Former Common Council Member Announces Candidacy For Norwalk Mayor

NORWALK, CT — John Kydes, a former longtime member of the city's Common Council, announced Wednesday his candidacy for mayor of Norwalk.

In a campaign announcement, Kydes said he had secured the signatures needed to be on the ballot for mayor this fall.

Kydes served on the Common Council from 2013 to 2023, during which he held the position of majority leader three times and led the council for one term as council president, according to the announcement.

Kydes' candidacy announcement comes after Mayor Harry Rilling confirmed back in March he will not seek reelection this fall after leading the city of Norwalk for 12 years.

"Local elections affect your day-to-day far more than national elections," Kydes said in the announcement. "Take the time [to] vote on Nov. 4."

Kydes, who identified as a Democrat during his time as a council member, noted he will be running for mayor as a petitioning candidate.

He also noted he has seen how political fundraising has shaped Norwalk during his time on the council.

"I will be self-funding my own campaign because I don't want to owe anyone but the Norwalk voter," Kydes said.

Kydes listed planning, education, taxes and City Hall reorganization as key issues in the city he hopes to address if elected.

"Development has not lowered property taxes as promised, it's only increased traffic," Kydes said. "The reason for Norwalk's development boom is loose zoning regulations and tax incentive programs called Opportunity and Enterprise Zones. If elected, I will immediately remove all tax incentive programs and implement a precise zoning plan that gives Norwalk what it wants rather than what a developer needs to make money. I never want to see Norwalk as overdeveloped as Stamford, but we need to act now before it's too late."

He also noted his first act as mayor would involve department reorganization at City Hall.

"The current structure has added levels of bureaucracy that separates the mayor from day-to-day operations and created a disconnect between departments," Kydes said. "I believe the mayor can be more than a ceremonial position and I'm ready to do the work."