NOAH LEVINE

A speaker talks with Middletown residents at the Democratic convention.

By Sudhin Thanawala
News Editor

Middletown’s two main mayoral candidates, incumbent Democrat Domenique Thornton and Republican Evelyn Russo, square off at the polls today after a quiet campaign.

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wesleyan student can vote at the Senior Center on Williams Street.

The hospitalization of Republican candidate Evelyn Russo on Oct. 16 for viral bronchial asthma impeded her campaign, according to Stephen Gionfriddo, the Middletown council’s Republican minority leader.

Russo, who was recovering at home, said she still had difficulty breathing due to her illness.

Republican Campaign Coordinator Joseph Milardo spoke on her behalf.

"Tax increases over the last six years have outpaced inflation by over 18 percent," Milardo said.

Milardo said Thornton has used much of the revenue from tax increases to reward friends and supporters with city jobs instead of improving social services.

According to Thornton, the value of city properties dropped precipitously after a recent reevaluation. Up until then, property values were based on assessments made in the late 1980s, at the peak of the real estate boom.

The loss in tax revenue from the decrease in property values forced the tax rate increases, Thornton said.

She added that Republicans on the Common Council overwhelmingly approved the last city budget, which included tax increases. The budget passed by a margin of 11-1.

Milardo also criticized Thornton’s decision-making style.

"She’s not very forthcoming with what she’s doing," Milardo said.

He pointed to Thornton’s dealings with Governor John G. Rowland during the debate to move the Long Lane school. Milardo said he thought Thornton did not push hard enough to have the facility removed from Middletown.

Long Lane, the state’s only juvenile detention facility, is currently located next to Freeman Athletic Center.

The state legislature voted to move the school adjacent to Connecticut Valley Hospital (CVH), selling the existing property to Wesleyan for $15 million.

Thornton broke a 6-6 tie reached by the Middletown Common Council to recommend that Long Lane be moved next to the CVH, a mental institution located in the southern section of Middletown.

The decision angered residents on the south side of the city, who said they were already burdened by several mental institutions.

"I think the whole Long Lane issue could have been handled differently, if we had had some discussion that included people early on," Gionfriddo said.

Thornton defended her actions, saying the issue was too divisive for a consensus to ever be reached. Moreover, the state had already made it clear that Long Lane would remain in Middletown.

Thornton said the highlight of her term in office has been the economic revitalization of Main Street, with the addition of several new restaurants and Destinta Theaters in Metro Square.

Milardo, however, criticized Thornton for failing to attract higher-paying, industrial sector jobs.

But Thornton pointed to companies like Aerospace Techniques and Sommerset Plastics, among others, which have come to Middletown during her term.

As for Wesleyan, Thornton said she will continue her monthly meetings with the Administration to further develop Middletown’s relationship with the University.

Milardo said Russo, too, views Wesleyan as a part of the Middletown community.