(Updated 2:120 p.m. with closing paragraph.)
NORWALK, Conn. – Sometimes it is difficult to decide who to endorse in an election. This is not one of those times.
NancyOnNorwalk urges Norwalk voters to choose former Chief of Police Harry Rilling to be the city’s next mayor.
If this election was simply a matter of triple A bond ratings and snowstorm response, it might be a tougher choice. But this is about so much more.
It is about changing the culture of Norwalk.
Harry Rilling put civility front and center in his campaign. He said he would conduct a positive campaign, and he did. He highlighted areas in which he felt the incumbent mayor had underperformed, and said what he would do differently.
In response, Mayor Richard Moccia constantly invoked the “we’re already doing that” defense, even going so far as to go point-by-point over Rilling’s education platform, saying his administration was already doing every item, then questioning how Rilling was going to pay for it. Really?
Moccia said early he would conduct a positive campaign, but those were hollow words. The attack ads and robocalls, the insinuations of the Rilling campaign stealing his lawn signs, and the silly accusation of “grandstanding” when Rilling stopped on his way to a City Hall event to listen to angry NEON clients looking for answers about their Head Start program, hardly could be called positive campaigning. And while the Moccia campaign tried to scare voters with claims of Rilling making expensive promises to unions, it was conveniently forgotten that Moccia used to get some of those same union endorsements. And grandstanding? Moccia reportedly walked the picket line with firefighters prior to his narrow victory over Mayor Alex Knopp in 2005.
While making dire predictions of skyrocketing taxes of Rilling is elected, Moccia and his minions are conveniently forgetting to mention that the Common Council votes on the cap. Finance Director Thomas Hamilton advises everyone; we have heard from reliable sources that BET Chairman Fred Wilms works with Hamilton to formulate a budget, which Moccia then agrees with and sends to the council. The mayor does not control the budget.
We talk to a lot of people involved in Norwalk business, and one of the most prevalent complaints is the way the mayor, his staff and certain appointees and Common Council members treat them and, often each other. The atmosphere in this city has become highly partisan and quite toxic, and it starts at the top.
We have been on the receiving end of the mayor’s rudeness and hostility on many occasions. His loud, angry phone calls were frequent long before NancyOnNorwalk was conceived. He called The Daily Voice management with complaints about negative coverage. He called to complain about the way questions were phrased. He complained about using information from then-Town Clerk Andy Garfunkel that he felt should have come from him – about whether the fireworks were on or off.
And, of course, he tried to have Nancy arrested for accidentally recording a conversation in the Common Council chambers during a recess, and saying she intended to use it for a story. She gave him advance notice and an opportunity to respond and to register his complaints. When The Daily Voice backed down, he pushed the issue, spending state taxpayer dollars for a State Police Major Crimes Unit investigation into charges of eavesdropping and coercion. The state’s attorney refused to sign the warrant. We saw the entire incident as petty and a waste of taxpayer dollars.
This is the same mayor whose campaign filed a police report over stolen campaign signs, a report Chief Thomas Kulhawik says is being investigated. With police overtime and public safety in Norwalk both campaign issues, this is how the mayor chooses to spend police resources.
The incident with the recorder called into question how the mayor could ethically supervise the corporation counsel, who he said is his private attorney and who is collecting a city paycheck as well. While there is no law being broken, the relationship raises questions when one considers the mayor is responsible for counsel’s performance review and controls his pay raises.
That leads to the question of appointments, and this is where Norwalk voters should pay close attention. The mayor of Norwalk has sole hiring or appointment authority – no council oversight – for 15 boards and/or paid positions, including finance director, corporation counsel, director of public works and personnel and labor relations director, according to the city website. Among his direct board appointments are police and fire commissions, both of which consist of three people, one of them being the mayor. Those commissions decide who will be the chief of police and the fire chief.
That’s a lot of power for someone whose judgment is questionable.
The mayor appoints, with council approval, 29 of the other 31 boards and commissions. When the council is packed with Republicans – and those elected Democrats who abandon the party to caucus with Republicans – the council is often a rubber stamp.
The mayor has appointed his personal attorney (or retained him as personal attorney after hiring him); has appointed a personnel director with a history of bad behavior elsewhere, who recently had a violent flare-up during a meeting; and an Oak Hills Park Authority chairman who was among those convicted of stealing from the city while commissioner of the Second Taxing District, according to published reports, and who more recently made a lewd gesture and rude remarks to Nancy. Neither he nor the personnel director has been publicly rebuked, let alone disciplined or discharged.
As for diversity, there are about 15 Latinos serving on Norwalk’s appointed boards and commissions despite the city’s demographic makeup being about 25 percent Latino. The mayor and Republican Common Council candidates said during the campaign that there was plenty of diversity, and the mayor blamed the Latino community itself for its lack of representation. And while several council candidates have underscored the need for qualified, knowledgeable people to serve, actions speak louder than words.
We also note that so many commenters on this site and others complain incessantly about Norwalk’s high taxes and stagnant property values, then use it as a reason to re-elect the mayor. With the boards stacked with the mayor’s appointments, surely, in eight years, if things are as bleak as some say, the blame cannot be laid at the feet of the other guys.
The mayor has also taken campaign donations from companies with business before the city, including $3,000 from City Carting top management personnel just months before City Carting got a 10-year contract from the city, despite some troubling history. Most recently, at least four and as many as 10 members of a Long Island family with ties to a company handling 100 Connecticut Avenue – future site of Lowe’s – each donated the maximum allowable $1,000 to the mayor’s campaign. While Lowe’s was already given approval following a controversial zoning change encouraged by the mayor and following a $20,000 donation to the city for a park, the company still must obtain permits and begin construction.
Meanwhile, we think Harry Rilling, when he was chief of police, could have acknowledged and acted on the gang influence in Norwalk sooner than he did. We think he is walking a fine line with so many unions endorsing him and contributing to his campaign, and he will be under heavy scrutiny here and in other quarters to see how he handles the situation. We would note, however, that the mayor is not responsible for negotiations with the teachers or school administrators, and the firefighters will not have a contract coming up during the next mayor’s term.
We recognized long before he chose to run for mayor that Harry Rilling is a man of compassion, strength and integrity. That goes a long way in our minds. It is also interesting to note that Mr. Rilling is supported by the police union. Some think that is because they expect him to give away the store in contract negotiations, but if that happens, Rilling may well find himself a one-term mayor.
Rather, the endorsement by people who used to work for him tells us that his employees respected him as a man, as a leader and a boss. We have had many bosses. The majority we would not recommend for anything. A few, though, we would go to bat for in a heartbeat, and one of those people had to lay us off. These people were fair, honest and compassionate. They respected people – employees and the public – even when they disagreed. And that is something this city needs.
With all this, and more, in mind, we urge Norwalk voters to choose Harry Rilling for mayor on Nov. 5.
Update:
We left out one thing on out endorsement list: Republican Rick McQuaid for town clerk. Yes, he is unopposed. But Mr. McQuaid is the kind of public servant and, yes politician all the others should aspire to be: Honest, civil, helpful and diligent. We hope he would consider a step up in the future.
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