Richard Bonenfant

Candidate for Common Council District C

Party Affiliation: Republican, cross-endorsed by Norwalk Independent Party.

What inspired you to run for Common Council?

I enjoy helping people and serving the community, am concerned about the direction the City is going and I believe the Common Council and other boards have lost touch with their constituents. There are too many Zoom-only meetings which has morphed from officials representing the people to pushing their personal agendas. You the public pour your hearts out at online meetings and they don’t even see you.

What in your background shows that you understand the needs of Eastern Norwalk?

I grew up on Fifth Street as a youngster and my paper route was Marvin Beach many years ago, and went to the old Marvin School and Nathan Hale. In high school I worked at Field’s Boat Yard at the end of Third Street before the condos were built. Painted a lot of boats and after school in the winter my job was to chop the ice around the dock pilings so they wouldn’t be ripped out when the tide came up. I served 7 terms on the Common Council, not consecutive, under three different Mayors and was Council Majority Leader twice. As an At-Large (citywide) Council member I’ve represented from East Norwalk to Wolfpit by default. The District lines have been changed and now our Bettswood neighborhood will be in District C. I also served 5 years on the Human Relations Commission, four as Chair on that board which helps various groups understand each other and works to prevent discrimination. Plus, we go to the beach often and appreciate the many good businesses along the way.

What are your top three council priorities for the next year?

I have more than three but slowing down the density explosion is right up there. Norwalk has no population goal so right now its plan is to cram as much as possible into our limited space. The Zoning Regulations were rewritten to throw Marine Commercial businesses off the waterfront and replace boatyards with apartments. We need to inspire the people to fight back against overdevelopment. Is it too much to ask to have peace and quiet in our backyards?

Keep taxes as low as possible. Sure, we need to take care of our residents, the school system, public safety responders, recreation, administration and infrastructure. But let’s not forget the ones who are paying the bills. What started out as Enterprise Zone programs to bring in manufacturing equipment and jobs has evolved into tax breaks for building apartments. Stop making residential homeowners pay more than their fair share and get some contribution from everybody. 

Affordable Housing? Norwalk is the most affordable community of all the towns surrounding us. Building more apartments isn’t going to lower the rents, the last 10,000 units constructed did nothing to decrease rates. People can’t wait to get out of New York City, so they push our locals off the priority lists and keep the prices expensive. Misguided schemes like reduced or no parking requirements within certain zones are ill-advised, rents don’t go down and it just adds to traffic congestion and parking issues within those areas. My priority is to bring neighborhoods together to see how they hope District C will advance and help them implement those goals.

With the new bus network hub at East Norwalk Station, what rider experience improvements will you advocate for? 

The Norwalk Transit District just changed the bus routes after a couple of years of planning, research and feedback. The new network was designed to streamline the service, shorten waiting times and better connect passengers with their destinations. After the ridership gets used to the changes, the Transit District along with the public can assess the results and continue to improve their transportation system.

What specific outcomes should residents expect to see regarding streets/sidewalks, housing, and small businesses by this time next year?

Interesting question, not what we hope to see but what I think it will look like. The way it’s going you can expect traffic congestion to get even worse, battles over parking spaces, slower emergency response times because of lane closures, metal plates on major roads and delivery trucks double parked on narrowed streets. From the new apartments without open space there will be dog waste on neighbor’s yards, on cemetery graves and the Mill Pond will eventually become a dead zone. With three traffic lights within 200 yards on East Avenue and trucks trying to turn onto Fort Point Street, vehicles will be backed up for a few cycles and cars will make dangerous shortcuts speeding through the corner gas stations. On the other hand, the district has a great variety of excellent restaurants and successful businesses and we want to help them thrive, they will need convenient parking and community support.

What should District C residents keep in mind about you when they vote?

I care very much about Norwalk and its future although everyone will say that same thing. My wife Maureen and I have lived in our home on Parkhill Ave for forty years, raised our three kids here and sent them to Norwalk public schools. Our children bought homes in Norwalk and we now have grandchildren beginning to attend our schools. As a local photographer, I get to be involved with a lot of community organizations, like the Chamber of Commerce, the Norwalk Seaport, Exchange Club, high school teams, Board of Education assignments, social clubs, Police and Fire Depts and more. When the citizens vote I hope they keep my community engagement in mind as well as my public service experience. 

How can Norwalk residents reach you?

Email: RJB989@aol.com; Cell Phone 203-858-1452; Richard Bonenfant on Facebook.

Editor’s note: NancyOnNorwalk’s summer intern, Niko, prepared and asked the questions for the District C candidate profiles. All responses are published as submitted, without editing for content or style. Profiles are being published individually as they are received.