First Selectman Candidates Square Off in A Heavyweight Debate [Video]

Those looking for a lively and heated debate found it at  Thursday night. Paul Giusti and Rob Mallozzi turned up the temperature on an already contentious race to be the Republican candidate for . 

Before a large crowd,  Giusti and Mallozzi, who battled for their party's selectman nomination in 2007,  traded personal attacks and questioned each other's political records. 

Moderator Gail Lavielle, a state representative from Wilton, popped the top off the debate with a question about the town's mishandling of the for the Lakeview Avenue bridge project for which  took responsibility after allowing the issue to "fall through the cracks." 

Lavielle asked the candidates "what were the cracks,  how did it happen, and what would [you] do to fix it?" 

Giusti and Mallozzi both agreed there must be better oversight and communication concerning big ticket items like arbitration awards,  but neither would budge on who was responsible for the bill essentially winding up in a drawer during budget season and being presented to the during a

 Mallozzi blamed it on the , of which Giusti is a member, while Giusti pointed the finger at the , which is Mallozzi's court. In the process, Giusti took a swipe at his opponent, saying he should have been more accountable, to which Mallozzi took exception.

 "I'm not saying I didn't see the bills," Mallozzi said. "But bills don't get paid out of Board of Selectmen, it gets paid out of the Board of Finance account. However, I have always been accountable for my actions and people around here know that. I just wanted to bring it to his attention that I didn't appreciate him saying that about me." 

When Lavielle asked about the candidates' long-term plans for downtown New Canaan,  Giusti said that in this economic climate, there is a greater need for studies and planning.

"Long-range planning during these difficult times is more important, not less," he said. "It can tell you what not to do. We need a smart, thoughtful plan."

Mallozzi said the town has "study fatigue" and "needs a leader to get things done."

Mallozzi took a shot at Giusti for going to the office in February to shave down a bill from $98 to $16 and accused his opponent of not having a vested interest in the community and being "a shingle on the street." Giusti runs his business,which is located in Wisconsin, from an office in New Canaan. 

"First of all, there was an error on the tax form," Giusti said. "I shouldn't be condemned for pointing it out. And I think it's a real positive that my business interests are outside of this area. I don't have a bias, whether it's commercial or residential real estate or any of these things. It allows me to be very even-handed in how I deal with everybody." 

The candidates were asked what they would do about the exodus of downtown stores  and how they propose to attract new businesses to the town.

 Giusti said "we need to be analytical and strategic" and pointed out his role as a selectman when they made the decision to purchase the movie theatre to maintain "an anchor in town." He called for better marketing to make New Canaan a destination. 

Mallozzi urged the town to spend money on a public relations campaign to promote the town's best features, including its selection of good restaurants. He said the town needs to promote the experience of visiting and shopping here. He said  "the First Selectman need to be the first promoter of our town not just the First Selectman."

Each candidate had an opportunity to ask the other a question. Giusti asked Mallozzi about missing a series of meetings convened by town leaders to redefine the way the town's budget process works. Mallozzi said his livelihood requires him to work on Saturdays, so he could not attend some meetings.

"I can't make certain meetings," Mallozzi told Patch after the debate. "I don't think people who voted me selectman, expect a hard-working retailer who has to be in the store, for the most part, to attend all the meetings. I thought that was grasping at straws. Some of the minutes don't exist at those meetings. So as important as he said they were, they couldn't find a public record of those meeting and that's required by law."

Giusti said he intends to stay focused on the issues for the remainder of the campaign.

"I can only control what I can do. I've tried to stay positive about everything we've done," he told Patch. "I've tried to make this all about issues and ideas. I can only control what I can do and that's what I'm going to do moving forward."

Giusti and Mallozzi won't have long to to wait before they square off again. Their second and final debate is scheduled for Thursday, June 23 at Town Hall at 7 p.m.

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