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Rilling puts out call for interns for fall campaign

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NORWALK, Conn. – One of the front-runners for the Democratic nomination for mayor is gearing up for the November election three weeks ahead of the Sept. 10 primary.

The Harry Rilling for Mayor campaign has put out a call for “summer and fall” interns to help with the former police chief’s bid to unseat four-term Republican incumbent Richard Moccia.

Rilling is considered a front-runner for the nomination, along with Vinny Mangiacopra. Also running are Common Councilman Matt Miklave, and former Town Clerk Andy Garfunkel. Rilling and Mangiacopra were the top two vote-getters for the nomination at the Democratic Town Committee convention, but neither got enough votes to avoid a primary.

The Rilling campaign says it is looking for “bright, energetic individuals who want to learn the nuts and bolts of how a campaign works and help elect the next mayor of Norwalk,” according to a press release from the campaign.

The hours are flexible and no experience is necessary. The program is designed to be an “enriching educational experience, where participants engage in daily field activities, learn from seasoned campaign staff and hear from various speakers,” the release says.

Responsibilities, the release states, will include campaign field work (canvassing, phone banks), recruitment and training of volunteers, publicity event planning, communications and voter contact management.

Contact the Kenneth McClary at the Rilling for Mayor campaign, (843) 364-7172 or email [email protected], or apply online.

Comments

17 responses to “Rilling puts out call for interns for fall campaign”

  1. Beau Brummell

    Maybe Vinnie can volunteer for Harry. It seems perfect given that his only experience to date is volunteering on political campaigns.

  2. NorwalkLifer

    What arrogance.

  3. NorwalkLifer

    It’s time for a new generation of leadership in Norwalk and this is a perfect example of why. These guys think so highly of themselves.

  4. NorwalkLifer

    @Beau Brummell, does serving as Congressman Jim Himes Political Director constitute “volunteering” in your book?

  5. NorwalkLifer

    Vinny also served a four year tenure as Economic and Community Development Coordinator for the Town of Monroe.
    …
    What has Harry done besides be a police officer and manage police officers? We need a diverse skill set here..

  6. rburnett

    No people, it is not arrogance, it is called forward-thinking. I’m sure the other candidates are preparing for activities after the primary. What, are you foolish enough to believe you wait until September 11 to prepare?

    Yes, and working on campaigns – that is real leadership experience – perfect qualifications for a CEO to run a city with a $350M budget and over 800 employees.

  7. NorwalkLifer

    @rburnett, i see you conveniently skipped over his years in economic development. here’s the article about that – the Republican commissioner is quoted as saying Vinny did a great job: https://www.nancyonnorwalk.com/2013/05/norwalk-dem-mangiacopra-did-good-job-in-monroe/
    ..
    I should also point out Vinny has a Masters Degree in city management from Uni. of New Haven
    ..
    Rilling was a mediocre police chief at best.

  8. LWitherspoon

    @NorwalkLifer
    I’m guessing your support of Mangiacopra is driven more by your antipathy towards Rilling than by a belief that Mangiacopra would make a great Mayor. Aren’t you the same NorwalkLifer who once commented that you brought some concerns to then-Chief Rilling and were upset by what you perceived as his indifference to them?
    .
    A Master’s Degree is no substitute for experience and accomplishment. Vinny is a nice guy but it’s hard to support someone as Mayor who has such a thin resume overall. I’m particularly concerned by the lack of public service to Norwalk in Mangiacopra’s background.

  9. Norwalk Spectator

    Just an observation…while the degree in city management is impressive and all, not to mention being able to run a political campaign and running economic development for a small town that – according to a friend who was on the Monroe Town Council for two terms – intends to stay that way is nice, there’s still some experience lacking. That seems to be the most common concern that people have expressed over and over again.

    Why doesn’t Vinny run for Council and find out what it’s like when one sits in the Chambers facing the not necessarily friendly audience and learning how to work with the burdensome beast called government? It would also give the rest of Norwalk residents a chance to get to know Vinny and be able to better assess how they feel about him. For all I personally, he could be the best thing since sliced bread, but it would all be speculation on my part.

