It's a 'new season' for NL City Council

New London - The three highest vote-getters in Tuesday's election are setting an agenda for the next two years that they say will focus on issues and not political gains.

Rob Pero and Adam Sprecace, two of three Republicans elected to the City Council in this predominantly Democratic city, want the new council to bring development to Fort Trumbull, hire a new city manager, revise the City Charter, address the homelessness issue and improve relations with the Board of Education.

John Russell, the first Green Party candidate elected to the council, is looking for a group that will work to improve the city, not someone's political career.

It's a tall order for a council made up of three Republicans, three Democrats and one member of the Green Party.

"It's day one, or the first day of school, or the new season of a baseball team or a football team, however you want to put it,'' said Pero. "We have to take whatever issues we've had in the past and put them behind us.''

Pero, a 14-year veteran of the council who will most likely be elected the city's ceremonial mayor by fellow councilors at the first meeting in December, said he will be looking for consensus from his peers.

"I'm not into majority rule,'' said Pero, who, if elected mayor, will be the first Republican in the position in 20 years. "I'm not into building a party. We're here for the city."

Sprecace, who earned the second-highest number of votes, said Wednesday that when he was first elected two years ago, he had a vision. Now he wants to help make that vision a reality.

"In my eyes, we have to sit down with stakeholders and identify changes that can bring New London forward,'' he said.

Both men agree that searching for a new city manager, establishing a Charter Revision Commission to update the city's governing document and looking again at the Fort Trumbull Municipal Plan of Development are some of the top priorities. They also would like to work more closely with the school board to save taxpayer money and improve the city's education system.

Russell, who was the third-highest vote-getter, said he's looking forward to working with a council that does not have a majority vote.

"I don't have any special interests pushing me one way or the other,'' he said Wednesday, adding that he hopes to be a unifying force. "The city, especially over the last year or two, has been damaged by a lot of divisiveness. Instead of everyone getting mad and taking a personal interest in things, we're going to transcend that stuff.

"This is not about you or me. It's about the city."

Russell, who was elected to his first term, said he plans to focus on drawing more business to downtown and improving schools to attract families. He said he also will continue to help the homeless.

"Some think my penchant for working with the homeless will have the city filled with homeless,'' he said. "That's just not the case."

In collaboration with the Homeless Hospitality Center, Russell opened the Homeward Bound Treasures Thrift Shop, which filled a vacant downtown storefront, created six jobs and put three former homeless people into apartments. The store pays sales, payroll and property taxes.

"Little organic grass-roots ideas can work,'' he said.

k.edgecomb@theday.com