Dems, Republicans: Your vote will count

NORWALK, Conn. – It’s up to the voters now, Norwalk Republican Town Committee Chairman Art Scialabba said last week.

Norwalk’s municipal  election will take place Tuesday.

Other people are not so noncommittal.

Republican Town Clerk Rick McQuaid predicted the mayoral race will be close, hinging on voter turnout. Democrat Joe Tamburri said he senses even Republicans are going to vote for former Norwalk Police Chief Harry Rilling, saying goodbye to their longtime stalwart, Mayor Richard Moccia.

McQuaid said the election might be really close down-ticket as well.

“The candidates have to get out the vote. This is a different type of election. Sometimes you can sit home and hope. … I think every vote is going to count this time,” he said. “Every single vote is going to make a difference somewhere along the line. I think they’re going to be close, I think there are going to be recounts and I think there are going to be surprises. I’d give my surprises but I don’t want to have anybody coming to get my surprises.”

Asked for an election prediction Scialabba said, “Like a landslide?”

“It’s all going to be up to the voters,” he said. “Whoever gets 50 percent plus one will be the winner.”

What about potential recounts?

“Dick won the first time by 176 votes and there was no recount needed because it was over the 10 percent threshold,” he said. “I hope that he wins big and we continue two more years with the prosperity that we’ve been having.”

As for the down ticket races, he said, “Every race is going to be won or lost by how many contacts people have made. The taxing district races could be close. Different council races could be close. The absentee ballots may carry the day. We’ll see what happens.”

Tamburri is a lifelong Democrat who worked on Don Irwin’s mayoral campaign in 1971.

“This election is very interesting,” he said. “It’s time for some things to be moved along and changed. There’s been a lot of errors made, this administration. I think a change is due. I think it’s going to happen.”

Why is he so confident?

“I would say the last three or four weeks there’s a lot of key things that I have noticed,” he said last Tuesday. “Being involved in it for a while, you begin to see the tide changing. In a sense that it’s not only Democrats and Republicans, it’s Republicans looking at it and thinking, ‘Well, maybe we need to do something else.’ That luster that Moccia has had, not sure if that’s the proper word to use or not, but it seems to be fading away. He looks worn. He’s worn out – tired. I think it’s time he should take the high road and sort of gracefully go out to pasture.”

Then everything else will fall into line, he said.

“I think the way the top goes, I think I see the rest of the ticket going the same way,” he said.

He agreed with McQuaid on one topic.

“Yes, surprises,” he said. “I don’t know what they are yet. I’m working on it.”