New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Shelton mayor seeking 16th term
SHELTON — Thirty years has not diluted Mark Lauretti’s enthusiasm for running the city — so it comes as no surprise that he’s filed his campaign paperwork, officially seeking a 16th term as the city’s top executive this November.
“These are exciting times,” Lauretti said about his decision to seek reelection. “I’m not planning to go anywhere.”
Lauretti cited recent positive press to prove his ability to run the city well: the federal government awarded the city $2 million to clean up the recently burned Star Pin factory building; The New York Times wrote about the city’s growth; and several out-of-state companies are planning to move to Shelton bringing 300 jobs.
The mayor was first elected in 1991 to face a city with $28 million in debt. He says he has spent his most recent years watching over strong grand list growth, which in turn has allowed him to keep taxes low. Lauretti’s proposed 2021-22 budget calls for a 1.74 percent reduction in the mill rate.
Three decades of decisions affecting the city’s present and future growth have proven his ability, he said.
“I love being right,” Lauretti. “If I find I am not right about something, I change it really quick. I make decisions on what’s best for the city. I do not worry about headlines in newspapers.”
While Lauretti touts his successes, critics charge the longtime mayor with consolidating control, limiting transparency in budget decisions, failing to properly fund the education budget and mismanaging the city-run student transportation service. “The charter gives the mayor all the control,” Lauretti said. “All the scrutiny I have gotten over 30 years … with the results I’ve delivered. It is unfair. People are out of line. How can you criticize the results? It’s personal, that’s all it is.”
Lauretti noted long-term projects such as continued redevelopment along Canal Street and the potential development of a manufacturing hub on the city-owned Mas property remain in play. But he says the daily needs of the city “never ends.
“Sewers, roads, buildings need to be repaired, always,” Lauretti said. “But I like to go to work every day. I’m good at my job, and the results have been incredible. We’ve changed a city in Connecticut. We’ve changed an old, bluecollar city into a corporate employment hub. And now we will have a corporate manufacturing park.”
Lauretti said he sees further investment in downtown including a long-discussed parking garage. There is “plenty” of downtown parking, he said, but if a plan — perhaps a partnership with the private sector — makes sense, he will act.
“Affordability, predictability and our quality of life,” Lauretti said. “It’s tough to top all of that. People need consistency, whether it is a business that wants to grow or relocate, or a senior citizen living on a fixed income, predictability is important. That is what we have brought for 30 years.”
“I love being right. If I find I am not right about something, I change it really quick. I make decisions on what’s best for the city. I do not worry about headlines in newspapers.”
Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti