In 2005 Alex Knopp lost the mayor’s race by less than 190 votes. It wasn’t even that close. Knopp lost the support of many Democrats in Norwalk because he is a poor leader who failed to delegate. This is not a character trait that is easily unlearned, nor is it easily forgotten. Aside from that, under Mayor Moccia, Norwalk has been slowly reigning in its spiraling budget and the fiscal management of the city has never been better.

It’s not surprising though, that The Hour reports the District E Democrats, are hankering for a rematch in 2007, and considering resurrecting Knopp for another run. It’s not hard to see why they’d go down this path, there is no one else stepping up to run, and in the absence of a real live candidate-like-substance emerging, the position must be filled. So they passed a resolution asking the town committee to form an exploratory committee in search of a mayor. And the usual suspects keep floating Knopp’s name maybe in hopes that by repeating it enough times it will happen.

The real problem is that Norwalk needs visionary solutions to the mounting infrastructure dilemmas. The city is at a crossroads of needing to grow to support the economic engine of Fairfield County yet the the sewer system, roads, and schools are in dire need of overhaul. The school board escalates its budget each year despite the school population remaining under 10k for the last 15 or so years. The roads are alternatively clogged or potholed or both. The flooding some areas experience continues unchecked. None of these problems are solvable by one elected official. What is really needed is a team working together to solve the big problems facing Norwalk. In other words real municipality management skill-sets. Gazing in the rear view mirror doesn’t seem a likely path towards finding forward thinkers.