Updated, 3:10 a.m., full story
NORWALK, Conn. – Norwalk Democratic leaders rallied the troops Monday night with a new slogan that they said embodies the theme of the campaign season – Unity 2015.
The political picture further crystalized at the Democratic Town Committee meeting as two-term incumbent District A Councilman David Watts finally announced his intent – he will not run for re-election – and retiring Tracey Elementary School Principal Paul Krasnavage was outed as a potential District D Board of Education candidate. Haroldo Williams, who ran as an at-large BoE candidate in the last election, also expressed interest and Nick Sacchinelli said he’d like to run for the Common Council as an at-large candidate from District D.
All of this developed after DTC Chairman Ed Camacho again talked of the need to have qualified candidates in what he called a “crucial” election.
“We have an incumbent mayor,” Camacho began. “We hope and we believe that this mayor will be re-elected, that he’s going to have coattails. It’s important for us to run as a team this year, which we didn’t do the last time for many reasons. But this year I think it’s important for us to run as a team… I hope everyone can agree that that is what we need to do with this election cycle.”
The DTC has a new Facebook page, a Twitter account and a webpage that is connected to the national site Democrats.com, he said, after announcing the slogan that he had posted on Facebook Monday afternoon.
Camacho distributed a list of offices that will be voted on this fall.
“I suspect that the mayor at some point will express his desires as to what, the kind of people, the team he would like to run,” Camacho said. “I think we all understand that we need to have a team that supports this mayor, that supports the initiatives of this mayor. So it’s my hope that we can all come up with the best possible candidates, including for the Board of Ed, which has been problematic of late, shall we say. I think it’s very, very important that we elect people who are going to engage, who are going to roll up their sleeves, who are going to do the hard work that it takes to govern and I think with this election is a crucial one as it relates to the Board of Ed in particular, but certainly the Common Council, because there are lots of initiatives that are going on in the city, lots of construction, lots of things that need to be addressed.”
Zoning is particularly important in District B and it’s important to have candidates that understand workforce housing issues because of the redevelopment there, he said.
“I think this is a critical election. Norwalk is at a tipping point, both from the point of view of the Board of Education as well as the economics of the city, so I really encourage all of the districts to put forth the best possible candidates so we can govern,” Camacho said. “If we attain a majority on the Common Council and a majority on the Board of Ed, it’s important that we be able to govern and not be divided as we have been in the past.”
“Ed said it about Unity 2015. I think we all have to push hard, to work together, to show that we are a solid team of people that are working on behalf of the city of Norwalk and trying to do what we can to improve this city,” Mayor Harry Rilling said.
Rilling said he had gone to a presentation in Stamford, titled “Norwalk Rising.” Norwalk developers Clay Fowler of Spinnaker Real Estate Partners, Doug Adams of General Growth Properties (GGP) and Paxton Kinol of Belpointe Capital, the financing company behind the Waypointe development, were on the panel, he said.
“Norwalk is becoming the place to be in Fairfield County. It’s the alternative to Stamford. … It was opined that approximately $3.4 billion in development will be occurring in Norwalk in the next three to five years,” Rilling said.
Democrats were not united in 2013, Rilling said, referring to the after-effects of the four-way Democratic mayoral primary.
“I think this time we have the opportunity to campaign together, to send out material together, put together brochures and work together, and I think that we’ve got a good machine going,” Rilling said. “I think that will prove we can work together and show the community that we are the team to elect in November.”
Watts, who has openly criticized Rilling from time to time – even tweeting a photo of Pinocchio and attaching Rilling’s name to it – made his announcement shortly thereafter.
“It’s been a pleasure serving on the Common Council but I will not be seeking re-election,” Watts said. “We have been working quietly to find candidates that actually believe in some of the things that we believe in, which is fighting for the poor, middle class. I believe people judge a city on how they treat their poor. Norwalk has a long way to go.”
Councilwoman Eloisa Melendez (D-District A), who announced in January that she was running for re-election, said nothing during the DTC meeting. Steve Serasis, who has said he would run for a District A Council seat if it did not mean forcing Melendez to a primary, was not present.
Camacho asked if the non-DTC members would like to introduce themselves. Joe Mann said he “just thought it was a good time to come,” and two newcomers introduced themselves as well. Kendall Elementary School Principal Tony Ditrio said he wasn’t planning to run for anything but he was there to support those who did.
Lynne Moore told the group that Krasnavage was in the room and had expressed an interest in running for the Board of Ed.
