Jay Gelfond and Peter Nystrom Debate: Downtown Revitalization

Jay Gelfond and Peter Nystrom Debate: Downtown Revitalization

The candidates for next weeks special Norwich City Council election differed the most on budget priorities during a forum Wednesday night.

Veteran Republican Peter Nystrom and unaffiliated political novice Jay Gelfond were hosted at the Salvation Army building by the NAACP and Norwich Bully-Busters, the first and possibly last meeting before Tuesdays election.

Most questions related to the budget, education funding and economic development.
City Manager Alan Bergrens proposal to flat-fund the Board of Education next year was the source of first disagreement.

I am definitely totally against flat funding, Gelfond said, saying he would see where else in the budget they could find money to support the boards increase.

Nystrom said he would ask Norwich Free Academy to reconsider the 2.5 percent tuition increase it passed in the winter.

Nystrom said his main concern is city jobs and taxes.

Going door-to-door, people are very concerned about the mill rate, he said.

Nystrom said the councils primary objective this year is averting as many layoffs as possible.

Gelfond, whose background includes real estate appraisal, said encouraging home ownership is a key to expanding economic development. He said there is a need to have business in the downtown to counter a large number of social service operations, such as the homeless shelter and the soup kitchen. He said parking must be improved downtown to attract businesses.

Nystrom said an energy incentives and a land value tax, which defers taxes on improvements to commercial property, could encourage private investment on the Main Street corridor.

Both men oppose residential development on the 61 acres of the former Norwich Hospital property, and said the YMCA in its current incarnation will not likely survive. Both oppose locating the intermodal transportation center on Hollyhock Island, with Nystrom saying it should be moved back to the Viaduct area.

Nystrom said he will vote on the 2009-10 budget when it is presented, and win or lose on Tuesday will run for the council in November. Gelfond said he may seek to recuse himself from a budget vote if he does not feel he is sufficiently up to speed on it.

If you vote Polling places for Tuesdays election:

Precincts 1 and 3: Knights of Columbus, 47 S. Second Ave.

Precincts 2-01 and 2-02: Senior Center, 8 Mahan Drive

Precincts 5, 6 and 7: Veterans School, 80 Crouch Ave. (a new site)

Precincts 8, 9 and 10: John B. Stanton School, 386 New London Turnpike

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. All registered voters are eligible to take part.

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