NORWICH – In less than one month, election day will be upon us, and this year, in the City of Norwich two candidates will be vying for the position of mayor.
On Tuesday, Nov. 6, city voters will have to choose between the Republican incumbent, Mayor Joseph Maiurano and the Democratic hopeful, Michael Carnrike.
Maiurano, who was elected to fill out the remainder of a one-year term last November, has said the city is making more and more progress every day. “We’re looking to the future and dealing with the everyday things that have piled up over the years,” Maiurano said.
The current mayor pointed out things he considered signs of success, such as the rental registration program, the sidewalk replacement program and the replacement of the bluestone strip on Broad Street. “We’re cleaning up our streets, and little by little we’re achieving our goals,” Maiurano said.
The mayor also discussed plans that will be seen in the future. A second year of the sidewalk replacement program has been set into place, which will allow selected city residents to replace their sidewalks while paying only 50 percent of the cost. A parking lot program is being examined to re-pave deteriorated lots in the city, and a five-year plan is being implemented, so the city can deal with current issues while planning for the future. The city is also planning for two large projects: Repairs to the wastewater treatment plant and the construction of a new water filtration plant.
The mayor added that the city is always looking at ways to bring new businesses to the area.
While Maiurano pointed out that many plans and programs are being implemented, it’s not going to happen overnight.
Carnrike, who also challenged Maiurano for the post last year, explained that he is running for mayor because he hasn’t seen any big changes in recent years. “I don’t think people are happy with the status quo, and things are not getting better,” Carnrike said.
If elected, Carnrike said he hopes to “open up city hall, set some goals and get there.” Some of these goals, he said, include getting the budget in line, being more open with city residents and letting them know what’s going on.
“Right now, unless you go to the city meetings, you don’t know what’s going on, and even then it’s difficult if you don’t make it to all the meetings,” Carnrike said. To allow more transparency in government and to get more input from city residents, Carnrike said he would like to see more information put on the city web site. “Let’s open it up for input,” Carnrike said of the site. “Because from what I can tell, it doesn’t do a lot now.”
Carnrike also said he would like the city budget to be available to the public earlier in the year, so residents have more time to look at it and make suggestions before it is approved. “We need to get away from playing politics, and just play people,” Carnrike said.
Although the candidate disagreed with some of the directions the city is taking, Carnrike said he believes the city-town merger does need to be investigated.
“We need to forget about politics and agendas and focus on Norwich,” Carnrike said. “If I’m elected, I’m going to need help doing it. We need a grassroots look at city government, why we’re in the shape we’re in, and we’re going to need ideas coming in,” Carnrike said.