NORWALK, Conn. – Norwalk mayoral candidate Vinny Mangiacopra has scored an endorsement from Councilman Warren Peña.
“From the time I met Vinny he has been a leader in our party and is not afraid to take on the tough battles,” Peña said in a press release. “Norwalk is in desperate need of new leadership and a fresh approach. There is only one candidate in the race that offers those qualities and that is Vinny Mangiacopra.”
Peña is one of 35 Democratic Town Committee members who will vote at the July convention for a candidate to represent the Democratic party as a challenger to Republican Mayor Richard Moccia in November. A candidate only needs 18 votes to win, but that nominee can be challenged by anyone who gets enough signatures on a petition. With three other men vying for the nomination, observers predict a primary in September.
Peña, a leader of Norwalk’s Hispanic community and president of the South Norwalk Community Center, said he is confident that Mangiacopra is the man to beat Moccia.
“One of the important elements of Vinny’s campaign is that he is drawing support from all different parts of our community,” he said in the press release. “Norwalk’s diversity is part of what makes our city great and I’ve been very grateful to see that Vinny is eager to represent us all. I’m confident his administration will be shaped in the same manner, and it’s long past due that we have that kind of leadership in City Hall.”
Peña will be introducing Mangiacopra at his mayoral campaign kickoff event on Saturday, May 4, in Fera Park, across the street from the former YMCA. The 3 p.m. kickoff will include a family picnic with free refreshments and sandwiches, the press release said.
Campaign worker Will Sharry said the park is a great place to have the kickoff, and not only because spring is here.
“Holding it in a public park serves as a nice venue for Vinny to talk about all the issues facing Norwalk,” he said. With the wasteland that is 95/7 down the road and the closed YMCA across the street, the candidate will have plenty of visual help making his points, he said.
Mangiacopra said in the release that he was excited to gain the first council endorsement of any Democratic candidate in the race.
“This is an exciting day for our campaign,” Mangiacopra said in the release. “Councilman Peña is an exceptional leader and I am honored to have his support. Warren and I are like minded in that the status-quo has to change and I look forward to working alongside him for years to come.”
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