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NORWALK, Conn. – Mayor Richard Moccia refused to answer a question at a candidates forum last week. "I found it offensive," he said.
The question, asked at a League of Women Voter's mayoral debate Thursday, was: "What kind of background checks should be required for bidders on city contracts? For example, checking for connections with organized crime."
"How does that play into what we've done?" Moccia asked later. "It's never been brought up here. What's the basis for that question?"
Democratic challenger Andy Garfunkel answered first and said that he thought research should be done whenever a company is selected for a contract, a 30-second response. Moccia, the Republican incumbent, used even less time. He said the question was outrageous, and he wouldn't go there.
Both answers are shown in the video above.
"I'm not a sensitive person, but I think I know where they're going with that because the next connection was that because I am Italian that I must have connections with organized crime," he said Friday. "The question had no basis in fact, no basis in this campaign."
Moccia said on Thursday, "I know who asked that question." On Friday he said he thought the debate screeners should not have allowed the question and wondered why it had been asked.
Dianne Lauricella, who organized the debate with other league members, said "four excellent people" had screened the questions, including two former council members — a Republican and a Democrat — as well as two unaffiliated people — a church leader and a neighborhood leader. Lauricella was not part of the screening committee and said the volunteers were selected because they were "neutral" and hadn't endorsed anyone running for office. Criteria included no personal attacks. "We had a pile of rejected questions," she said.
"The screening committee felt it was not a personal attack, and I don't think it was meant to be," she said, adding that moderator Catherine Sturgess of Wilton had the option to reject any question. "She is a neutral party, and she felt that it was a reasonable question, because, although they didn't spell it out, we do go for waste contracts, and like it or not – I am an Italian myself – there is still an issue with the potential of organized crime related to things."
Lauricella, an environmental consultant, said the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection asks an extended list of questions on applications for waste permits, looking for ties to organized crime.
"I'm Italian and I wasn't offended by the question," she said, adding that many ethnic groups are associated with organized crime.
The Moccia campaign received $1,000 contributions each from the president of City Carting, its owner and a sales executive. A reader of The Daily Norwalk provided a link to a July 9, 2004, article in The Journal News of Westchester County, N.Y., saying that City Carting had had problems in the past with legislators who suspected it had a tie to organized crime. The article stated City Carting was given a five-year, $85 million contract after it replaced two men, hired to run the contract, who were suspected of having ties to organized crime.
"City Carting does business all over the state," Moccia said, adding that the company was already collecting Norwalk's garbage when he became mayor six years ago.
Lauricella said she thought she knew who submitted the question and thought it wasn't personal. Moccia disagreed. "This came out of nowhere because of a personal vendetta," he said, adding that there was an implied meaning. "We all know what we're talking about. They happen to be Italian Americans, is that it? Maybe the FBI looked at one guy 20 years ago. The question is, has anybody been indicted and convicted? I haven't seen it.
"I don't think it's an issue in the campaign and I still say it's a code word and we know where everybody is going with it."
Comments (10)
Now here’s a guy who’s a transplant from Stamford. He gets elected because the city unions hated the previous mayor. He paid nothing to Norwalk as far as property taxes - he owned a beat up old car and "rented" housing. 4 wives later, he’s living large on the taxpayer nickel and gets offended when asked about investigating bidders on taxpayer subsidized contracts? Time to go, Dick !!!
The Mayor believes he knows where that question came from. I submitted a similar question, but the one used was not mine. Our concern for City government doing business with organised crime is not part of a vendetta, but a legitimate concern for where that can so easily take us and our elected officials.
New York State has a law REQUIRING a real effort to screen "connected" bidders out of the process when government contracts are being signed. Senator Blumenthal tried, unsuccessfully, to get similar legislation passed in CT, when he was attorney general.
A number of people were convicted on federal racketeering charges with James Galante who owned a lot of garbage businesses, serving Connecticut and parts of N.Y state. The people convicted were not all people you would expect to be engaged in racketeering, but many were "followers" caught up in the wealth Galante achieved, in part because he had the backing of major Organised crime figures and paid "tribute" for permission to use their names when he felt it might help his businesses.
It is OUR money being spent when the City enters into contracts. I am OFFENDED when a candidate REFUSES to answer a simple question about how carefully that money will be spent.
TIME FOR A CHANGE
This is so typical of Moccia's arrogance...
The mayor has a history of saying that he does not want to hear people complaining, check the past whether it was a storm or an incident the mayor consistently responds by saying he is sick and tired of people complaining....ITS YOUR JOB TO HEAR US MR MAYOR. After this, there is no question in my mind that he knows he is going to lose. WHY IS HE GOING TO LOSE? Because he is sick and tired of his job. TIME FOR A CHANGE TIME FOR A CHANGE TIME FOR HIM TO GET THE HELL OUT.
Hm...maybe hes "offended" because he took money from city carting, whos owner...well someone should look into him if they already do not know his past
How could he answer the question? He got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Best he could do was feign indignation and nobody's buying it.
I'm offended. That he didn't answer the question.
The mayor should not be taking $3,000 in campaign contributions from companies having business with the city. The fact that they have links to organized crime just adds insult to injury. Especially at a time when he has plans to fully outsource rubbish collection. He should return the money immediately and disqualify them from bidding on the outsourced trash collection......or he should withdraw from the race.
Why not just answer the question? Taxpayers in Norwalk are entitled to be concerned about corruption. If the Mayor's offended, then he has a reason to be. And it's not that he's Italian.
MOCICA stated "I found it offensive," ..I wonder why?