Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti promised Monday to “stay the course” if elected to a 12th term in office, then said he’d respond to his critics the same way he always has.
By ignoring them.
But not without getting a few shots in first.
The mayor said he “chuckled” when he read a July 12 editorial in the Connecticut Post, for instance, which said a River Road real estate deal on which the mayor cleared a profit of about $1.6 million was unseemly and said Shelton voters were “enamored” with him.
Lauretti said it’s insulting to voters to insinuate they “don’t get it,” then rattled off a list of why he thinks they’ve returned him to office 10 times already since his initial election in 1991.
“I think what they’re enamored with is low taxes, good quality of life, an improving quality of life, stability in the place they live in, a good, solid education system that continues to progress, recreational opportunities that weren’t here 22 years ago that now exist, like walking trails and dog parks, downtown revitalization,” the mayor said.
“People will be in awe of what they see in downtown Shelton in the next five to seven years,” Lauretti went on during a 7‑minute speech to about 50 people in the meeting room of the Plumb Memorial Library.
Lauretti also ridiculed his Democratic opponent, Dave Gioiello, who was nominated by his party last week and lashed out at the mayor during an 14-minute speech, ending with a promise to outdo Lauretti with respect to lowering taxes.
“When was the last time a Democrat ever lowered taxes, anywhere?” Lauretti said.
“If the only argument our opponents can make is what a bad guy Mark Lauretti is, OK, I can deal with that, I’ve been dealing with that for 22 years,” the mayor added later. “Water off a duck’s back.”
After the nominating convention had ended, Lauretti dismissed a promise by Gioiello to lower the mill rate next year or work for free by saying the Democrat “doesn’t understand what he’s getting into.”
“I don’t feel like I have to respond to someone who hasn’t accomplished anything,” he went on. “He said the same things eight years ago when he ran against me. It’s all personal.”
Asked if he had any specific areas of action or initiatives in mind for his next term, Lauretti said no.
“There’s so many things that are going on that we just fall right into it, we don’t stop,” he said. “After Election Day if we’re still standing, we’ll go right back to work.”
He also demurred when asked why voters should return him to office if he intends to run for governor in 2014, an idea he is considering.
“Because they get two for the price of one,” Lauretti said. “That’s a decision I’ll make later on. Twenty-two years later I don’t think anybody expected me to hang around this long, and I certainly didn’t.”
Elsewhere on the ticket, Republicans nominated a nearly identical slate they did for the 2011 municipal elections, with only two candidates given the party nod Monday that aren’t already in office: First Ward Alderman candidate Eugene Kierce and Joseph Palmucci, a candidate for the Board of Apportionment and Taxation.
“It’s a strong slate, one that we’ve trusted for many years,” Republican Town Committee Chairman Anthony Simonetti, also an Alderman serving in the First Ward, said after the meeting.
The Republicans’ full slate is below. An asterisk denotes an incumbent.
Mayor
Mark Lauretti *
Treasurer
Raymond O’Leary *
1st Ward Alderman
Anthony Simonetti *
Eugene Kierce
2nd Ward Alderman
Stanley Kudej *
Eric McPherson *
3rd Ward Alderman
John Anglace Jr. *
Lynne S. Farrell *
4th Ward Alderman
Noreen McGorty *
John Papa *
Board of Education
Kathy Yolish *
Tom Minotti *
Win Oppel *
Jay Francino-Quinn *
Mark Holden *
Planning and Zoning Commission, Four-Year Term
Ruth Parkins *
Anthony Pogoda *
Planning and Zoning Commission, Two-Year Term
Thomas McGorty *
Virginia Harger *
Planning and Zoning Alternate
Ned Miller *
Board of Apportionment and Taxation
Joseph Palmucci
John Belden Jr. *
Charlotte Madar *
Library Board
Barbara Glover *
Aleta Miner *
