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Moccia has gone radio silent of late

By Nancy Guenther Chapman

Mayor Richard Moccia hasn’t answered recent questions asked by NancyOnNorwalk.

NORWALK, Conn. – Some readers have wondered why we don’t have more of Mayor Richard Moccia’s point of view online here at NancyOnNorwalk. It’s not for lack of trying. Recent questions to Moccia about Norwalk Economic Opportunity Now (NEON) and the Oak Hills Park Authority have gone unanswered.

NancyOnNorwalk has sent the mayor emails and has been ignored as described below:

Aug. 15 

NEON officials at last night’s board meeting pointed to your withholding $1.5  million in funds formerly granted by the city as part of the reason for the agency’s impending layoffs and program cutbacks.

Would you care to respond?

Aug. 20:

How much longer will Bob Virgulak stay on the Oak Hills board?

Why do you feel you need him in charge? It seems his role is confined to running the meetings. Ernie Desrochers and Clyde Mount seemed to have done all the legwork in reviewing the (driving range) bids. I understand there are ongoing negotiations, is Mr. Virgulak involved in those?

How much did the city of Norwalk pay to buy out (former Oak Hills Superintendent) Tommy Vorio’s contract?

Virgulak’s term on the Oak Hills Park Authority expired June 24, but he has continued to serve as chairman.

Comments

17 responses to “Moccia has gone radio silent of late”

  1. Caption Contest

    These shoes are to damn tight my feet are killing me.
    I knew I shouldn’t have eaten that taco from that illegal, cant vote anyway..
    Don’t know why Linda hasn’t called me,I watch WWF every night.
    …
    Lost my keys to the mayor mobile again, sigh.
    Art is gonna chew me out but good for this one.
    Of course, I am looking forward to debating Rilling.
    I am confident I can hold my seat, look at all the good I have done.
    There is no organized crime in my town.
    S.A.C. just called, told me I missed out on Trump’s school gravy train.
    That B.L.T. just didn’t settle right. Carl and Paul’s sauce must’ve been sour.
    Carl and Paul want to meet for golf, where?
    I don’t care NEON and Open Door are insuring minority folks register, they don’t pay me.
    I think more BJ’s is just what this town needs.
    Look my old friend Alex.
    …
    POKO wants what?
    Oh look, there’s that busybody reporter, again.

    What do you think he is thinking?

    (Editor’s note: this post has been edited to conform with out comment policy)

  2. Suzanne

    Mr. Moccia is the master at engaging others to do his work for him. He does not have to say a thing as long as his allies are in place and actively supporting his views as requested by him. I have no idea why such a silence is called “leadership” or why he is not “called out” on his routine inappropriate remarks and behaviors at Counsel meetings. His behavior and comments are important. His opinions point to the character and concerns of his leadership. His silence speaks volumes, is self-evident: he makes no comments because he thinks he does not have to be of service to the voters or this town by showing leadership values. It is a pity that this is what Norwalk defines as a Mayor. I am looking forward to November when we can finally elect someone who will talk not only to you but to this constituency, showing true concern for this Town, not himself, and true leadership.

  3. Joe Espo

    Maybe the editors at NON are just paranoid, but who would blame him for being “radio silent” with this site. You’re radioactive! Your legitimacy as an “independent” and unbiased news organization is questionable, given that NON was born of tape-gate. It’s obvious (and more so in the last couple of weeks) that NON is committed to having this Mayor turned out of office, and that you’re the shop paper for the Norwalk democrats.

  4. Mike Mushak

    Nancy on Norwalk reports it like it is, and is an equal opportunity critic. Does Mr. Espo think there is never anything on these pages that expose the pitfalls of Democrats? Nancy tells it as it happens and is the best thing to happen to journalism around here in a long time. That is so refreshing in Norwalk, which has a real shortage of good journalism.
    .
    Me thinks Joe Espo is a little worried about the GOP holding on to their abusive and corrupt power under Moccia’s leadership in Norwalk beyond November. Many of us on the other hand, even many dyed-in-the-wool Republicans, who believe in excellence and professionalism, and who love our town and want it to succeed, can’t wait any longer for the long-overdue and glorious end of the painful and dumbed-down Moccia era.

    Putting the tired and cranky Moccia out to pasture for his own benefit as well as all of ours should be a no-brainer for everyone in Norwalk, Democrat or Republican. Not a day goes by where I don’t meet someone in Norwalk, no matter their party affiliation, who mimic the famous words of Howard Beale in the great 1976 film “Network”: “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!!!”

    Enough already!

