NORWICH — The City of Norwich mayor-elect Brian Doliver is gearing up for his first term as Norwich Mayor. After serving as Ward 2 Alderman for eight years, Doliver took the leap and ran for mayor, and was ultimately elected in November.

Since he was elected, Doliver said he has been meeting with department heads, incoming council members, and current Mayor Shawn Sastri to prepare for his term and get everyone on the same page.

"We have some excellent department heads, I have a very good council to work with, so I think that we're going to be doing a lot of positive things in the new year," he said. "We have new council members, so I've been meeting with them to get them up to speed on some things ... A couple times a week I meet with the mayor, so we've been connecting and talking about things."

In addition to working with city officials, Doliver said he wants to maintain a collaborative approach with other organizations, and stressed the need for everyone to work together to improve the area.

"I've always felt that the government's not the end all, but it needs to be part of the conversation. So putting people in the same room, different organizations, is imperative to be able to do the things we need to do," Doliver explained.

One of the organizations he would like to work with is the Interfaith Committee. The group consists of members from different religious faiths, working together to create positive change.

"I really would like to work with the Interfaith Committee. They do so many good things in our community, and they don't get all the credit they deserve. But they can be an asset to us, and they already are. But I plan on meeting with the Interfaith Committee about helping us with some of our issues," said Doliver. "We're all working for similar goals, but we're trying to reach out. You know, we have a homeless issue, we need to address that ... They need to be a part of that conversation, because sometimes they may have something that we don't."

While many of his plans for his administration will remain the same, with the recent District Revitalization Initiative (DRI) grant awarded to the city, Doliver said he's had to change course a bit to include the project.

"Obviously our priorities are continuing to run the city, do what cities do. We have a big infrastructure project, we're working on that. Obviously you can't just start a month later, you have to get started immediately, and we've started working on different avenues of grants and that sort of thing. So that's a big priority to us still," he explained. "But obviously the DRI has kind of changed some things, so I'll be involved in that. So that's going to be a huge priority."

Doliver said he was recently approached by Commerce Chenango CEO and President Kerri Green, who asked him to serve as co-chair on the DRI Steering Committee.

"I did get a call from Kerri Green from the Chamber of Commerce. She has asked me to be a co-chair, and I said I would. I am very excited to be a part of this, I think they did a great job putting this together. The committee, I give them all the credit for working so hard. Kerri Green especially, she's done such a good job with this," said Doliver. "We have so many assets in our community, and we're very lucky. This is a big reason why we're so lucky, getting these grants, because of these people in our community."

In addition to the DRI project, the mayor-elect also plans to support local businesses in other ways. He said he's been meeting with some local business owners, and has been looking into ways to help downtown Norwich grow and succeed.

"I've spoken to the Chamber, and I think we need to have a model moving forward. I think it's imperative to try and find the things that we can do to thrive in our downtown. What can work? And I think we need to make some trips, look at other communities," he said. "I think the model of, 'what can't you buy on Amazon?' is a big deal. So you know, the crafts, the different perhaps restaurants and services, photography is very important. So you know all these little things can really be our next niche in our community."

One of his ideas to support the arts and related businesses in the area is to create collaborative storefronts containing multiple businesses.

"I'm convinced that there's enough talent here that we can find people perhaps to go in together. Perhaps on the model of Made in Chenango, or the Artist's Palette. That's a great way to look forward. Perhaps if one person can't afford the storefront, but they can go in with two or three other people, and kind of find a way to spread the cost around, and it'll help each other," Doliver explained.

He added that local tourism is growing, which will also help to bolster downtown businesses.

"I think we are heading towards a tourist idea anyway, so that could be a big plus for us too. It wouldn't be just local people shopping, you'd have outside people coming," he said. "We have some really great events each year which, obviously, have been postponed because of COVID. But we're hoping that next year, knock on wood, we can get back to semi-normal and have these great events. It brings a lot of people from the outside and helps our businesses so much."

The planning doesn't end there, however. Doliver also said he is working to establish a permanent flood commission, based on the flood committee organized by former Norwich Mayor Christine Carnrike. He said he's also looking forward to helping the Norwich City School District and the City of Norwich Police Department establish a School Resource Officer.

"I'm very excited about working with the school on the possibility of a School Resource Officer. Norwich has never had one, and I've tried in the past but to no avail. And this is something I'm hoping that we can get put together in a collaborative effort, because our issues are their issues," Doliver explained. "I think it's important for us to get in to the school and work with the kids. And our public relations it helps. So it's very nice to have an officer the kids can look up to and work with."

The recent shooting threats that circulated at the Norwich School District have only made the need for a School Resource Officer more urgent, according to Doliver.

"It just exasperates the need for one. I mean, I've been wanting to do one for years and it's always been a money issue. And the current school administration has reached out to us and has said there's a dire need," he said. "The kids are coming back from COVID, and things are a little rough right now. So they really just need that extra assistance, and to work with the kids, you know, I think that police departments tend to have that public relations issue, and I think it's part of a way we can address that."

Overall, Doliver has ambitious plans for the city. He said he's excited to get started at the beginning of the year, and looks forward to working with others to get things done.

"It's got to be a collaborative effort, that's the main thing I wanted to stress to the community. We have to work together to do these things, and it's not just the council and mayor, but it's all walks of life. We should come together," Doliver said. "There's some really good people in our community, and we just need to work together to move forward. Our challenges are many, but the opportunities are endless."