Rob Mallozzi Announces Campaign for First Selectman

Robert E. Mallozzi III announced Monday morning that he is a candidate for First Selectman.  Mallozzi made the announcement at his home, with his wife, Elizabeth, and children at his side.

 Mallozzi is 48-years-old. A republican, he has long been active in local politics and civic organizations, and has served as a Selectman since 2007.  A local businessman, he is co-owner of Bob’s Sports, Inc., a sporting goods store on Park St., and a partner in Caroline Realty, LLC.

 “I feel like leadership is going to be very important,” Mallozzi, 48, said. “To have a first selectman that is part of community and fully entrenched in all facets of the community is important. My past experiences and my body of work that’s been out there would lead people to think I’m ready and why I want to do this job.”

told Patch he will make an announcement about his plans “after we finish the budget process for the year.”

 Mallozzi said finances and debt are the biggest challenge facing the town.

“I think we’re heading for tough times,” he said. “From Wisconsin, New Jersey and New York City, it’s about wants versus needs and how to budget and how to pay for these things. We spent a lot of money in the last 10 years bonding roads, schools and bridges. Our debt service is $13 million this year is going to $17 million in next few years. Can’t just keep on borrowng. Have to make some hard chioices. We can’t keep kicking the can down the road 30 years.”

Mallozzi has been the sole nay vote among the three selectmen on a master plan project that began in May 2009. The Long Range Planning Committee (formerly Town Center Planning Group) has to create a template for municipal buildings and the library.

 “I think the public is pretty bright. We know our immediate needs.  We need an ADA compliant town hall, roof work, some energy efficiencies,” he said. “We are not going to have a lot of money in the next five years to enact a plan that we know will have a shelf life and not be able to do much on. That is a waste of money.”

His seat on the Board of Selectmen is the first elected position Mallozzi has held. He  was a volunteer firefighter from 2004 until August 2009, and served as secretary of New Canaan Fire Company No.1 from 2004 until 2007, when he resigned after being elected to the Board of Selectmen. He chaired the Downtown Study Group that convened in 2005. He has chaired the town’s Family Fourth of July celebration at Waveny since 2002.

Mallozzi said Fire Commission Chair Roger Williams and Al Dupont, who co-chaired his successful bids for Selectman in 2007 and 2009, would run the Mallozzi 2011 campaign. Mallozzi said he planned to send an e-mail to the Republican Town Committee on Monday morning, and will formally address the group at its next meeting on March 14.

Challenging a sitting first selectman from a candidate's own party is not without precedent. Walker, a republican, successfully challenged sitting First Selectman Judy Neville, also a republican, in 2007.

Mallozzi is a 1984 graduate of the University of Vermont. He has been married to the former Elizabeth Howland for 21 years. Liz Mallozzi is a nursery school teacher at First Presbyterian Nursery School. The couple has two children, Robby IV, 17, and Kit, 15. Both children attend New