Norwalk political notes: Speed limits, hoped-for Fat Cat return, presidential campaigns

NORWALK, Conn. — Some Norwalk political notes for you:

• Norwalk to drivers: Slow down on East Ave., Wall Street
• Casey tries to reach Fat Cat owners
• List of presidential candidates on CT primary ballot
• Bloomberg campaign efforts

Lowering the speed limit

Central Norwalk residents have complained about traffic and pedestrian around the Town Green, Norwalk Senior Civil Engineer Mike Yeosock told the Norwalk Traffic Commission on Monday, explaining a request to lower the speed limits there.

The Commission went on to unanimously approve lowering the speed limit on Wall Street to 25 miles an hour, and also on East Avenue from Route 1 to the Interstate 95 interchange.

This will need Office of the State Traffic Administration (OSTA) approval.

The speed limit is 30 miles an hour on East Avenue, Yeosock reported. People are going 45-50, Mayor Harry Rilling said.

The change will make the speed limit consistent all the way to the East Norwalk train station.

The speed limit varies on Wall Street and is on average 27 miles per hour, Yeosock reported.

Fat Cat

“Cat’s outta the bag and the building…our time here in the Twin City Building is coming to a close. Our space has been sold and so with heavy hearts but cool heads we are here in the last weeks of Fat Cat on Wall Street,” Fat Cat Pie Co. announced Feb. 10 on Facebook.

The restaurant has since closed. Its space in the Twin City Build is said to have been sold; Town Clerk Rick McQuaid said Monday that no property transfer has been filed yet.

NancyOnNorwalk asked Norwalk Chief of Economic and Community Development Jessica Casey if her office has tried to help Fat Cat reopen in another Norwalk location. On Friday, she wrote:

“We have reached out a number of times, but have yet to be able to connect with Tony or Suzanne { Ancona}.

“{Director of Business Development & Tourism Sabrina Church} is extremely knowledgeable about available property, which is why we have been trying to connect. There are programs like the Federal Opportunity Zone that may be helpful for them. In addition, we launched a Storefront Improvement program that is a match funding program, which may be helpful for them if they were to open in a new Norwalk location (it is applicable City wide).

“More than anything we would love to connect with them to assist in any way we can to help them find a new location in Norwalk. They will be missed.”

A text message sent to Fat Cat through Facebook went unanswered.

“We are happy for the owners for realizing the sale of the restaurant space and wish the very best experience to the new owners,” Fat Cat wrote on Feb. 10. “This is our neighborhood in more ways than one and we will always be cheering it on. Where our Fat Cat is headed next is yet unknown, we’ll dwell in the possibilities for a while but for now we are already missing this space, the place, our team, our neighbors and YOU”

The restaurant was a Wall Street fixture for 16 years.

The primary Presidential lineup

Connecticut’s primary election is April 28 and Secretary of the State Denise Merrill has released the names of the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates who will appear on the ballot.

“In an election cycle that started almost two years ago, we are finally in the home stretch,” Merrill is quoted as saying. “Although the deadline to switch from one party to another has passed, new voters and unaffiliated voters can go to myvote.ct.gov/register and register online by April 23rd, or go to their town hall to register in person by noon on April 27th. Connecticut voters will have many candidates to choose between in the April 28th primaries, all that is left to do is get out there and vote!”

Here are the Democratic candidates (listed in alphabetical order):

• Joe Biden
• Michael Bloomberg
• Pete Buttigieg
• Tulsi Gabbard
• Amy Klobuchar
• Bernie Sanders
• Tom Steyer
• Elizabeth Warren

And the Republican candidates (listed in alphabetical order):

• Roque “Rocky” De La Fuente
• Donald Trump
• Bill Weld

Other candidates can still get on the ballot by filing petitions with at least 1 percent of active registered voters of their party (7,979 for Democrats and 4,582 for Republicans), by 4 p.m. March 6.

Merrill will publicly determine the Presidential Preference Primary ballot order for both parties’ primaries on March 24th.

Bloomberg activity

NancyOnNorwalk has received 32 press releases from the Mike Bloomberg 2020 campaign, since Jan. 28.

More than 100 supporters and elected officials joined the campaign Sunday as it opened its first Connecticut office in Milford, one said. “The campaign has plans to open nearly 9 more field offices in Connecticut over the next couple of weeks, with dozens of field staff already on the ground.”

Bloomberg has a “comprehensive plan to restructure our country’s criminal justice system,” said another, quoting former New Haven Mayor Toni Harp as saying, “our incarceration rate in this country is too high, and Mike has recognized that this is a real problem. There is a problem here and Mike has been able to recognize that and he is working to fix that problem.”

Bloomberg, former New York City Mayor, is worth about $61.9 billion, according to Forbes. He’s funding his own “blank check” campaign, in the words of Politico.

About 20 people recently marched in Norwalk, supporting Bloomberg, according to photos and videos released by the campaign.

“We need a president who has the vision and experience to unite our country and go to bat for residents on the issues that matter most to us,” Tevin Coleman, a Norwalker, is quoted as saying. “Mike Bloomberg is that candidate who can beat Donald Trump in November,  and deliver on his promises to the American people.”

Former Bridgeport Mayor Bill Fitch has endorsed Bloomberg as “someone who embodies the American Dream,” according to another press release.

“Mike’s father never made more than $6,000 a year. He paid his way through college, was unemployed at 39 years of age, and went on to create one of the most successful companies in our nation’s modern history. That entrepreneurial spirit, determination, and perseverance is what we need in our next President. That’s why I’m supporting Mike.”

“We need a leader with a vision and willingness to invest in the future of our country, and Mike Bloomberg is ready to do that,” said State Rep. Steinberg (D-136) in another press release. “Mike has shown that he has experience tackling big issues like climate change and public health, but he doesn’t want to just sit back on his track record. He is putting in the work to continue winning those big fights, and that’s the kind of person we need in the White House. I’m excited to support him in any way I can.”