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Labor unions endorse Mangiacopra

District D Chairman Vinny Mangiacopra speaks at last week's Democratic Town Committee meeting.
District D Chairman Vinny Mangiacopra speaks at last week’s Democratic Town Committee meeting.

NORWALK, Conn. – Norwalk Democratic mayoral hopeful Vinny Mangiacopra is being endorsed by two labor unions, a press release from Mangiacopra’s campaign, Norwalk’s Future Now, said.

Leaders of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 488 and the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) District Council 11 have given Mangiacopra financial support and say their members will actively campaign for him, according to the press release.

“It’s an honor to have the support of these hard-working union members,” Mangiacopra said in the release. “I grew up in a blue-collar family and I know what these people are going through. Their backing my campaign is personally significant to me and it is a pivotal addition of support to our campaign. The help of these active members is going to make a big difference in this race.”

Mangiacopra is competing against former Norwalk Police Chief Harry Rilling, former Town Clerk Andy Garfunkel and Common Councilman Matt Miklave (District A) for the Democratic Party nomination to challenge Republican incumbent Mayor Richard Moccia. Mangiacopra, District D Democratic Party chairman, has had some early success, coming in second to Rilling in first-quarter fundraising. Mangiacopra raised $25,533 between his campaign kickoff on Jan. 22 and the end of the filing period on March 31, as compared to Rilling’s $30,348 in contributions from Feb. 24 to March 31, according to papers filed with the town clerk’s office. The Moccia campaign had raised $7,725 as of March 31.

The union leaders said Mangiacopra is the best man for the job.

“Vinny is running for mayor because he understands that Norwalk’s future is at stake in this election,” IBEW Local 488 Business Manager Peter Carroll said in the release. “Vinny is a young, bright, energetic candidate who will work with us every day to bring good paying jobs to Norwalk. We’re excited to endorse him and help his campaign as much as we can.”

IBEW 488 has more than 500 active members in Fairfield County, the release said. IUPAT District Council 11 represents 1,600 active members in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.

“Vinny is running a great campaign and we are excited about a Democrat taking back Norwalk’s mayor’s office,” said Peter Foote, IUPAT District Council 11 Connecticut political director. “We are confident in Vinny’s ability to get all those stalled projects in Norwalk moving again and get people back on the job. The city needs a better advocate and that’s why we are supporting Vinny.”

Comments

24 responses to “Labor unions endorse Mangiacopra”

  1. Oldtimer

    Union support means more than just endorsements. Generally, unions will supply manpower for all the jobs any campaign needs to get done. a few dedicated campaign workers can make an enormous difference. When moccia was elected the first time, by a tiny majority, he was endorsed by the firefighters and they picketed every democratic public event. Even moccia seemed amazed by their active support.

  2. Joe Espo

    Unions endorse because they see making more money if the endorsed cadidate gets elected. Which means they see more money coming to them from city coffers. Which means more money from taxpayers bank accounts to city bank accounts and union wallets. Which means higher taxes from the middle class. Thus, a union endorsement is the kiss of death for any Norwalk middle class taxpayer hoping to spend more of their hard earned dollars for their children and families. This is one reason to be afraid of Vinny M; be VERY afraid.

  3. NorwalkNeedsAChange

    Some say that Mr. Mangiacopra’s age is a negative attribute but I look at it as a positive. His youth gives him an energy that City Hall has not seen in decades. Good Luck to you Vinny.

  4. Joe Espo

    Vinny’s youthful inexperience will give him more spare energy to recover from spinning his wheels than an inexperienced middle-ager could muster… but his inexperience will still cause him to spin his wheels. I don’t know if there was ever a Norwalk mayor as young as Vinny and I figure that’s because past electorates were smart enough not to vote stupid… because voting to elect Vinny just because he’s young is stupid. Voting against him BECAUSE he’s young is smart.

  5. YourDaddy

    It’s not his age that’s the negative, it’s his lack of qualifications.

