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New Broom Sweeps Clean
Meriden's Benigni thinks his independent streak will rub businesses the right way
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Business New Haven
4/29/2002
By: BNH
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Mark D. Benigni is assistant principal of Berlin High School. In his spare time the 30-year-old moonlights as mayor of Meriden, a job he wrenched from four-term Democratic incumbent Joseph J. Marinan last November. Benigni entered politics in 1997 with a successful run for City Council as a Democrat, but left the party last summer and won the mayoralty as an independent.
What persuaded you to try to run for mayor in the first place?
I love Meriden and I believe in Meriden. As a product of Meriden's public schools and Meriden's social programs and after being on the City Council for four years, at first I thought I was just going to just walk away from politics and teach a college class at night. As I started to look at the political structure of the city, I knew that I would be leaving for all of the wrong reasons. I think Meriden needed a change at the top. That is why I decided to run for mayor.
Please elaborate.
The former mayor [Joseph Marinan] had been in office for eight years and had a very controlling, strong influence at City Hall. I thought it was time for us to go back to the system that was in place of having a professional management system, a city manager and a popularly elected mayor who operated as more of a ceremonial mayor. I think Meriden is better served by a part-time mayor who has a career away from politics and a full-time city manager who is a professional at running cities. I believe we need a professional to run the city. It's a $140 million corporation and I think we need a professional city manager. I think we have a great city manager in Roger Kemp and he's doing a fine job. It's my job to represent the people to work with the city manager.
What was your message to voters - Vote for me and I'll do less'?
My message was more, 'Vote for me, I won't be meddling in the city manager's business. I won't be telling the department heads how to do their jobs. I will respect our professional staff and I will work with them.'
How's it going so far? Do you have days when you wonder why you did this?
It's going great, better than expected. The city manager and I have an excellent working relationship. I also have been fortunate that my fellow councilors have worked well with me. There are nine Democrats and three Republicans, so for me to get anything done, I need to work with both Democrats and Republicans and to their credit, they have been very supportive.
You've talked about the need to lower taxes. What taxes would you lower, and how?
We need to lower our homeowners and property taxes. The best way to go about lowering taxes is to look at the percentage of taxes paid by homeowners in the past and make sure that percentage continues to spiral downward. We need new businesses to offset those dollars. We also need to look at cuts. I'm asking for department heads and the city manager to be creative and that involves reorganization. Since I've been in the mayor's office, we've done away with the legislative liaison position. I'm looking to hire a constituent caseworker position. The position would be decreased from $38,500 to $30,000. I cut my own salary $5,000, so I think through this reorganization, we'll be able to serve our citizens and we'll save taxpayers $13,500.
As an educator, you must have plenty of ideas about how to improve public education in Meriden. What are the most useful measuring sticks that Meriden ought to be thinking about - CMT scores, graduation rates, attendance, others?
I don't think there's one measure we can use. There's so much more than a test score or a graduation rate. Schools build children educationally, academically and socially. I want us to look at the overall picture, to see that our students are making progress, that they are learning and achieving and, most important, that after high school they be contributing members of society. Can they get out into the real world and survive and thrive and contribute in society? If they can, our schools are doing a heck of a job.
Meriden has struggled with downtown revitalization. What's your approach?
One of the most important factors is our own citizens' image of downtown. In a recent UConn survey, about half of our citizens had some apprehension about going downtown. If we can't change that image, we're in trouble. What I'd like to see an arts and entertainment district downtown. The City Center Initiative would merge [the resources of] MEDCO [the Meriden Economic Development Corp.], the chamber, SBC/SNET and the city. It will breathe life into downtown. The YMCA is downtown and it is being run very successfully. To me, that is the barometer that shows us that if you build something that people will enjoy and is functional, people will come downtown. We need to look for creative ways to do that. That's why the arts and entertainment district is perfect - a great fit.
That, in theory, attracts other businesses - restaurants, shops, etc., and you start to be able to build a critical mass from there.
Exactly.
Meriden is in transition between an old manufacturing economy and some kind of new economy. What kinds of companies do you think Meriden ought to and can attract?
We need to focus on information technology companies. If we can come through with the downtown plan, I think an offshoot from that would be an information technology zone. We need to look for creative ways to recruit those type of companies to Meriden. Obviously, we need to sustain some of the manufacturing companies that are still here in Meriden. We do have a diverse setup in Meriden. We have our Research Parkway area, and we still have a lot of opportunities downtown. We'll be looking to the state for some help with our brownfields and our old hospital, and looking for new ways to recruit some basic manufacturing companies to the area.
What are some ways you can identify and recruit companies like that?
You need to have a marketing campaign. Recruiting business is competitive. There has to be a reason for them to come and they have to know we're available. We just passed some legislation that would allow us to fund companies' moves in the town. So whenever a company wonders where they are going to move, if we can be one step ahead of the next community by saying, 'Don't worry about the cost. Here's the money to help you with your move.' I think that gives us a head start on the process. We need to go out there and meet businesses and meet people and sell them on how great Meriden is. We have a diverse workforce that can meet their needs.
What are some other things that are front-and-center on your agenda?
There's a focus on sustaining our long-standing businesses, making sure that we don't lose a business that's been in town for 50 years because another community recruits them, or because we forget that they're here. I'm making an effort to meet with local businesses, hear their needs and let them know that we appreciate their being here. It's [easy to] forget those businesses who make the fabric of Meriden. I don't want to do that. I want to make sure they know we appreciate their long-standing service in the community and let them know that who we are as a city is a reflection on who they are as a company. I worked with the new president of the Miller Co. I've met with Hunter's Ambulance, representatives from Westfield Shopping Town. I want to meet with all businesses - large corporations, small family-run businesses - and let them know they have a spot here in Meriden.
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