NORWALK, Conn. It is critical that Mayor Richard Moccia get involved in the dialogue of job creation, according to Andy Garfunkel, town clerk and Democratic candidate for mayor. Garfunkel said in a statement, "Moccia needs to be proactive on creating jobs in Norwalk and avoid another six years of reliance on raising property taxes to fund economic development."
Garfunkel said, "With the recent observation by Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Catherine Smith, Norwalkers should be concerned about development plans that do not address economic development issues like job creation.
"Nancy DiNardo, chairwoman of the Connecticut Democratic Party, reminded Congressman John Larson (D-1) and the Connecticut delegation that President Obama's American Jobs Act will have an important impact on Connecticut.
"DiNardo cites:
5,300 local construction jobs
3,800 educator and first responder jobs
2,400 jobs through local school improvement projects
1,300 adult and 5,200 youth jobs through Pathways Back to Work
"It's time for Norwalk to focus on creating jobs through the many development initiatives in progress. This means working with our Norwalk delegation to ensure that money targeted for job creation reaches Norwalk.
"Taxpayers in Norwalk have supported local school improvement projects, but the job is not done. Schools like Jefferson could use federal local school improvement dollars to complete the work that has stalled under the current administration.
"Our police and fire departments could more opportunities to support increasing patrols and community outreach. Our youth represent the biggest challenge for job creation in Norwalk. Any help to put programs back in place such as Norwalk's weed and seed program is a good start. I urge the Mayor to pick up the phone and meet with the Norwalk delegation immediately.
"Mayor Moccia has not called a meeting to discuss economic development and job growth with the Norwalk delegation for over four years. Too often, Dick Moccia has waited until after-the-fact to get involved, and our local economy has suffered as a result."
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