Three positions for ward alderman open in the city

NORWICH – In less than one month, elections will be held throughout the county, and among the choices on the ballot this year, Norwich City residents will see three candidates for the three open alderman positions in the city.

The City of Norwich Common Council could see two new faces this year as positions in the first and third ward open up. Current First Ward Alderman A. Anthony Abraham and Third Ward Alderwoman Suzanne Williams will not seek re-election. Attempting to fill the positions are Republican candidates Bob Carey and John Deierlein.

Carey, an employee at Mang Insurance, has lived in Norwich with his wife and three children since 1998. “I always wanted to get involved with local government, and now that my children are off to college, I felt that it was the time to get involved,” Carey said.

Carey will be running for Abraham’s First Ward position. Carey describes himself as a “conservative to moderate Republican,” and said that he is very interested in fiscal responsibility, the rights of the taxpayers and the overall safety of the community. “There are a lot of financial problems I feel I can help with,” Carey said.

Carey explained that the city is burdened by many long-term issues, like the fact that Norwich houses most of the large tax-free properties in the county, such as the schools, hospital and non-profit organizations. “That creates a situation that makes it difficult for the city to run on the limited tax base,” Carey said. He hopes to better the existing situation through financial management.