First The Hour’s report by Robert Koch:

Five Democrats and three Republicans running for the Common Council found much common ground on issues affecting Norwalk during a candidates’ forum at Mill Hill Historic Park Sunday afternoon.

About two-dozen people — almost all Democrats — sat on wooden benches in the Norwalk Town House off East Wall Street in what one debate participant described as a “town meeting.”

During the debate, titled “Burning Issues 2007,” incumbents and newcomers answered and rebutted each other on six questions leftover from an Oct. 15 candidates’ forum at City Hall.

With time to spare afterward, they then fielded from the audience.

Candidates agreed that the school district should refill its post of finance director, but differed when asked by David S. Davidson, a former member of the Board of Estimate & Taxation, whether to give Thomas S. Hamilton, the city’s finance director, “financial authority over the Board of Education.”

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“Absolutely, positively,” said District A Councilman Richard A. McQuaid, now running for an at-large seat on the council. “Someone from the city needs to start taking a big look at the big picture with our education spending, and I would tomorrow offer that position to Mr. Hamilton.”

Other candidates praised Hamilton, but questioned the legality of giving a city official oversight of education spending. They recommended, instead, filling the post with an equally qualified person.

“I would support someone of equal ability for the Board of Ed as a financial person,” said Carvin J. Hilliard, a District B Democrat incumbent and chairman of the council’s Finance Committee. “But I would not support Mr. Hamilton at this time — he’s very competent, I work with him — because I just think you could have a situation, where the mayor would be usurping the superintendent of the schools.”

The question offered candidates one of several opportunities to show their philosophical differences on matters affecting the city and its residents.

In another, candidates agreed that the city must address flooding, but disagreed upon whether to reestablish the Flood and Erosion Control Board, as suggested by Gail Wall, a Democrat running for a District D seat.

“It’s a very important, vital commission. It enables the city to sit down with (the state) Department of Environmental Protection and call for studies, establish budgets, and (it) also has the ability to receive matching funds from DEP to help us repair infrastructure,” Wall said.

District D incumbent Douglas E. Hempstead, a Republican, said the flood board may assess individual homeowners for repairs. He instead backed Department of Public Works projects now in planning or underway.

“(Flooding) is pretty much a citywide issue,” Hempstead said. “Public works is a more fair and equitable way to (alleviate) flooding throughout the city.”

Republicans Hempstead, McQuaid and John E. Tobin, who is running to represent District C, participated in the debate, as did Hilliard, Wall, District A Democrat Steve Serasis, District C Democrat Laurel Lindstrom and at-large Democrat Michael K. Geake.

Yourct.com, the local news blog run by Jackie Lightfield, and The Coalition of Norwalk Neighborhood Associations arranged the debate last week, after some expressed disappointment with the at-large council candidates’ forum put on by The League of Women Voters of Norwalk at City Hall Oct. 15.

On Friday, league President Diane Lauricella pulled its sponsorship of the new debate. She said the league hadn’t been involved in the planning. She also questioned involvement of yourct.com.

Lightfield and Maribeth Becker, coordinator of the neighborhood coalition, opened Sunday’s debate. Al Raymond, president of the Spring Hill/Norwalk Hospital Area Neighborhood Association, read the six questions, which according to organizers were leftover from the Oct. 15 forum.

On Friday, Norwalk Republican Town Committee Chairman Jeffrey M. Konspore urged debate organizers to cancel the event.

He said the league’s withdrawal, “hastiness” in planning and disputes about sponsorship had “led us to question the impartialness of this debate.”

Republican candidates at Sunday’s debate took aim at the town committee.

“Thank you for holding this debate, first of all, even though I was told not to be here,” Tobin said.

Now the Advocate’s Tim Stelloh article:

Education, redevelopment and flooding got much of the attention at a Common Council candidate debate yesterday at Mill Hill Historic Park.

Quality of life issues - such as traffic and crime - and the city’s police force also were discussed.

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The debate, which featured eight of 29 candidates campaigning this year, was organized by the Coalition of Norwalk Neighborhood Associations and yourCT.com.

All the candidates - responding to a question about a “contentious” education budget cycle this year - said the city’s Board of Education needs to handle its budget differently.

Candidates said the school board needs to hire a finance director and the budget process needs to be more transparent.

“If I’m going to give my child or grandchild money, I’m going to oversee how that money is spent,” said Gail Wall, a Democrat running in District D.

Asked whether they would support allowing city finance director Thomas Hamilton to oversee the education budget, some - such as Republican Richard McQuaid, who is running at-large - said they would; others said they were unsure.

Michael Geake, a Democrat running at-large, said putting the two budgets under one control could be illegal, and that an education budget is more specialized than a city budget.

For a complex, expensive financing plan to fund infrastructure improvements in the West Avenue redevelopment area, no candidate said they would support the plan if taxpayers would bear a significant brunt of a price tag the developer has said could reach $150 million.

Under the plan, the city would use a Special Services District tax and fees from parking garages to pay back the debt on improvements to roads, storm drains, sidewalks and utilities.

Douglas Hempstead, a Republican running in District D, said the city needs to evaluate the “true economic impact” of the proposal. Robinson & Cole LLP, a law firm recently hired by the city, will evaluate the plan, he said.

The council also needs to ensure developers are held accountable, some candidates said.

Though much attention has been paid to three large redevelopment projects in downtown Norwalk, McQuaid said, city officials should ensure condominium development projects in suburban neighborhoods are subject to equal scrutiny.

Pointing to a controversial condo project on Stuart Avenue, he said such developments are “hit and run” and “no good for the city.” Department heads “need to hold their feet to the fire,” he said.

Because much of the city’s redevelopment will be near downtown, said Laurel Lindstrom, a Democrat running in District C, the city’s suburban neighborhoods will likely see less of the kinds of development projects described by McQuaid.

Every candidate said area flooding problems need to be addressed.

“It’s been a problem forever,” said Steven Serasis, a Democrat running in District A, recounting how he had to reconstruct his front yard to keep his house from flooding.

Wall said the city should resurrect the Flood Control and Erosion Board, a group she said was abandoned by the city. Such a group could apply for flood funds through the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Geake said he has a plan to fix flooding without raising taxes, while Hempstead said a $56 million, five-year plan is in place to address flooding.

The problem, he said, is how the plan is prioritized in the city budget and whether the city can afford it. The flood control board discussed by Wall could tax residents who have problems, he said.

Many candidates said the police department needs to beef up its staff, while others suggested creating a citywide traffic management plan. The city also should improve its databases so departments can communicate better with one another, Lindstrom said.