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NORWALK, Conn. Weeks of debates, charges flying back and forth and statements of visions for the future are coming to an end: Ballots will be marked Tuesday for either Republican incumbent Mayor Richard Moccia or Democratic challenger Andy Garfunkel, and Norwalk will know who has the reins of the city for the next two years.
Moccia says his experience in guiding Norwalk through tough economic times is key and the reason to re-elect him. Garfunkel points to his success in his 10 years as town clerk and says it's time for a change.
"I see Norwalk as a city with great potential the city the people of Norwalk deserve," Garfunkel said on his website. "For too long the residents of Norwalk have accepted the conditions that exist today as a way of life. We have the desire to be great, but we need a strong leader with a vision for a better future who can bring about much needed change."
"This office is not an entitlement, you have to earn it. I believe I have done that," Moccia said in his closing statement in a recent debate, shown in the video. Moccia says on his website that he has kept taxes low and maintained the city's Aaa bond rating. Norwalk is a city on the move, heading in the right direction, he says.
Garfunkel has spent much time going door to door in what Moccia has called a "quiet campaign." "I'm learning the landscape of neighborhoods I've never been in and actually seeing first-hand the issues and concerns that these folks are talking about within their neighborhoods," Garfunkel said in July. He said he was "hearing that it's time that Norwalk has a change" and has said that people do not feel safe because of the number of gun-related incidents.
Moccia said people come to him with their complaints, either by walking through his door, calling him or emailing him, which he makes a point of returning. He points to FBI crime statistics that show crime overall is down and says Police Chief Harry Rilling has gotten everything he has asked for, including new police cars, new radio dispatch equipment and a new motorcycle unit.
Significant controversy erupted in July over Garfunkel's promise to conduct a nationwide search for a new police chief. Garfunkel stands by that assertion and recently suggested that Internet tools such as Skype could cut down the expense of a search.
Garfunkel has attacked Moccia over Norwalk's stalled developments. "I didn't stall those projects," Moccia said at a recent debate. "It was a Democratic council that held them up at over 100 public hearings." Recent groundbreakings and approvals imply that three of those projects are moving ahead, particularly Waypointe, although there has been no demolition in that area yet.
Moccia's acceptance of $3,000 in campaign donations from City Carting executives has raised eyebrows, especially when attention was drawn to the potential of contracting out the city's garbage collection. Moccia's only comment came in a recent debate when he said that businesses cannot contribute to a campaign. City Carting has had problems in the past with legislators who suspected it had a tie to organized crime. Moccia refused to answer a question that referred to organized crime is a recent debate.
Garfunkel's gaffs include a statement from his campaign suggested "requiring" businesses to hire youth in the summer. The campaign withdrew that the next day and said "encouraging" businesses to hire youth would help stimulate the economy.
Garfunkel's use of sick days to campaign drew Republican condemnation in August. His campaign has paid full-time staff members to run his campaign, ran short of money and bounced a check.
The closing weeks of the campaign featured debates; an informal conversation on News 12; and two more recently at the Norwalk Inn and at City Hall. Moccia said the last debate between the two highlighted things that Garfunkel doesn't know, including the facts that department heads are given performance evaluations by the mayor and that school resource officers are paid out of the police department's budget. Garfunkel's statement that "it doesn't hurt us once in a while to possibly have a double A rating just for a period of time" also raised the mayor's eyebrows.
"When I ran against the incumbent I knew the basics and how the city operated," he said, adding that he had never seen Garfunkel at government meetings before he announced he was running for mayor. Garfunkel's supporters say the town clerk's office has been modernized and is a model for the state.
"As I did in my office, I will eliminate unnecessary spending and require each department to use tax dollars more efficiently," Garfunkel said in July. "Clearly, it is time to investigate and consider new ideas on how to streamline our city government, which certainly includes a greater use of technology and perhaps a reorganization of City Hall."
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