  6. Tim T

    Mr. Mangiacopra’s age is a huge negative attribute as he has no experience whatsoever. However he does have some experience with campaigns but I don’t think he wants to be bragging about that. If us dems really want to defeat Moccia we need someone that the people of Norwalk will actually get out and vote for. Unfortunately that person is not Mr. Mangiacopra’s as no one over 35 will not be voting for this child.
    Think about it he could not even win as sheriff 2 years ago and now he wants to be mayor…FUNNY

  7. Harold

    So Tim, if Mr. Mangiacopra gets the democratic bid you’ll be voting for Dickie Boy? I am 39 and if the election were tomorrow i’d be voting for the “child”. I’m sure there plenty out there who also share my position on this. A lot of people on here are so afraid of his age it is actually quite comical. I’m way more scared of the ages of Moccia and Rilling. Garfunkel doesn’t seem to care and Miklave is just a clown as far as I am concerned. NORWALKS FUTURE NOW

  8. oldtimer

    Age was an issues when Frank Zullo first ran for Mayor. Many of the old guys that ran the other party then complained he was too young, but he was elected and did a good job. If the old men running the other party now can’t come up with anything other than complain he is too young, we will see history repeat again. There are plenty of voters who wonder if moccia isn’t already well past his prime.

  9. tank

    the ex chief wants his cake n eat it too!! pentions, police chief all these yrs. rippig off the city thought he was on board with the mayor he’s republican now the ex p chief wants to be mayor he’s not a dem he’s a joke, Millions of $ over this city’s watch n nothing to show cops overtime is up through the mayors term ect be ready mr. mayor n nthe ex police chief VINNY IS GOING TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS MESS YOU 2 CREATE DUING THESE PAST YRS!!!

  10. LWitherspoon

    I agree with Your Daddy’s comment – it’s not Mangiacopra’s age that’s the issue, it’s his lack of qualifications.
    .
    @Joe Espo
    I agree wholeheartedly with your statement that Unions tend to endorse the candidates who they think will give them more of our tax dollars. One has to wonder if this is a motivating factor behind Police and Firefighter Union past endorsements of Moccia.
    .
    Regarding the IUPAT and IBEW endorsing Mangiacopra, do either of these two Unions do any business with the City of Norwalk? If not, what’s the real story behind this endorsement?

  11. Tom

    Vinny still has the Ernie Newton Albatross he has to deal with. He thinks he can avoid that issue but believe me, it will not go away. It remains smoldering in the background just waiting for the right time to burst into flames. The truth about his involvement with Newton cannot and will not be swept under the carpet. And when the truth does come out, Vinny will have a lot of explaining to do.

  12. Lisa Thomson

    Still waiting to hear ideas from all of the candidates? The state is broke and will be for some time. With generous public worker contracts that need to be paid by decreasing private sector wages and property values -Norwalk like every other town in this state needs to work smarter and harder but with less. Everyone is going to have to give a little – public employees and property owners.

    Which candidates are willing to talk about their strategies for leading this city through complicated times? Or are we just going to see a lot of money raised for what amounts to a high school popularity contest or platitudes?

    Where is the vision, strategy and tactics for moving the city forward? Which candidates are willing to risk a vote or two to put a plan on the table. Give us a strategic vision for our schools, city development, recreation and public services.

  13. SB

    These are not Norwalk unions who endorsed Vinny. He needs to get some electoral experience, and build local support. Perhaps run for Common Council and not quit this time?

  14. LWitherspoon

    @oldtimer
    I find it very funny that someone posting under the name “oldtimer” would refer disparagingly to the “old men running the other party” and also state that the Mayor is well past his prime.
    Since you have noted in the past that you are retired, and you post under the username “oldtimer”, should we assume that you too are well past your prime, and ignore your comments accordingly?

  15. tank

    when the truth comes out with Vin n this Newton guy you’ll will find out Vinny had nothing to do with his involvement with newton’s issue.Yeah let’s look at the whole pic been in govt in the last 10 or so yrs he’s done a great deal of bringing businesses to monroe[swiss army] ect masters in public admi,bacholers in polictical science,himes,ferrall,fabrizi who says he’s not qualified HE WILL KNOW HOW TO RUN THE CITY N YEAH HE’S A PEOPLE’S Person AGAIN HE IS THE FUTURE OF norwalk

  16. Anthony

    Why so much focus on Ernie Newton? Mr. Mangiacopra has worked for Congressman Jim Himes and Diane Farrell’s campaigns as well. What about the current city sheriff who actually has been charged with a crime and hasn’t resigned from his position? I think people are reaching too much to try to discredit this guy and it makes them look asinine.

