NORWICH – In less than one month, elections will be held throughout the county, and among the choices on the ballot this year, Norwich City residents will see three candidates for the three open alderman positions in the city.
The City of Norwich Common Council could see two new faces this year as positions in the first and third ward open up. Current First Ward Alderman A. Anthony Abraham and Third Ward Alderwoman Suzanne Williams will not seek re-election. Attempting to fill the positions are Republican candidates Bob Carey and John Deierlein.
Carey, an employee at Mang Insurance, has lived in Norwich with his wife and three children since 1998. “I always wanted to get involved with local government, and now that my children are off to college, I felt that it was the time to get involved,” Carey said.
Carey will be running for Abraham’s First Ward position. Carey describes himself as a “conservative to moderate Republican,” and said that he is very interested in fiscal responsibility, the rights of the taxpayers and the overall safety of the community. “There are a lot of financial problems I feel I can help with,” Carey said.
Carey explained that the city is burdened by many long-term issues, like the fact that Norwich houses most of the large tax-free properties in the county, such as the schools, hospital and non-profit organizations. “That creates a situation that makes it difficult for the city to run on the limited tax base,” Carey said. He hopes to better the existing situation through financial management.
Deierlein, the Republican candidate running for the position of alderman in Ward Three, had similar concerns. Deierlein, who works as a vice president of NBT Bank in Norwich, believes his 30 years of banking experience – which includes working as the manager of the Government Banking Department – would be helpful in his role as alderman.
Deierlein said he decided to run for alderman after he was told Williams would not be seeking re-election. As a current member of the City of Norwich Planning Commission, Deierlein said he wanted to take on a more active role. Deierlein said he is “hoping to add stability and long-term service to the Common Council.”
Among the hopes Deierlein has for the city are increased financial stability and increased appeal to attract businesses and home owners.
“[I] would like to see the city strengthen its financial and capital planning process to avoid sudden and unexpected tax increases, while still providing the basic services taxpayers should expect from a municipality,” Deierlein said. “On a long term basis, [I] hope to increase the appeal of the city to attract small businesses and homeowners to the area, with the goals of greater employment opportunities and an improved residential tax base.
Current Ward Five Alderman Paul Laughlin will also be on the ballot Nov. 6, seeking re-election. Laughlin was appointed to the position after the untimely death of former Mayor Robert C. Raphael created an opening in the council. Laughlin was elected last year to fill the remainder of the term he was appointed to.
All of the candidates are running unopposed.