Shelton’s top Democrat on Wednesday said he’ll ease traffic congestion downtown, introduce ethics reforms, and lower taxes or work for free if elected mayor in November.
And he vowed he’s not just running to fill an otherwise empty spot on the ballot, anticipating a charge leveled when he ran for mayor in 2007.
“I was serious about it then and I’m serious about it now,” Dave Gioiello, the chairman of the Democratic Town Committee, said during a 14-minute speech accepting his party’s nod.
About 25 Democrats attended the caucus Tuesday at the Shelton Community Center.
Gioiello, who runs his own small business, spent much of his remarks blasting Republican Mayor Mark Lauretti, saying the 11-term incumbent has poor relationships with state and federal officials and has overseen a culture of lax ethical behavior in City Hall.
“Ethics is a huge important issue, and our mayor has enhanced his personal wealth at the expense of Shelton,” Gioiello said, referencing the $1.6 million profit Lauretti made on a land deal that closed last month. “He has used his position to buy property and sell property, and he makes no qualms about it, that he’s a developer. Well, you can’t be both a developer and a mayor, it’s one or the other. And if you’re going to try to do both, you have a basic conflict of interest.”
Click the play button on the video above to see his remarks in full.
Gioiello also referenced the conviction of former building official Elliot Wilson, who was sent to prison in 2011 for lying to federal agents about receiving gifts from a developer, and said he’d crack down on the practice.
“One of the things I’ll do is institute an executive order that says no city employee can take anything, I don’t care if it’s a cup of coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts,” he said. “Zero tolerance.”
That will also go for anyone he appoints to a board of a commission if elected, he said.
After criticizing Lauretti extensively for more than 10 minutes, Gioiello ended his speech by promising to outdo the mayor’s signature achievement — a low, stable mill rate.
Gioiello said the city’s perennial multi-million dollar surpluses are proof that the budget is “inflated,” and vowed to cut the fat if voters give him the chance.
“The budget that I submit in 2014 for 2014 and 2015 will not increase the mill rate,” Gioiello said. “And I’m going to put my money where my mouth is, because if I can’t present a budget that is balanced and doesn’t raise taxes, then I’ll work for free for the year. And I challenge Mark Lauretti to make that same promise.”
Elsewhere on the ticket, those gathered Wednesday did not deviate from the recommendations made by the party’s executive committee.
Lauretti’s opponent for mayor in 2009 and 2011, Chris Jones, an outspoken business owner and volunteer firefighter, will run for alderman in the third ward alongside Judson Crawford, a longtime member of the Board of Apportionment and Taxation.
Jones said after the meeting that if elected, he’ll be able to give John “Jack” Finn, a 14-term Alderman and the only Democrat currently on the board, support.
“Our main goal is to give Jack a second on some of these issues,” Jones said. “I want to stay active in my community, I care about what goes on in this town.”
Here is the Democrats’ official slate. An asterisk indicates an incumbent.
Mayor
Dave Gioiello
Treasurer
Bob Lally
1st Ward Alderman
John “Jack” Finn*
2nd Ward Alderman
Michele Bialek
Ralph Matto
3rd Ward Alderman
Chris Jones
Judson Crawford
4th Ward Alderman
Polly Dyer
Board of Education
Faith Hack
Kate Kutash
Arlene Liscinsky*
Elaine Matto
Tim Walsh*
Planning and Zoning Commission
Nancy Dickal
Jimmy Tickey
Planning and Zoning Alternate
Frank Osak
Board of Apportionment and Taxation
Lou D’Agostine
Joe Knapik
Jay Zikaras
Library Board
Denese Deeds
