Mayor William Dickinson won’t seek 21st term

WALLINGFORD — Republican Mayor William Dickinson said his 40th year as mayor will be his last.

Dickinson said that every election year he determines whether he has the ability and willingness to serve for another two years. Facing a 21st term, he said he decided the answer for the first time in 40 years was no.

“It’s a two-year term and I believe that if I run for that office I’m prepared to devote my energies and time to the town’s business for two years. I find at this time I just cannot commit to two years,” he said.

Dickinson said that, following a 40-year career as mayor, he “can’t point to one thing or another” as his fondest memory, but he was appreciative of the time and effort all municipal leaders put into the job.

“It’s a very challenging, meaningful role that the mayor or first selectman or anyone in town government is asked to play. It’s a role that affects many people, who decides how to spend public money — which is a major responsibility by itself, making sure you’re spending money for worthwhile purposes and at the same time asking people to pay their money in taxes and they’re trusting it’ll be spent properly in the public good,” he said. “It’s work that is challenging but interesting.”

Although submitting a balanced budget annually that provides the public services residents expect has been Dickinson’s charge for 40 years, he said his successor will be challenged with what he sees as a relatively new emerging trend: an increased difficulty in attracting and retaining city employees who are willing to work for the schools district and the police and fire service.

“The number of applicants has dropped considerably,” he said.

Overall, Dickinson said it has been an honor to be the town’s mayor.

“I’m certainly very thankful and appreciative of the people of Wallingford who have supported my efforts to be elected in election years. They were trusting and certainly I hope I lived up to their willingness to have me make decisions and encourage and help guide the town through difficult and easier times,” he said. “It’s never easy, but there’s difficult and less difficult times.”

Local officials expressed thankfulness for Dickinson’s tenure at the town’s helm.

“The mayor has proudly represented our town for many years,” said state Rep. Craig Fishbein, RWallingford. “His legacy will live on for a long time. I am sure the decision was a hard one.”

Fishbein said it’s “undeniable given the longevity of his term” that Dickinson has left an impact on the town. Fishbein said he would await information about all of the candidates running in the 2023 election before making any endorsements.

According to the Wallingford town clerk’s office, the only declared candidate as of Friday morning was Riley O’Connell, a Democrat. O’Connell did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.

State Rep. Mary Mushinsky, D-Wallingford, said Dickinson was “an admirable person to work with.”

“He has always been honest and polite and an easy person to work with even when we disagreed on policy, which we did a few times, but he’s always been a gentleman,” she said. “I’ve never had to worry about Wallingford’s finances at all. There’s some towns, like West Haven, where people don’t have a good grasp of the finances of the town and in some towns you even have corruption. In this town, I’ve never had to worry about any of that because there’s been an honest person running the town.”

Mushinsky said that if she had any predictions for the future of the town it would be that its services would be modernized and made more accessible online.

“There will likely be changes to technology and internet services, because that wasn’t high on his list,” she said. “Some of the other towns have moved to more web-based services and more use of computer services, so I would expect that would happen with whoever is the next mayor.”

Mushinsky said public servants often give up their full time, including weekends and nights, for the job, which Dickinson has done for 40 years.

“It means he hasn’t had time really to visit people or travel or do any of those things, and I’m happy for him that he gets to do that now and see the world,” she said.

Town Councilor Jason Zandri, a Democrat, said Dickinson had been a “dedicated civil servant” and cited Dickinson’s longevity in the role as evidence that he remained in touch with the residents of the town throughout his tenure.

“It’s a testament to how he went about his responsibilities,” he said.

Zandri said he expects that if Dickinson’s decision not to seek another term has any impact on the town politically, it may be that there’s more excitement. He said he believes Dickinson’s townwide popularity has led to low turnout in elections.

“I don’t know how many newcomers may want to show an interest to running for office,” he said.

In a statement, state Sen. Paul Cicarella, RNorth Haven, thanked Dickinson for his years of service.

“A forty-year career in public service is remarkable. Thank you to Mayor Dickinson for his dedication to the people of Wallingford. Mayor Dickinson is an example of the true impact that one can have on their community as a public servant. It has been a pleasure working with him and I wish him all the best as he begins his next chapter,” he said.

Dickinson Jr.