NORWALK, Conn. – It didn’t take long for an unprecedented back and forth to develop in Tuesday’s mayoral forum at the South Norwalk Community Center, the type of discussion that hasn’t happened in previous public forums with Norwalk Democratic mayoral candidates.
The second question posed by the Rev. Oscar Destruge asked about job growth. After Harry Rilling talked about trade unions providing a “job funnel” — a job funnel program is being touted by Norwalk Economic Opportunity Now to begin in 2014 — Vinny Mangiacopra responded, citing his status as the only candidate with eight labor union endorsements. Matt Miklave took the chance to speak again, saying that job training is great, but it doesn’t help if there are no jobs.
“The unemployment rate is higher in the African American and Latino communities,” Destruge said. “How will you bridge the gap to bring more jobs to the community?”
Mangiacopra went first.
“We have to make sure we’re pursuing economic opportunities, and we all know that’s not happening,” he said. “That’s why we get stuck with these lackluster projects. That’s why we continue to settle for everyone else’s leftovers. That’s the mentality that’s gone on here in Norwalk for a long period of time. We acknowledge the fact that we’re not Stamford, but at least we can hang our hat on the fact that at least we’re not Bridgeport. I have news for you, those things are going to change pretty quickly because there’s a lot of investment going on in both of those cities. Norwalk is being left behind quickly… You need a mayor that is going to go out there and aggressively pursue every opportunity that can possibly be had for Norwalk. That’s the kind of mayor I plan on being.”
Miklave continued to pound his drum for technology incubators and an economic accelerator team. “The issues facing our city are pretty substantial,” he said. “One of them is the fact that we haven’t had an economic plan in the 22 years that my wife and I have lived here. … Historically, 80 percent of the jobs come from employers who hire less than 10 people. Since 2008, 100 percent of net job growth, that’s all net job growth in America, comes from employers of less than 10 people. Yet we have no plan in Norwalk to grow local entrepreneurs.”
Rilling said unemployment starts after high school.
“We need to take advantage of organizations, like the South Norwalk Community Center and other civic organizations, to provide job training,” he said.
He went on the mention another campaign promise, a life skills training class, and he pointed to his record of making the police department reflect the diversity of the community.
Mangiacopra said labor unions are “not just looking for the have nots that can’t make it though high school and maybe college isn’t an option for them. … Those folks don’t want the leftovers, they want the folks that are willing to go into that and realize that that’s a good line of work still in this day and age.”
Miklave said his colleagues did not have answers to the problems.
“I think what my colleagues overlook is job training is great but it’s pretty unsuccessful if there are no jobs,” he said. “I don’t know if anyone has paid attention lately but I was up in Bridgeport today negotiating with the teamsters unions for construction contractors. There aren’t any construction jobs out there right now. Those are good paying jobs but they’re not to be found.”
Jobs need to be grown in the private sector, he said, pounding the drum.
Rilling then retook the microphone to throw a shot at incumbent Republican Mayor Richard Moccia, recalling the theatrics in the final two months of the last mayoral campaign in which the mayor eked out a narrow win over then-candidate Andy Garfunkel. Garfunkel is running again this year, but did not attend this event .
“I was one of the first candidates to point out that in 2011, in September and October, just before the election, I went to four groundbreakings. For two years nothing happened,” Rilling said.
Indeed, there were four groundbreakings just before the last municipal election, which Moccia won with 52.9 percent of the vote.
• On Sept. 9, 2011, Moccia, state Sen. Bob Duff and Emil Albanese, then chairman of the Redevelopment Authority, joined POKO Partners CEO Ken Olsen to celebrate the application for demolition of buildings on Wall Street, swinging shiny shovels over the concrete sidewalk. “This is the end of the beginning,” Moccia said. Nothing has happened on the property.
• On Sept. 12, 2011, there was a groundbreaking for the Pepperidge Farm Innovation Center on Westport Avenue. Construction began soon thereafter, and the center is now complete.
• On Sept. 21, 2011, there was a groundbreaking for the Waypointe project on West Avenue. Demolition of the existing buildings began in January 2012. After lengthy delays, the project is now under construction.
• On Oct. 13, 2011, there was a groundbreaking for 95/7, also on West Avenue. The Hour announced on Aug. 19 – this year, nearly two years later – that Spinnaker Partners had gotten a permit to build a foundation on the property. No start date for that work has been announced.
Rilling said Norwalk needs to bring developers to the table to hash out the reasons for the delays.
“That’s the way we’re going to provide jobs to people,” he said.
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