(Frank Speziale Photo)

(Frank Speziale photos online and in today's paper)

NORWICH – Candidates for Norwich City mayor met Wednesday at the Norwich YMCA for a debate sponsored by The Evening Sun.

The four City of Norwich mayoral candidates, Christine Carnrike, Shawn Sastri, Jill Kraft, and Joseph Mauriano, answered dozens of question in front of more than 80 residents. The forum was moderated by Common Council President Matt Caldwell and Evening Sun Managing Editor Tyler Murphy.

The general election will be held from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, November 5, and sites for the City of Norwich will include St. Bart’s Parish Center at 81 East Main Street in Norwich.

The candidates began the evening by introducing themselves.

Shawn Sastri, a Customer Service employee for CZ-USA/Dan Wesson who was born and raised in Norwich, said after over 10 years of considering running for mayor, the time is now right in his and his family's life to make a run for office. For his campaign goals, Sastri said he feels strongly about working to ensure the city maintains a strong relationship with the Town of Norwich, working to support local businesses, and being readily available to hear the concerns of city taxpayers.

Jill Kraft was born and raised in Norwich and has owned and operated The Artists' Palette, a multi-faceted community arts center, since 2009. In 2017, she started the non-profit 501(c)(3) Creative Works, Inc., which focuses on working with people who otherwise would not have access to art. The last time a Democratic candidate ran for mayor of the City of Norwich was in 2006. Kraft is using the slogan "Bring Norwich Together" and said her ultimate goal is to "renew, retain, and revitalize" the city.

Joseph P. Mauriano, lifelong resident of Natoli Avenue in the City of Norwich is running on the Independent line of “Norwich Pride.” Mauriano has an Associate’s Degree from SUNY Broome, then attended Canisius College in Buffalo before receiving a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary and Physical Education from SUNY Cortland. He served as the 5th Ward Alderman from 2004 to 2006 and mayor of the City of Norwich from 2006 to 2015.

Current Mayor Christine Carnrike, is the youngest of eight children, and no stranger to the importance of the political process. Her father, George Carnrike, was mayor of Norwich from 1969-1973; and from an early age, the role of family, community and government was a topic in her home and discussed across the kitchen table with her siblings.

Carnrike said she developed her common sense ideals and understanding of local government through an extensive employment history in Broome County health and information technology departments, including eight-plus years with the Defense Logistics Agency of the federal government, located in Syracuse, NY, working in a contract management capacity. She has been mayor for the City of Norwich for two terms.

In two rounds, candidates were asked dozens of questions, here are their responses to the some of the topics:

Candidates were asked what the most important issue facing the city was and what they would first do about it?

Kraft noted several issues in the city and said her top issue was listening to the concerns others had.

Kraft said she had been “talking to a lot of people about a whole bunch of different issues. Everyone's perception is the reality, so maybe homelessness is the biggest issue, maybe it's housing, maybe it's the school district, maybe it's Hospice, maybe it's a pot hole on their street.” Kraft said there was “a lack of services and a lack of appreciating the services we have.” She concluded, “It's not one issue it's several.”

“The most important thing we need to work on is marketing, our city has so many hidden treasures,” said Mauriano. “We need to get the message out and we need to bring people into the community.”

“We have everything we need, we don't have the traffic.” Mauriano said he wanted to build on the city's public image and make public safety a priority to help make the community more inviting.

Carnrike said, “The most important issue facing the city and the top priority is the financial situation.

I think you keep taxes under control, because when you have a strong financial base everything else will be able to be built upon that.”

Carnrike said the city currently had the strong leadership needed to achieve its fiscal goals. “My first priority will be creating a 2020 budget.”

“So I've knocked on a few doors and I've heard this from a few city residents, I think the most pressing concern is the expense of the fire department,” said Sastri. “I am not saying I want to eliminate the paid fire departments but if I'm elected I will want to sit down with Chief Papelino and the firefighters and hear their concerns. I also feel there is a way that we can have a paid fire department, cut expenses and still offer the services important to taxpayers.”

How can the city attract new business and help the ones already here?

“Attracting business is not the waving of a magic wand you go through.” said Mauriano. “You need to always be on the radar, looking around for businesses.”

The former mayor recalled one of his previous experiences. “I recall going down to Hamilton and grabbing people to start a bicycle shop,” he said. “I know there was no gas station in the City of Norwich. I said the city was not getting a single cent in sales tax from all the gas going into cars all around Norwich.”