After 12 years in office, Waterbury Mayor Neil O’Leary decided not to seek another term. He said the city is in good shape and he wants to spend more time with family and friends.
Two Waterbury natives are vying for the open seat.
“I grew up in Town Plot, attended local schools,” Democratic mayoral candidate Paul Pernerewski said.
“My family has been in Waterbury for 116 years, we have had a funeral home on Willow Street,” Republican mayoral candidate Dawn Maiorano said.
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In addition to Pernerewski and Maiorano, there are two petitioning candidates on the ballot for the general election - Keisha Gilliams and Karen Jackson.
Mayor O’Leary endorsed Pernerewski and said:
"Paul has been elected to the Waterbury Board of Aldermen for 22 consecutive years and has been a part of every major decision in this city. He brought back fiscal stability to our city and residents. He treated our employees with the respect they deserve, and as a direct result of his leadership on the Board of Aldermen, the city now has the highest bond rating in the city’s history."
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“My hope is that I decided to run for mayor with the idea that we would continue that progress here in the city and continue moving the city forward,” Pernerewski said.
Both candidates have a vision to revitalize the downtown area, bring in new developers and create more jobs and housing.
“We are right on the intersection of Route 8 and [Interstate] 84. We should be the hustling and bustling center of our area of the state, and we are not,” Maiorano said.
Maiorano is a fourth-generation funeral director with a background in marketing. If elected Mayor, she would be the first female to hold that position in the city. Maiorano said it’s time for fresh ideas.
“It’s time for business-minded leadership and for marketing leadership and it's time to get the city moving in the right direction,” Maiorano said.
On law enforcement, both candidates discussed hiring more police officers. There are currently 29 vacancies in the Waterbury Police Department.
"Our police force is some of the best men and women in the state, probably in the country, but you know we have to have them fully staffed. Not just to fight crime, but in order to staff the diversionary programs for the youth," Maiorano said.
According to the police department, there has been an increase in murders and robberies from 2022. Pernerewski said he plans to continue conversations with state and federal partners regarding repeat offenders.
"80% of the crime is committed by 20% of the perpetrators and we are finding the issue here is between juveniles and even adult offenders on pretrial release are committing most of the crimes, it’s like a revolving door and that is going to require some changes on state law," Pernerewski said.
