Mayor Rilling raises $87,000 for reelection
Council member John Kydes to decide on mayoral run in May
NORWALK — Mayor Harry Rilling has raised more than $87,000 toward his reelection campaign, while Common Council member John Kydes, who has announced the formation of an exploratory committee for a potential mayoral run, has raised more than $15,000 so far.
Rilling’s total of $87,430 was raised from 246 donors, the majority of whom are individual Norwalk residents, according to his campaign
spokesperson, Lauren Gray. About $70,000 of the sum was received from individuals, while $7,500 came from other committees, according to the campaign finance disclosure statement.
“Mayor Harry Rilling continues to talk to voters and it’s clear they want experienced leadership to help Norwalk recover from the pandemic,” Gray said.
Rilling expressed gratitude particularly to the workers and labor unions that monetarily supported him.
“As we emerge from the pandemic we remain optimistic for the future of Norwalk,” Rilling said. “I am thankful for the continued support of so many Norwalkers across the entire city. I also remain proud to have the support of working families and labor unions such as the Fairfield County Building Trades, carpenters, plumbers and pipefitters, electricians, roofers, bricklayers, laborers, telecommunications workers and firefighters.”
First elected in 2013, Rilling is running for his fifth term as Norwalk mayor.
Kydes, who announced the formation of an exploratory committee for a potential mayoral run in December, has raised more than $15,000 in the committee’s first quarter, which ended April 1, Kydes mayoral
team announced in a statement.
The maximum individual donations for an exploratory committee cannot exceed $375.
“The feedback and donations have exceeded my expectations,” Kydes said. “We wanted this to be a grassroots fundraising campaign and we have achieved that goal.”
Kydes has not announced whether he intends to run for mayor this election season, but said he plans to announce the decision in May.
“I will spend the next few weeks working on my exploratory committee for mayor and helping my community get through this pandemic with my work on the council,” Kydes said.
Kydes, a Democrat, is in his fourth term representing District C on the Common Council and was recently elected majority leader. He is also chair of the Planning Committee.
In looking to run, he said he hopes to keep taxes low while maintaining public amenities and high-quality public schools. Kydes is also focused on how the city will recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I have no doubt that Norwalk will come out of this pandemic stronger and better than before,” Kydes said. “We have a lot of work to do but I am ready for that challenge.”