Kathleen Mitchell Starts Mayoral Campaign

New London’s mayoral field gained another member on Wednesday as Kathleen Mitchell officially announced her candidacy for the office.

Mitchell, 67, filed the paperwork with for the registration of an exploratory committee for the upcoming election. She said the committee’s name, TeamNL, is an acronym for Tenacity, Education, Accountability, and Mitchell for New London. She said that she loves the city and its people, but has grown concerned about the direction the municipal government is heading in.

“I’ve lived in New London for about 30 years, and in that 30 years New London has just remained stagnant or even gone backwards at times,” Mitchell said. “I’m sick of it.”

Mitchell said she will become involved in causes if she feels the city, a business, or another entity is taking advantage of a vulnerable group. She was strongly opposed to eminent domain efforts at Fort Trumbull, which ultimately led to the demolition of several properties there. Mitchell also broke from the other candidates, who declared that they would . The organization was involved in the eminent domain situation and is currently working with Riverbank Construction on a plan to .

“When I’m mayor, they’re gone,” she said of NLDC. “There’s absolutely no reason for them to be in New London.”

Mitchell has also been involved in efforts to prevent the closing of day care facilities in the city and to raise awareness of . The is offering to purchase about half of the park from the city to expand their campus, and the question will go to a referendum vote in November. Mitchell recently led a at the park, saying she wants the park to be better utilized and remain intact.

Mitchell said she formerly owned a restaurant and a salon in Groton, and came to New London for work. She was primarily involved in social service agencies, working in the New London Community Resources Commission and as a case manager in the TVCCA program. She said she has limited political experience, but that she successfully brought in a slate of candidates on the third district ballot for the Democratic Town Committee.

“That was quite a coup,” she said. “Nobody expected us to win, and they certainly didn’t expect us to win in the primary.”

Mitchell said she intends to represent neighborhoods she feels have been marginalized by the city. In particular, she said the other candidates have focused on downtown revitalization but felt they had not addressed the question of improving the business climate for Hodges Square, Jefferson Avenue, Broad Street, and other areas. She cited a lack of diversity in the , saying generations of people and their children have been excluded from succeeding in the city.

“I think there is in this city…a form of, for lack of a better term, a kind of institutionalized racism,” she said.

In other areas, Mitchell said she is satisfied with the size of the but would like to see more officers on foot in the downtown area and a greater police presence in areas with higher crime rates. She also said she felt the city needs to capitalize on its waterfront as an attraction and make the Board of Education more accountable to residents.

The paperwork for the committee lists Mitchell’s daughter, Jennifer Mitchell, as treasurer. Mitchell, a registered Democrat, also put down her party affiliation as Democratic, but said she might not run on that ticket. Three Democrats are already vying for that party’s nomination, and Mitchell said she was impressed by information sent from the Green Party.

“It sounded like I was closer to a Green than either of the two major parties,” she said. “It’s a pretty impressive and open and honest mission statement.”

The declared candidates are currently , a Democrat, city councilor, and developer; , a Democrat and lawyer; , a Democrat, city councilor, lawyer, and firefighter; and , a Republican, city councilor, and fraud investigator with the state’s Department of Consumer Protection.