  5. RU4REEL

    You still posting nonsense, you can not blame NON for this mayor not commenting.
    He is scared, everyone knows it, he can not attack Rilling because he has dirt on him for sure from his years as the police chief, I for one can not wait for a debate
    Tell your boy to stop hiding, the only journalists he speaks to are the ones that kiss his … and everyone knows it.
    So Joe step up to the plate and encourage Dick to answer ANY question posed to him from ANYBODY or quit your crying.
    If NON is so radioactive why the heck are you posting here.
    The only radioactive people I recognize here are you and Tim T.

  6. Suzanne

    The only person making NON radioactive is the Mayor himself in his refusal to answer legitimate questions of concern to his constituency. NON can correct me if I am wrong, but I believe NON existed before your so-labeled “tape-gate”, Mr. Espo. That Mr Moccia made such an issue out of “t-g” only served NON to become more known and, furthermore, advanced Mr. Moccia’s reputation as paranoid, secretive, inappropriate in his comments, scared and lacking any semblance of leadership except for what serves him personally. I, for one, cannot wait for this tired, no-principled, small-minded, no-initiative other than self-serving initiative administration out of office.

    Editor’s note: Thank you for the words of support. I think the mere fact that we allow Mr. Espo to have his say, held only to the same standards we hold all commenters and ourselves, says something in itself. He also seems to have forgotten our coverage of the various DTC problems, NEON vs. SNCC, and many other things.

    As for the timeline: No, “tapegate” — more appropriately called “recordergate” as tape is an antiquated medium that we haven’t used in more than a decade — was the catalyst for Nancy’s decision to part company with her previous employer who, after receiving legal threats from Corporatioon Counsel and after the mayor pushed to have a costly State Police investigation done, decided to quash all stories that might hold the mayor and/or Norwalk to anything but a flattering light. That decision, and the way it was implemented, led directly to her resignation and, shortly thereafter, the start of NON at the end of last October. All Nancy, and I, ever wanted to do was cover the city as it should be covered, with no favors given, acting as the eyes and ears of the citizens for whom the government is supposed to work and to whom it is supposed to answer. I have, for decades, felt news organizations have abrogated this responsibility, with all too many reporters and editors becoming stenographers and press release rewrite people. Reporting is tough. It costs money. And it often offends people. But it is necessary. So thank you very much for your support.

  7. Tim T

    @RU4REEL
    Please I beg you , STOP THE CHILDISH BEHAVIOR !!!
    Your comment
    “The only radioactive people I recognize here are you and Tim T.” is ridiculous as it seems that anyone that has a different opinion than you and proves you wrong, you have issue with. Please grow up as we all including Mr. Espo, who I rarely agree with have the right to our views.
    WELCOME TO AMERICA

  8. Norwalk Lifer

    City Hall has gotten a little “cozy” for a circle of friends, time to evict, and install new tenants, it’s as simple as that.

    The mayor is silent as it’s time for his performance review; and it’s coming in November, to me, it’s just a matter of reviewing past performance, the zoning commission in disarray, the BOE, with it’s endless chest pounding, Alpha A type behaviour, and of course, there’s the police department; our loyal police force treated as a political tool for the promotion of an agenda, unknown to the rest of us. The Mayor has stated that “there are no gangs in Norwalk” in the past, and he was able to get Mr. Rilling to state the very same thing. That’s total nonsense. There are “gangs” in Norwalk, one resides at City Hall

    Regards
    Norwalk Lifer

  9. M Allen

    There isn’t a lot of need for the Mayor to answer too many questions just yet. He doesn’t even have an opponent and is better served by keeping his powder dry for the campaign after September 10th. But let’s be honest: will his answers sway anyone who reads this particular site? Does he have much to gain by answering questions here? The mayor has been in office long enough that he has an actual track record. I’m pretty doubtful that answering questions will undo the views of most of the readers of this site. No offense, but anti-Moccia rhetoric on this site is fairly well established.

  10. Suzanne

    “No offense, but anti-Moccia rhetoric on this site is fairly well established.” And Mayor Moccia has every opportunity to correct any misunderstandings about his leadership or views. That he choose not to is a disservice to his consitutency.

  11. M Allen

    Perhaps we should wait until his part of the election really kicks off. It would be a misuse of his time to fend off remarks from each prospective candidate. Go back to the last presidential election. Did Obama spend the year plus of Republican debates and primary campaigning responding to every issue raised by the Republicans? Absolutely not. He let them tear themselves to pieces while he stayed “above the fray”. Moccia is the incumbent. His views are best expressed by his record, which speaks louder than words. You may not agree with his decisions or his record, but they are much clearer than the vague wishes, hopes, and maybes of those without a record who are engaged in a campaign.
    .
    Whether the mayor chooses to answer questions here or elsewhere is up to him and will likely be based on whether he believes he is communicating to a demographic that is likely to vote for him or even just be open to hearing what he has to say. I’d say that him issuing soundbite comments, like we have seen from the Democratic candidates, are unlikely to be helpful. That goes for here as well as any local publication. Short responses from candidates are nice for filling news space, online or in print, but they don’t really offer enough details. There’s no meat on them bones. And that level of vague can often be more harmful to the message than helpful.
    .
    It isn’t a disservice to his constituency. Its just a choice of target audience. I don’t know much of Moccia’s targeted demographic, as it relates to this campaign, is necessarily located here. To paraphrase Obi Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: “those aren’t the likely voters you’re looking for.” 🙂

