Following on the 2005 endorsement, the Fairfield County Building Trades endorsed Dick Moccia for Mayor.
“Two years ago it was a surprise,” Moccia said. “This time, I really am overwhelmed by you coming here and advocating my candidacy.
“The office of the mayor is important to me, but your support and your friendship … is more important, and I appreciate that,” Moccia added.More than a dozen representatives of local unions who belong to the Building Trades attended the endorsement.
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Moccia, a former councilman and fire commissioner, is running against Democrat Walter O. Briggs, an investment advisor and former chairman of the city’s Planning Commission, and Wilson Point resident Scott P. Merrell, a registered Republican, who is upset with the major political parties stances on property taxes.
Matt Waggner, Briggs’ campaign manager, pointed to Briggs’ recent cross endorsement from the Connecticut Working Families Party, and the Briggs’ call for tougher oversight and enforcement language within the proposed responsible contractors ordinance.
But one labor leader noted that Moccia has backed a proposed responsible contractors ordinance aimed at employing skilled local workers, paying them benefits and offering apprenticeship opportunities.
“We think your visions (for Norwalk) are going to come to fruition, and the building trades will probably be part of that,” Byrnes said. “We’re all about quality construction, responsible contractors, people getting fair, living wages.”
The interesting thing about this is that Moccia has consistently demonstrated a core philosophy that begins with treating people fairly. He has in fact, demonstrated through his leadership an ability to represent many core Democratic values, despite arriving at them from a different perspective. Democrats in town have failed to see the arrival of Moccia to adopt many of these core values, often whispering that at least half of their party members are really closet Republicans. Yet when the bulk of the actions that Norwalk’s government have been examined, ranging from negotiations with labor contracts, ethics reform, quality of life ordinances, open space grants, and balanced budgets, most of these issues have been ones that any resident in the city should be happy with, but especially Democrats.
The state of Norwalk moving in a progressive direction makes it harder for Walter Briggs to find traction. It’s difficult to run a challenge campaign when at the end of the day, pretty much many of the things accomplished are exactly how you would have wanted them to turn out. Which leaves the character of each candidate to look at, and makes the endorsement of the Fairfield County Building Trades, all that more important.
Dick Moccia one said, shortly after winning the election in 2005, that Norwalk was a Democratic town, and that he would govern representing all of the people. Looks like he’s also a man of his word.
source: The Hour, Moccia picks up labor union endorsements, By ROBERT KOCH, Septemeber 28, 2007
