NORWALK, Conn. – Alleged racism in the Norwalk Fire Department, speeders on a Norwalk street and taxes that are allegedly causing people to flee Norwalk were among the topics Monday at Mayor Harry Rilling’s first Mayor’s Night Out.
About 30 people, 13 Common Council members and one Board of Education member took Rilling up on his offer of a nightime community meeting to discuss local issues, where Department of Public Works Director Hal Alvord and Fire Chief Denis McCarthy found themselves taking turns on the hot seat.
NAACP Vice President Andre Williams, a firefighter, asked McCarthy to justify the renewal of his contract, given that there were 15 black firefighters when McCarthy became chief and only six now.
That was the only question Rilling objected to. “I don’t want to put anybody on the spot as to why they should keep their job,” he said. But he allowed McCarthy to explain the situation.
Minority hiring has been a “significant challenge,” the chief said. This time around, for the first time in fire department history, a recruitment officer was assigned the job of getting minorities to take the test, he said. But people from Guam and California took the test. Even though the department held classes for local people, it’s difficult to compete with professional test takers, many of whom are college graduates, he said.
One of the department’s recent hires is a Burlington, Vt., man who has taken tests all over, and came in first on the Norwalk test, he said.
“It is very difficult to compete if you are an inner city kid without any exposure to the fire service, to take one test in the hopes that you have finished high enough to compete against candidates that are coming from across the country,” he said.
About 20 percent of test takers were African-American, but none finished in the top 1 percent, he said.
It’s a self perpetuating problem, he said, as white firefighters spread the word about the job, he said.
Martha Dumas asked Rilling what could be done for the young adults in the community, to give them something to do other than walk the streets.
Rilling said he had talked to someone who would like to start a youth boxing program. He reminded her that Democratic District D Chairman Vinny Mangiacopra talked of bringing a Boys and Girls Club to Norwalk, and said he hoped that could be done.
Police Chief Thomas Kulhawik said he is thinking about assigning school resource 0fficers to supervise youth programs in the summer, rather than send them back out on patrol. But there isn’t any more they can do while school is in session, he said.
Brenda Penn Williams complained about the new traffic lights on Strawberry Hill Road, causing two people to clap.
Alvord said they had been put in to make it safer for children walking to school. The road is like a racetrack, especially at night, he said. The new lights are computerized – when a speeder goes through the first one, the rest of them are retimed to slow that person down, he said.
“Well, there’s more traffic now,” Williams said. “I don’t know about anyone else — I hate it. Did you do a study?”
Alvord said they had.
Kevin Dailey said Yankee Gas had just done work in the area of Parkhill Avenue, turning it into a “minefield.” He wanted to know when it would be repaved.
Alvord said Yankee Gas is replacing cast iron pipes, which are about 40 years old, because there have been gas leaks. He said they were trying to prevent things like a house that caught fire about a year ago, on New Year’s Day.
The work needs to settle through the winter before it can be repaved, he said.
Rilling let Port Draper talk for 10 minutes.
“If there is a single item that affects us, there is nothing comparable to the high level of our taxes,” began Draper, who said he was representing Wilson Point and Harbor Shores. “… It used to be families could come in buy a house, fix it up and make it attractive. That’s not true anymore. They are leaving, house after house in our neighborhood.”
The mill rate in the communities surrounding Norwalk is about half of what it is here, and it’s cheaper to live in Stamford, Draper said. Real estate values have plummeted, and the grown children are leaving, he said. Norwalk Police cost city residents more per capita than residents of Los Angeles, he said, aand pensions for city employees are bleeding Norwalk dry.
He said officials should sit down with the budget director and cut employees to cut the taxes.
“Let’s save money here,” he said. “We have a wonderful opportunity to make a wonderful city here. But all we are doing is running it for the benefit of the employees. If you own a house in this city you’re a fool, but unfortunately, if you bought one you can’t sell it.”
Council Minority Leader John Igneri (D-District E) took on the task of answering Draper, who he said he had known for years.
“I retired, and I decided not to go to Florida or South Carolina but to invest time in the city because I think it can become the dynamo you’re talking about,” he said. “We need to do things a little differently. We need to get people to think of doing things a little differently and we’re starting to do that. It took 40 years to get into this condition it’s going to take us 40 years to get out of it, a little at a time we will chip away. We’re doing it, we’re changing.”
Council President Doug Hempstead (R-At Large) told Draper that the pension programs he was complaining about were a thing of the past, that new hirees were coming in under self-directed plans.
He said he agreed with Igneri – it would take time.
“I think the city has done a good job over the last couple of years trying to take the situation that we are in long term and trying to make revisions that won’t continually strap the long-term pensions that have no roof on them versus the self-directed plans. It’s a slow rehab,” he said.
Rilling said it showed how much the council members, who are paid $50 a month, care about the city that only two, Michelle Maggio (R-District C) and Bruce Kimmel (D-At Large), did not make it to the meeting.
Councilman David McCarthy (R-District E) was there but did not face the crowd, choosing to sit in the back of the room away from the firing line. Sherelle Harris was the lone BOE member in attendance. Also on hand to answer questions was Chris Bradley of the Norwalk Public Library.
Rilling said he thought the night went well.
“Citizens came up to me after the meeting and said they were absolutely thrilled we did this,” he said. “They said they never had the opportunity to attend a meeting like that, and they hope we continue to do it.”
He is planning to do the next night out in West Norwalk, on the first or third Monday of January, he said.
One man who attended the event said he has learned recently that getting involved in government issues is rewarding.
“If you participate more you can more out of it. You can help shape a city.” Kevin Dailey said.
Rilling’s first meeting was good, with a nice turnout, he said.
“I liked that these guys were responding to the questions very well, tough questions,” he said. “I thought the fire chief handled it very well. To me it sounds like they’ve worked very hard to try to solve what could be a real issues, what is a big concern to everybody.”
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