    There have been some people who I thought would be good candidates for their offices and then when elected turned out to be real duds. I’d never, ever, ever, ever vote for them again, not even for dog catcher. In the past, I’ve also fallen for “Anyone would be better than…” gambit, too. For me it comes down to not what your campaign slogan may be, catchy or otherwise, but can you work with people and are you working for the good of the city rather than your own gain.

  10. D(ysfunctional)TC

    @NorwalkLifer…..

    In other words, Vinny has never had a real job. Nor has he done anything EVER for the city of Norwalk. Vinny doesn’t even exist in the tax payers database for ever having paid taxes in the city. He doesn’t even own a car here?

  11. NorwalkLifer

    @Norwalk Spectator, so then who do you think is best? There’s Miklave who’s shown after 8 years on the Council no ability to get things done. There’s Andy who isn’t the brightest bulb in the bunch who also allowed tens of thousands of dollars to be stolen under his watch as town clerk. There’s Harry who has shown he can muddle along and take care of his own for two decades… We’ve seen their output and it is lacking.
    …
    Vinny’s resume:
    ..
    In monroe, he brought an industrial park to town that attracted over ten companies and over one hundred jobs. He also secured a major environmental grant to modernize the city’s buildings to be more energy efficient that saves tax dollars and the environment to this day.
    ..
    For Congressman Himes he served as Political Director in his toughest re-election campaign in 2010. That election Himes outperformed his 2008 win majority, a surprising result. Yes, I want a mayor who knows politics.
    ..
    While on the Norwalk DTC he’s recruited great Democrats to run for office. Look at a Warren Peña, an excellent councilman and a rising star in the hispanic community. Vinny is the reason we can proudly call him Councilman. I should add here that Vinny has the most support from the Council — the chamber he will need to work with once elected to get things done.
    ..
    Yes, I consider these “jobs” and yes I consider this the best experience to be our mayor. We need a new generation of leadership; it’s abundantly clear.

  12. Don’t Panic

    Agreed @Spectator.
    If Mr. Mangiacopra led the charge to bring an office park to Norwalk while on the Common Council, then he could crow. Perhaps this flamboyant run is just to make a play for Tad Diesel’s job when another Dem gets elected.
    As far as the Himes win is concerned, it is a liitle far fetched to credit a member of the Norwalk DTC for a congressional win, especially when that member couldn’t win his own race for Sheriff with Garfunkel at the top of the ticket that year.
    As far as support on the current council, that is a majority of the minority, unless you are suggesting that the Rs are supporting him over Moccia? Next term that body will have changed anyway.

    The election for DTC chair is next year. Recruiting candidates is not a qualification for Mayor but it might qualify you for a party position.

    There is only one candidate who has demonstrated a deep understanding of what it takes to run this city and an articulated plan to pay for it. That’s Miklave.

  13. Piberman

    Some of us “old folks” remember when there was no shortage of real energetic volunteers for our political campaigns. Especially among seniors anxious to prevent tax increases. Now in an age of devalued college degrees interns are everywhere. How else does one get a job after college without an intern experience.Maybe some candidate will consider inviting college interns to work in City government as part of their platform. Given the longevity of many of our city employees it could be a two way learning experience. By the way all area colleges encourage intern opportunities so our candidates ought, if they are really interested, be calling the colleges to recruit. Maybe the campaigns can offer to reimburse intern expenses from their campaign war chests. Maybe the interns working on the campaigns can let us know how the experience worked out. After all politics is really different in Norwalk. Proudly Norwalk marches to a different drumbeat.

  14. Asa H.M.

    The sense of entitlement and arrogance is appalling. A candidate that wants to be mayor should earn his votes, not count his chickens before they are hatched….

  15. tank

    it’s going to be a close race.You can say whatever now, it’s all going to come down to getting the votes on sept 10th, and I think Vinnie’s been the most hardest working guy!!

  16. rburnett

    Of course he’s working “most hardest”; He doesn’t have another job. He has more time than the other three. He wants to be elected to a job, not to go out and apply for one.

  17. D(ysfunctional)TC

    Other than feeling that the mayor’s job is his birthright, does Vinny have any memberships or other associations we might consider to qualify him? What exactly has he been doing with his time between jobs? Gaps in the resume are a killer for job interviews and his resume is so thin it requires some explanation. Vinny should want to explain how he has applied himself. Tangible examples, and not generalizations. This campaign of self entitlement is embarrassing.

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