  17. oldtimer

    LWitherspoon
    You’re smarter than I gave you credit for. I am older than moccia and much too old to try to fill his job.
    That doesn’t disqualify me from occasionally having valid opinions that you may ignore whenever you want. I’ll never know, or care.
    You people that complain so much about police working OT at construction jobs might be interested in the story in Fairfield about two officers working such a job catching a robbery suspect. Sometimes, a few extra cops in the right place can be a real help.

  18. Tim T

    oldtimer

    Please you can do better than that with the guys getting caught in Fairfield by cops working dirt jobs. You know as well as I do that is one in a million and does not justify the extra cost which seems to amount to millions.

    Also for the NPD to actually catch someone they would need to actually be out of the patrol car and not playing on their cell phone. Pretty hard to see a crime being committed when playing pac-man.

    Here is a repost of an Survey I posted on another article.

    A little something from a Massachusetts survey
    Police officers working at construction sites on local roads were paid an estimated $94.3 million statewide last year, more than three times the amount civilian flaggers might have cost, according to a study that questions whether details pay off in road safety.
    The study contends that taxpayers and businesses could have saved $37 million to $67 million if local laws allowed companies and government agencies to hire civilian flaggers instead of uniformed officers to direct traffic at construction sites.

    “Somebody owes the public a big explanation as to why we are wasting millions of dollars a year on these details,” said David Tuerck, executive director of the Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University, which conducted the study. “The police cannot produce one shred of evidence to support why we need this expense.”

    FYI Before some blow hard says I have an issue with the police or take the test in a lame attempt to redirect ..I have no issues if the police would actually do what they are paid to do

  19. Tim T

    Harold
    In reply to you question
    If Mr. Mangiacopra gets the democratic bid you’ll be voting for Dickie Boy?
    The answer is NO
    I will be voting for the Rowayton Cowboy if Mangiacopra or Rilling gets the democratic bid .
    With that said I truly do no think Mangiacopra will be getting the bid…But who knows and time will tell.

  20. NorwalkVoter

    LWither… the real story is that former Bridgeport Mayor John Fabrizzi leaned on these two small unions for this endorsement. Bridgeport is Vinny’s base.
    In the TANK… Spelling and grammar lessons are in order for you.
    Your Daddy… yes and a poor employment record to boot. Could there be a reason?

  21. Jennifer K.

    I find it admirable that a young person such as Vinny would take the big step of putting themselves in front of their contemporaries.

    The fact that a young person does not generally have a lot of knowledge about formal political processes should not be confused with lack of intelligence or motivation to put his city first.
    Vinny is demonstrating that he can become an important vehicle for giving a focus and a cutting edge to a range of engagement and participatory initiatives.

    Young Mayors increase the influence that young people have on local decision-making and is is a powerful tool to change the minds many.

  22. LWitherspoon

    @oldtimer
    Thanks for clarifying your double standard. Apparently your ageism only applies to people who don’t share the same political affiliation as you.
    .
    How ironic that on another thread you’re busy convicting your avowed political enemies of racism, and on this thread you yourself are making ageist comments. Tell us, how long have you lived in that glass house?

  23. Tim T

    KEY WORD “OPERATIVE”
    THIS CONCERNS ME

    Also the fact that he runs advertising business in my opinion tells me he is basically a used car salesmen.

    http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Movie-examines-Newton-s-quest-for-redemption-3897335.php

    Newton’s “they” is The Preferred Group Communications, a media, advocacy and advertising business run by Bridgeport native Vinny Mangiacopra. Mangiacopra is a Democratic operative who has worked for the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, former Bridgeport Mayor John Fabrizi, former Westport First Selectman Diane Farrell’s congressional bid and U.S. Rep. Jim Himes’ 2010 re-election.

    Newton brought Mangiacopra on board his primary campaign as a strategist and the latter was inspired to film the experience and share it with the public.

    “It’s about why Ernie decided to run, the message and the drama that goes into a campaign like that,” Mangiacopra said.

  24. Tom

    @ Tim T: Thanks for sharing. and Tank, you do need help because you seem to ignore any negative comments about young Vinny. He must have you fooled too. Yes, Ernie Newton hired him as a strategist and if my memory serves me correctly, both before and AFTER the FIRST indictment. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice shame on ME. We won’t be fooled twice. Until young Vinny fesses up, he has no credibility.

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