. I think they have been good at participating on the council, but now it’s up to us to find replacements; it’s not something that happens all the time. We don’t know what’s going on in a person’s personal life, and we have to respect their decision.”
You’re now midway through your sixth term in office. In the past, you have run on your record of a stable tax rate and “the right way” for a community to grow. Midway through your sixth term, property taxes are going up, some residents are grumbling about too much growth, and traffic is a major issue. Will you continue to seek reelection?
“You’ll know when I know. I consult with my team, but foremost, I consult with my family, my wife, my children, and their thoughts. But I also look at what’s happening in Norwalk. Like I said before, what shouldn’t be happening and what’s not happening that should be. I look at what we accomplished and I’m very proud of that. I look at what direction we’re going in and what else needs to be accomplished. We run every two years, so this year is not an election year for me. After the midterm elections, I sit down and talk to my team, talk to my family, and come up with a plan for what’s going to happen in 2025. So, like I said, you’ll know when I know.”
(Lightly edited for length and clarity.)
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