    1. Mark Chapman

      @M Allen

      It is sad that our society seems to have devolved into one big partisan election cycle. Used to be that a sitting mayor, governor or president was responsible to the taxpayers who pay his or her salary 24/7 for their entire term.

      To suggest that a mayor who is paid by all the city’s taxpayers has no obligation to answer questions about his or her actions while accepting the paycheck and perks of that office, all paid for by 100 percent of taxpayers, is simply wrong. The questions aren’t about a political campaign. They are about being responsible to the citizens.

      We see this philosophy of politicians seeking out friendly questions and friendly coverage on a daily basis on cable TV. The head of the Republican National Committee has taken it to an absurd level by saying his party’s debates will only be shown on networks “that actively promote our candidates.” PROMOTE? The news media’s job is not to promote anybody. It is to inform the public. And that means holding elected officials’ feet to the fire and seeking answers the general public needs and deserves to know. To only answer softball questions from friendly outlets is to thumb their noses at what is likely approaching half the taxpayers.

      If the mayor — or the governor, or the president — wants to be responsive to only half the taxpayers, perhaps he or she should collect only half his or her salary, and earn half a pension, with a rebate given to those left out in the cold.

      Again, the questions the mayor is not answering are not being raised by his wannabe opponents, they are being raised by his own decisions, comments and actions in thee performance of his duties. They are not “when did you stop beating your wife” questions. They are seeking explanations for decisions made in the name of the people who pay his salary and benefits. And, FYI, there may be plenty of anti-Moccia rhetoric in the comments on this site, but the commenters represent a small fraction of our readership, with several thousand “unique” visitors reading this site every month. As with any website, there is a very vocal community and a robust exchange of ideas, and for this we are grateful, agree or disagree. But we can all sometimes lose sight of the fact that the vast majority of readers chose not to post public comments, much like the majority of voters don’t attend city meetings or write letters to City Hall, choosing to make their feelings known on election day. Ask Mitt Romney, Karl Rove and Dick Morris about that.

  12. Suzanne

    Mayor Moccia could simply speak to what he stands for and what his opinions are with issues directly affecting the constituency at this time. It has nothing to do with campaigning nor with responding to the Democratic candidates running for office. Rather, it has to do with firm representation of his office and what it does for the taxpayer, as Mr. Chapman mentions above, certainly topics, i.e., what does one stand for, that Obama freely engaged in espousing long before the head to head battle with Mitt Romney.

  13. RU4REEL

    I can somewhat understand not debating all four candidates before the primary, but he can certainly answer questions from constituents.
    C’mon folks, he really has no answer for some of the nonsense that has gone on during his time in office.

  14. Tim T

    RU4REEL
    …
    My issues with the Norwalk police department are the same as many other upstanding citizens of Norwalk. We are fed up with the out of control crime and the failure of the NPD to solve or prevent such crime. We are also fed up with the out of control overtime and the numerous scandals at the NPD. If you enjoy crime, scandals and waste of tax dollars that’s on you.
    …

    This comment has been edited to conform to our comment policy.

  15. Mark Chapman

    I will remind commenters once again that discussions should be about the topic, not each other. Responding in a civil manner is fine. We are starting to drift into insults again, and anyone who prefers that type of discourse should take it to another. site.

    Thank you.

  16. M Allen

    Try not to take my comments too far out of context. I completely agree that all politicians should answer questions in order ot help inform their constituency. However, where they choose to answer those questions is up to them. That being said, I was just tossing out some ideas as to why the mayor may not be as vocal as the other candiodates right now. I think its timing more than anything else. But I could obviously be wrong and we’ll see once the general election campaign period gets under way.

    Personally, I like NON as a site and even most of the comments by readers. Its certainly better than the Hour. I’m also not looking for an echo chamber of ideas. But I’m also not a candidate and therefore don’t have to consider which outlet to use to get my message across. Where will I reach the people that really need to hear what I have to say. We can blame the candidates all we like for not answering questions, or in most cases, avoiding answering the real questions while answering the questions they wished they were asked. But let’s give it until after the 10th before saying one person is “radio silent”. Its August. Slow time everywhere. The other 4 have to be as vocal as possible whereas the Mayor doesn’t right now. That will likely change as far as the campaign goes. But who am I? Just someone watching from the outside.

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