Rilling's 21st Century Vision for SoNo

On Friday, Democratic mayoral candidate Harry Rilling announced a plan which he said will "breathe new life into South Norwalk."

Rilling said his first step would be to partner with small businesses. “As mayor I will have an open and consistent line of communication with the SoNo business owners,” Rilling said in a release. “That’s how a mayor finds out what needs to happen.”

Rilling said his second step would be to set up a South Norwalk task force made of stakeholders, business owners and residents. The goal of the task force will be to to find 21st century solutions to parking, dirty and broken streets and sidewalks, street lighting, way finding advisories, marketing & events, and utilization of resources. 

“Businesses and residents continuously complain about confusing and inadequate parking,” said Rilling in the release. “This is reducing foot traffic, visitors, and business profits.” 

The concerns about lighting will also be addressed by the task force. “Many streets are poorly lit and are unwelcoming and unsafe for pedestrians,” said Rilling.