NORWALK, Conn. — Darnell Crosland, a lifelong Democrat, told Republicans last week that if they’d endorse him as their Mayoral candidate, he’d march right to City Hall and change his party affiliation.
On Tuesday, Crosland walked into City Hall and became a Republican. He’s filing his campaign papers by Friday and then will begin raising money, he told NancyOnNorwalk late Tuesday.
The attorney and former head of the Norwalk NAACP said that the Republican convention is in July and endorsements won’t be made until then. “But I was ready to switch regardless,” he said.
His campaign slogan will be “A New Day.”
“I think a new day has come,” he said. “I think a lot of the old ideas are just that old ideas and we need new people with new ideas to bring about a new day.”
Norwalk Republican Town Committee Chairman Mark Suda did not reply to a late Tuesday email from NancyOnNorwalk.
Crosland is looking to unseat three-term Democratic Mayor Harry Rilling, as is unaffiliated candidate Lisa Brinton. Both are seeking the Republican endorsement.
“Single party rule is dangerous in this town,” Brinton told Republicans last week. “There are 22,000 unaffiliates, 21,000 Democrats and 9-10,000 Republicans. In order for us to win, I believe there needs to be a coalition.”
“Norwalk is a city on the move and I’m proud of what my team has accomplished during my three terms,” Rilling said last week. “I look forward to a civil and robust campaign season focused on the issues important to our community.”
The grand list is growing, there’s “new businesses and economic development and schools that are getting better every day,” Rilling for Mayor Spokesman Adam Wood said Tuesday. “Mayor Rilling remains focused on keeping Norwalk moving forward.”
Crosland ran for Judge of Probate last summer, lost the Democratic Town Committee endorsement to Doug Stern, challenged Stern in a primary, and lost. Stern went on to win the election.
Crosland in August, on the night of the primary, suggested that Democrats chose Stern because he’s white.
“There’s no doubt (State Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff {D-25} is) a powerful individual in our community,” Crosland said. “He knew that I had a great stronghold on this race, four years ago against an incumbent and I was halfway up the hill. Instead of the DTC and anybody coming up behind me and helping push me over, make me better, they went down to the bottom of the hill and just picked another individual without any articulation as to why that individual deserved their support. {Stern} is white, I am black. That is all I can come up with, but in terms of my legal skills, my experiences, my community service contributions, the Boards that I have been on, there is nothing why they would go down to the bottom of the hill and pull this gentleman up, not just push me over the top. That’s very disappointing, we are hoping to change it.”
“I think the Republican Party is in need of a fresh start, I think they are open for new leadership, and new ideas can grow within that environment. I don’t think the same applies for the Democratic party,” Crosland said Tuesday.
He said he’s seeing “overwhelmingly” positive feedback from Norwalk Republicans. At the same time, “there’s a segment of the Republican party that’s still going through sticker shock, can’t believe I switched over, kind of questioning why I am there. Then there’s an element that’s just getting to grips on my coming over.”
There’s also “sticker shock” on whether Norwalk can have its first black mayor, he said.
“The status quo people are comfortable with the way it used to be but I think there’s a progressive movement among the Republican Party as well in the Democrat Party, that does believe that true democracy is a diverse democracy. We can’t continue to talk about diversity and not accept the fact that a black person can be Mayor,” Crosland said. “I hope we can get past that.”
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