Mayor-elect gears up for Norwich post

Norwich - His house phone rang every few minutes, and the slowly recharging cell phone had a dozen messages.

One reporter was at the door and a few minutes later another was on the phone requesting a TV interview. State Sen. Edith Prague, D-Columbia, called to congratulate him.

That was all by 9:30 a.m. at the Broad Street home of the newly elected mayor, Republican Peter Nystrom. By 11 a.m., Nystrom was sharply dressed and at City Hall, where following a TV interview he met with current Mayor Benjamin Lathrop, who will retire later this month.

"The next few days will be a fast track with Ben to learn what he was working on," Nystrom said. Lathrop said he planned to invite Nystrom to meetings and show him files on ongoing projects and some that have stalled and might need revisiting.

Nystrom, 52, easily defeated three other mayoral candidates, Aldermen Robert Zarnetske, Mark Bettencourt and Joseph Radecki, to win the four-year position. During the campaign, Nystrom talked about his priorities - to redevelop vacant buildings and old mills and to promote Norwich Public Utilities as a development tool.

He wants to renew Lathrop's effort to contact the owners of the nearly vacant Norwichtown Mall.

"Why can't we, a city of 36,000, have retail development?" Nystrom said, repeating a question he said he heard frequently on the campaign trail.

The current mayor and City Council, where Nystrom sits as an alderman, will consider whether the city should take ownership of the former Norwich Hospital property in the next few weeks.

The Norwich Hospital Site Development Committee scheduled a public workshop for Monday at 5:30 p.m. in Council Chambers with current and incoming council members invited. The study committee will give its report on benefits and risks of taking the property.

Nystrom will preside over a council that features three new members and three incumbents, including himself. He already predicted a good working relationship among the members. Newcomer Republican Laurie Glenney Popovich graduated from NFA with Nystrom, and the two campaigned extensively together. Democrat H. Tucker Braddock, former owner of A.P. Savage Supply, "was my hardware guy," Nystrom said. Democrat Deberey Hinchey was the top vote-getter Tuesday night, surpassing Nystrom.

"I don't think there's going to be any problems working with Peter," Hinchey said. "He is a dedicated guy who has the best interest of the city in mind. When I was out talking to people, the voters were really insistent that the City Council work together."

The charter allows the mayor to appoint an economic development assistant. Nystrom said he would not seek to hire someone under a tight budget. He wants to discuss the position with Peter Davis, director of planning and development, who now serves as Lathrop's economic development assistant.

Davis on Wednesday described the position as an economic development ombudsman, who joins a conversation between the mayor and a prospective developer or business owner and helps steer the parties through regulatory, zoning and possibly state permit processes.

One of Nystrom's first tasks will be to set his own schedule. A driver for UPS, Nystrom said he will shift his work schedule to start at 4:30 a.m. to allow him to return to City Hall for afternoon and evening hours. He plans monthly office hours at locations to be rotated throughout the city, and also plans Saturday office hours.

"It's fine to be at City Hall, but I think we need to get out into the community," Nystrom said.

c.bessette@theday.com