NORWICH – With just 10 days left until voters head to the polls for the Republican primary elections, Norwich Mayor Joseph Maiurano is going front and center with a bid for re-election in hopes of gaining support for a fifth consecutive term.
This marks the first year the mayoral seat has been challenged in nearly a decade. Barring a close race between Maiurano and Democratic contender Michael Carnrike in 2007, Maiurano has been largely unopposed since first being appointed the position following the untimely death of the late Mayor Robert Raphael in 2006.
This year, however, Maiurano faces opposition from Christine Carnrike, a Republican hopeful who went public with her mayoral campaign back in April.
If re-elected, Maiurano said he intends to continue seeking ways of reducing expenses while increasing sources of revenue through commerce in the City of Norwich by working with partnering entities, including local business owners, the Norwich Business Improvement District, and Commerce Chenango.
“I think we are moving in the right direction, and we need to keep moving,” Maiurano said. “I’m very excited about what’s happening and the progress that we are making as a city.”
Maiurano totes a longstanding relationship with local, state and federal officials that he says has helped attract nearly $3 million in grants for downtown development since he took office – efforts that have also been bolstered by the city’s collaboration with those aforementioned partnering entities, he added. The city is currently chasing another round of New York State Main Street grants that could bring $700,000 for community development if awarded.
Maiurano has also had a hand in attracting several new businesses to the city over the passed several years, including the Byrne Dairy, CZ-USA, Sears, and Golden Artist Colors.
As for day to day business in city government, “We want to find new ways to continue providing services and keeping expenses down,” said Maiurano.
Maiurano cited a number of initiatives recently undergone by city officials to save taxpayers money, including exploration of solar power for government buildings, eliminating municipal employee positions through attrition over the next two years, and recent acceptance of a federal grant that will pay salary and benefits for a vacant firefighter position for the next two years.
Still, Maiurano and the city council have taken public criticism for their handling of the 2015 city budget. Eleventh-hour changes to the proposed City of Norwich general fund budget last December were ratified in a 5-1 vote by the Common Council, resulting in a final 6.53 percent tax increase for city residents in 2015. That has become a platform for several candidates vying for city council this election season, but it’s not something that has gone unnoticed by current council members, said Maiurano.
“Up until last year, we have been very conservative with our budget and we have not used a lot from the fund balance. Last year was a necessity,” he added. “Right now, we're working on a five-year financial plan which will give the council an idea of where we will be in the future ... We’re now in the process of going through the budget line by line to see where we can make changes. We will probably start putting the budget together in late September.”
Maiurano said he would also use another term as mayor to continue ongoing efforts to provide much needed services such as day care and assisted living to the community.
Primary elections this year will be held Thursday, Sept. 10. Polls will open at noon and close at 9 p.m.