The gymnasium at Tracey was recently named in Krasnavage’s honor. He said he has lived in Norwalk for more than 50 years, been involved in education here for 29 years and education in general since 1975. He’s been a high school teacher, a coach, a house master, central office administrator “and for the last 20 years principal,” he said.
“I think I have a working knowledge of what is going on with the school system, what it should be, what it can be and how to make those two things coincide,” Krasnavage said.
The retiring principal got a warm reaction, as Council Minority Leader Travis Simms (D-District B) said he had been his Norwalk High School football coach.
If nominated, Krasnavage would likely run against Republican Bryan Meek. Meek is serving out the term of Jack Chiaramonte, who resigned under fire last winter after controversial, racially charged social media posts were made public.
Previously, Erik Anderson said he would like to challenge for Migdalia Rivas’ District B seat on the Board of Education, and Manny Langella said he would like to challenge for a Council seat in B. Those two seats are held by Travis Simms and Faye Bowman, both of whom plan to run again. Sharon Stewart, a District B resident, plans to run for re-election to her at-large Council seat.
NoN previously reported the Dem lineup for District C. Also as previously reported, Council President Jerry Petrini (District D) and Council Majority Leader Doug Hempstead (At-Large), both Republicans, remain undecided about their plans, as do John Igneri (D-District E) and Glenn Iannaccone (R-At Large). David McCarthy (R-District E), Michelle Maggio (R-District C), John Kydes (D-District C) and Shannon O’Toole Giandurco (R-District D) all have said they will run again.
On the Board of Education, Mike Barbis (D-District E), Chairman Mike Lyons (R-District C), Rivas and Meek plan to run again, while Rosa Murray (D-District A) has not made her intention known.
Anderson also addressed the DTC Monday, saying, “I have always had my sights on being able to run for the Norwalk Board of Education.”
Former Republican Fairfield First Selectman John Metsopoulos, who has been nominated to run for the Council by District C, also spoke to the group. Watts encouraged him to get involved in Norwalk politics, he said, pointing out that he is a former state representative and addressing the issue of his former status as a Republican.
“Everybody makes some mistakes in life,” Metsopoulos said. “I have seen the party evolve since I was in the legislature from a party where you could be a free thinker, where you could support women’s rights, to a party that is waging war on the middle class and on families. I am now a solid Democrat.”
Original story:
NORWALK, Conn. – The race for Common Council and Board of Education began to take shape Monday night as several Democrats made their intentions and desires known at the Democratic Town Committee meeting.
Two-term incumbent District A Councilman David Watts finally announced his intent – he will not run for re-election. The other sitting District A Council member, Eloisa Melendez, said weeks ago that she does intend to run again. Announcing intent and actually getting the district’s backing are two different things, though, and there have been rumblings that Watts, the District A chairman and a voting member of the DTC, might try to shift support elsewhere.
For her part, Melendez has said she will go to a primary if necessary.
District A was not the only newsmaker Monday night. Two District D Democrats made known their desire to run for the Board of Education seat currently held by Republican appointee Bryan Meek. Meek is serving out the term of Jack Chiaramonte, who resigned under fire last winter after controversial, racially charged social media posts were made public.
Haroldo Williams, who ran unsuccessfully in 2013 for an at-large seat, said he wants to run in District D, as did retiring Tracy Elementary School Principal Paul Krasnavage.
Nick Saccinelli, who ran unsuccessfully in 2013, wants another crack at the Common Council, and would run at large, he said.
Previously, Erik Anderson said he would like to challenge for Migdalia Rivas’ District B seat on the Board of Education, and Manny Langella said he would like to challenge for a Council seat in B. Those two seats are held by Travis Simms and Faye Bowman, both of whom plan to run again. Sharon Stewart, a District B resident, plans to run for re-election to her at-large Council seat.
NoN previously reported the Dem lineup for District C. Also as previously reported, Council President Jerry Petrini (District D) and Council Majority Leader Doug Hempstead (At-Large), both Republicans, remain undecided about their plans, as do John Igneri (D-District E) and Glenn Iannaccone (R-At Large). David McCarthy (R-District E), Michelle Maggio (R-District C), John Kydes (D-District C) and Shannon O’Toole Giandurco (R-District D) all have said they will run again.
On the Board of Education, Mike Barbis (D-District E), Chairman Mike Lyons (R-District C), Rivas and Meek plan to run again, while Rosa Murray (D-District A) has not made her intention known.
Editor Mark Chapman wrote the original version from notes sent in from the meeting.
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