Preservation, Revitalization Topics At Latest Mayoral Forum

In the penultimate gathering of mayoral candidates before the Nov. 8 election, hosted a forum at the on Thursday.

The organization is dedicated to preservation and development efforts in the city. Sandra Chalk, executive director of New London Landmarks, said the questions would be focused on similar topics. Chalk said the candidates had also been provided with the questions in advance to prepare responses. Scott Sawyer, of Sawyer Law Firm LLC, moderated the debate. Each candidate had two minutes to respond to a question and two minutes to offer a rebuttal once each candidate had spoken.

The six candidates for mayor are , write-in; , Democrat; , , and , independents; and , Republican.

The following is a summary of the questions asked as well as the answers and rebuttals given by each candidate:

In the past year, several development studies and reports have been completed and sent to City Council. Do you believe these plans contain positive recommendations for developments? What measures would you place as high priority, and how would you begin to implement them?

Hopkins-Cavanagh said she thinks Fort Trumbull development is going down the wrong path based on an outdated Municipal Development Plan. “If there were to be a hotel developer who was so interested in a hotel, we’d have a hotel down there by now,” she said. Hopkins-Cavanagh said problems include absentee landlords and a low level of owner-occupied housing, and that neighborhood stabilization is needed in order for any plans to succeed. She expanded on the topic by saying Howard Street would be an ideal location for senior housing and that she has experience as a chief executive officer in managing large budgets as well as real estate and marketing.

Pero said there is a need for collaboration with various city partners, and said he would have the Parking Commission determine what the city’s needs are for downtown parking and have assist with downtown revitalization efforts. He said the can be broken down into priority areas, and that a Fort Trumbull bandshell and train station would be feasible short-term projects. He said the city has also invested a $35 million bond in infrastructure, schools, and parks. “To me, that is an investment you all have made in New London, while keeping New London affordable,” said Pero.

Finizio said a strong mayor can help implement the suggestions of studies that might otherwise gather dust. “My first priority would be to work on Fort Trumbull and downtown, because there are parts of those studies that are short term,” he said. Finizio said the beautification of city entrances to be more attractive to visitors is another project that can be done in the short term. He said the effort to improve the waterfront and reconnect and the surrounding neighborhood with downtown is the “ultimate long term goal of the city.”

Lockwood said he has discussed the questions with residents and found that restaurant owners would like two-way traffic on Bank Street and Green Street. He said he has also talked with a hotel group about building at Fort Trumbull. “I already told them there’s no ,” he said. “I don’t support that in Fort Trumbull.” Lockwood also advocated better lighting as a crime deterrent and possibly improving downtown parking through meters or a parking garage.

Buscetto said there are positive recommendations in all of the studies, but that his top priority will be to ensure safe, walkable neighborhoods. He said the mayor should be able to show visible progress by the end of four years in office, and said he has proven experience forming teams and developing projects. Buscetto also said he would speak with people in the neighborhood to take a proactive approach for development in case the school closes. “That’s a prime example of thinking about it now,” he said. “The mayor can’t think about it after it closes to try to find someone to develop that property.”

Olsen also said there are good recommendations in the studies, but that they are often kept shelved. “I feel strongly that we need to beef up our ,” he said. “We have a lot of hodgepodge programs and studies, and we need to get organized.” Olsen said the city has an opportunity to capitalize on assets such as the waterfront and colleges, and that he would aim to immediately work toward establishing a pedestrian bridge between downtown and Fort Trumbull.

According to 2010 census, New London’s population has increased 7% in the past 10 years, during stalled development plans. What do you attribute increase to, and what does it entail for future development ideas?

Lockwood noted the presence of the homeless centers and other services in New London, saying, “I believe the real reason for the increase is we have a lot of social services here that the other communities won’t support.” He said New London should also look to incentives to keep seniors from leaving the city, saying Danbury had implemented a tax freeze for seniors.

Buscetto said the population increase could be due to a variety of factors. “What you have to do is project to see where the future growth will be,” he said. Buscetto said he had done this with his 55-and-over development on Easy Street, and that it brought in new residents and retained others who may have moved out.

Olsen said the population increase could be a result of retired people attracted to the city’s assets or younger people who enjoy the nightlife. He criticized the suggestion that there is too much housing in New London, saying the mayor should look to put in place long-standing suggestions to develop upper floors in downtown into apartments. “I would argue if we’re growing, we need more housing, be it condos or apartments,” he said. Olsen also said that while diversity is one of the city’s strength, the mayor must work to further engage minority participation in city government.

Hopkins-Cavanagh said poor housing is a root cause of city problems, saying the suspects in last year’s came from low-income or multi-family homes. She said illegal apartments are also a problem, and that the residents of the high-rise Thames River Apartments can be relocated so the apartments can be razed. “Nobody’s talking about that…We can achieve something significant on the corner of Crystal Ave. and State Pier Road,” she said.

