Election 2023: New London mayoral race a three-way battle

New London – This election cycle's mayoral race is pitting a twice-elected incumbent Democrat against a Republican native whose family came to the city in the 1800s and a third-party candidate hoping to upset the status quo.PasseroMichael Passero, a former labor lawyer who served three terms on the City Council before being elected mayor in 2015, handily won re-election in 2019, defeating Republican and Green Party challengers with 54% of the vote.Passero, a 67-year-old Democrat cross-endorsed by the Working Families Party, said he initially had no burning desire to enter politics."I had a pretty good life and had no aspirations to be an elected official; I was kind of dragged onto the (City Council) unwillingly, but I made that commitment," he said.Passero said investments his administration previously made to address infrastructure, housing and crime are paying dividends. He pointed to the city's healthy fund balance and a continued downward trend in tax increases as proof his polices are working."Public safety is still an issue, and we've been working to rebuild our police department since 2020," he said, referencing the year of George Floyd was murdered by Minnesota police and the subsequent nationwide calls to defund police agencies.Passero said the city has been a leader in stormwater and lead-line water utility upgrades and a decades-long exodus of residents and businesses from the downtown area has come "full-circle.""We've gotten over our hump and seeing those storefronts refilling," he said. "(Apartment) units are rented even before certificates of occupancy are approved. This is a healthy, vibrant city, an urban center for a large metropolitan area."Passero cited the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut's return to New London after years in Waterford as proof of the city's success. He said his proudest accomplishment is getting construction of a new $40 million community center underway."That is going to be transformative, offering amenities that have been lacking for too long here," he said. "We've raised the profile and prestige of this city." CarterBeloved Carter, a former pastry chef and retired director of the New London Breakfast Program, whose great-grandfather arrived in New London 160 years ago, was tapped by the Republican Town Committee in July as its candidate for the city's top office.Carter, 72, who has never held elective office, said she was motivated to run out of a deep affection for the city and her worries about its direction. She said high taxes, an "out of control" housing market and downtown crime are issues residents have raised with her."My daughter said she can't afford to live here, so I might be looking at saying good-bye to my children and grandchildren because we're not taking care of our city first," Carter said.She said the city should be working to protect the rights of renters and landlords and questioned the city's offering of tax breaks to developers of "luxury housing.""Why?" Carter asked. "What about the families in New London? We're a depressed community where people are in many cases one paycheck away from homelessness." If elected, Carter vowed to be a collaborator and work with various departments to "insure a homogeneous community.""I will insist on transparency in local city government: line item budgets, transparent agendas, no rubber stamping and a balanced bipartisan rule," she said, adding it was time to "unite our beloved New London." LongLeon Richard Long, the 41-year-old promotions director at Cumulus Media New London, is making his second bid for office under the Green Party banner. He made an unsuccessful run for City Council in 2021.Despite not holding any previous municipal office, Long, co-chairman of the New London Arts Council, said he's spent years connecting with a bevy of state, local and federal officials as part of his push to promote the city's arts profile."I have been able to see just how reliant New London is on the arts to drive our economy," he said. "Still, we have leadership that can't seem to figure out how to maximize our arts community. I can do that.Long dismissed Passero's tenure as one that leaves "the average New Londoner" behind."Instead, his plans to build apartments for (Electric Boat) employees to occupy are already causing rents to rise for residents who have been here," he said. "There was never a plan to seriously address our empty downtown shopfronts and now there is an influx of new residents coming into our city at a time we are seeing some of our art galleries and restaurants going out of business."Long said he'd end plans for an incoming apartment complex on the Fort Trumbull peninsula; introduce shared retail space and programs to move at-home business into downtown brick-and-mortar spaces; and "force" the city government to encourage civic engagement.He said only a small percentage of registered city voters head to the polls on Election Day."The other 80% of voters that feel disenfranchised and disrespected have the power to unseat the incumbents that have been ignoring them," he said. j.penney@theday.com