Mayoral Hopeful Joe Paul Says ‘Politics Is Stratford’s Problem’

Joe Paul joins Beth Daponte in seeking the Stratford Democratic Town Committee’s nomination for mayor, an appointment that’s expected to be made Wednesday night at the Baldwin Center.

In an interview with the Connecticut Post, Paul, a retired bank executive, said his experience makes him more qualified to run the town than the current mayor contesting for re-election.

“You look at the mayor we have now. What are his qualifications? He was an appraiser and he was a state rep,” Paul, referring to Republican John A. Harkins, told the newspaper.

“Now, anybody who comes into the job as mayor has to have the ability to manage people, to balance budgets and to bring in new ideas to make government more efficient, and I’ve done all of those things.”

Much like Daponte did in an interview last week with Stratford Patch, Paul cited the Shakespeare Theatre as an example of how the current administration has failed to cash in on an “economic development opportunity.”

The former Bank of America exec told the paper it’s time Stratford is managed by a mayor from the business sector, rather than one with a political background.

“Politics isn’t going to solve Stratford’s problems,” he said. “Politics is Stratford’s problem.”

Read the full Connecticut Post article here.