Pero said the amount of owner-occupied housing does need to increase, but that a balance is needed. “We also have to be cognizant of the fact that New London has other people who can’t necessarily afford a home and we shouldn’t necessarily be kicking them out either,” he said. Pero said he and Councilor Adam Sprecace worked on the program to establish over 20 new homeowners in the city.

Finizio said that he is a newcomer to the city and has met several new residents in their 20s and 30s who are both renters and property owners. “I do not see this increase as a negative. I see this as a tremendous positive for our city,” he said. “I think that’s good for New London because they’re not wedded to any one idea.” Finizio said the top priority of the new residents he has spoken to is education, and that it needs to be improved to keep residents in the city. He said the city should also not be prejudiced against nonprofits in downtown, saying they help to occupy storefronts.

During the rebuttal section, Buscetto and Pero each criticized Finizio. Buscetto questioned Finizio’s motives in the race, saying he has not joined any nonprofit committee or other organization since his arrival in the city. Pero said he agreed with Finizio’s arts advocacy, but felt his disagreement with a at Fort Trumbull was counterintuitive to Finizio’s support of young professionals. “These are going to be bringing in some of the professionals you’re talking about…that is what this development is geared to,” said Pero.

East New London and Hodges Square have been “basically ignored” by city since the second bridge built in 1970s. What would you do to restore the neighborhood and enhance connections between the colleges, Hodges Square, and downtown?

Olsen said Hodges Square is one of a number of neighborhoods that needs to be more fully integrated into the downtown area, describing them as parts of a wheel surrounding the central business district. “If we don’t have a viable downtown, it will be hard to build a hub and spoke,” he said.

Buscetto said he feels numerous neighborhoods have been ignored, but that the mayor must assess input and prioritize without overpromising. He said a focus can be placed on small things, such as sidewalk repair. Buscetto also said Hodges Square was not actively discussed until the lead-up to this election. “East New London, for some reason, is being attached to Riverside Park,” he said.

Lockwood said Riverside Park can be made self-sustainable through things such as a snack bar and concert events. He said the colleges can also be more fully integrated into the city through a proposed central railroad to Brattleboro, Vt. that can bring in students from outside of New London and other visitors.

Finizio said that all neighborhoods are equal, but that he considers Hodges Square an important part in encouraging traffic between downtown and Hodges Square and vice versa. He said the neighborhood is also an important gateway as the first neighborhood seen by visitors from I-95. “Hodges Square has always been a top priority for me, in part because I have strong feelings for the neighborhood but also because it is just a smart planning decision,” he said.

Pero said a bond plan in June proposed $500,000 to support walkways and frontage improvement in Hodges Square. “If we want the downtown to thrive, I believe we have important other sites in the city that people need to visit,” he said. Pero said this can be accomplished through better cooperation with various partners and making sites such as the and more open and accessible to visitors.

Hopkins-Cavanagh said Finizio did not have a plan for East London in his platform. She said it would be a mistake to develop Riverside Park, and that the Coast Guard Academy could if the apartments are removed. “We can revitalize East New London by working with the Coast Guard to really reverse those bad decisions that were made when the high-rises were built,” she said. Hopkins-Cavanagh said she has also proposed a moving the and establishing a visitors center in the current building, a trolley line, and a set of International Shops as further development efforts in East New London.

In the final set of rebuttals, Pero said he will be truthful about the problems facing the city. He said discussions have taken place on the question of selling a portion of Riverside Park to the Coast Guard Academy and felt the city had reached a good compromise in the proposed sale of nine acres. “Don’t vote on this one issue alone, because you’re going to have to live with that person for four years,” he said.

Finizio said he mentioned a Hodges Square plan in the “Gateway New London” portion of his plan as well as public forums. He also said he moved to New London before the mayor’s office was created, and complimented each candidate on a portion of their platform that he agreed with. “This doesn’t have to be a zero sum game…There are a lot of good ideas being generated up here and no one has a monopoly on good ideas,” he said.

Lockwood said Riverside Park was not the city’s to sell. “That gift was given to New London, that park, to everyone, forever,” he said. Lockwood said First Lady Michelle Obama has been a parks supporter as well, and that he has informed her of the ballot question and hopes she will advocate that Riverside Park stay with the city.

Buscetto said one of the traits voters should be seeking in a candidate is honesty. He said Finizio has wavered on issues and that Finizio supported . “That’s not new energy; that’s not really about collaboration,” said Buscetto.

Olsen said he has advocated for New London in his current role as ceremonial mayor, including actively working on a central rail corridor to Brattleboro and representing the city in Washington, D.C. for OpSail 2012. “The question is who has the capacity sitting here to lead our community,” he said.

In the final minutes of the debate, Sawyer asked each candidate to sum up New London in one word. For Pero, it was “diversity;” Hopkins-Cavanagh, “distressed;” Finizio, “home”; Lockwood, “beautiful;” Olsen, “dynamic;” Buscetto, “dysfunctional.”

The final scheduled debate among the mayoral candidates will take place at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at . This debate is co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Southeastern Connecticut and .