City faces choices in two key races Tuesday

NORWICH – Although there are several candidates for City of Norwich government positions on the ballot this year, most of the candidates are running unopposed, leaving only the candidates for Mayor and City Supervisor of Wards 1,2 and 3 battling for the open slots.

Tomorrow, city residents will have the chance to determine which candidates will play a role in the future of the City of Norwich. Incumbent Mayor Joseph Maiurano will run on the Republican ticket, while Michael Carnrike will challenge him on the Democratic ticket.

“I’m ready to give the people a choice, and I’m ready to go to work for them if they choose me as their next mayor,” Carnrike said. Citing the difficulties Norwich has seen in recent years, Carnrike explained that the city needs to move forward. “We’re going to have to move the city forward in any direction that we can,” he said.

If elected, Carnrike said the first thing he would like to do is look at the possible merger between the Town and City of Norwich and determine if it is beneficial for all. “The merger is a big issue, and if we’re going to go forward with it, it has to be beneficial to all, but we can’t just dismiss it immediately. We need to look at the long-term plan,” Carnrike said.

The Democratic candidate explained that the problems the city is facing today are different than the problems faced in the past, but, he said, they are not insurmountable. “We have to think new, or we’ll end up in the same state as the rest of upstate New York,” Carnrike said. “Utopia is not there unless we make it happen, and to do that we have to work together no matter who is elected,” Carnrike said.

The incumbent mayor said he is feeling good about his campaign and his tenure as the City of Norwich Mayor. “I feel we’ve done a good job. I’ve made a lot of contacts and the city is moving in the right direction,” Maiurano said. The current mayor, who was elected last November, said he took pride in the open nature of the city government. “We try to involve everybody,” Maiurano said, explaining that city residents can call the mayor directly to discuss their problems or concerns, and that his office is always open to hearing their suggestions.

“People know what I’ve done,” said Maiurano. “I hope they would vote for me to continue the work I’ve begun.” The mayor explained that in the past, the city struggled with councils that didn’t work well together and spent too much time on petty subjects, leaving other matters to fall through the cracks. “The city is now working at a positive level. We found so many things that were not getting done because in the past, because too much time was spent on petty things, but little by little we’re getting those things done,” Maiurano said. “We’re moving forward and cleaning up the city.”