In late May, the mayor of Middletown, Ben Florsheim, announced his sudden resignation from office. In a Facebook post, Florsheim thanked his constituents and expressed a “sense of accomplishment” for his time. “I’m not going anywhere, and I look forward to making myself of service to the community in the future,” Florsheim wrote.
Shortly thereafter, on June 16, former Middletown Common Council President Gene Nocera was sworn in as interim mayor. He indicated that he plans to seek a full four-year term in the November election.
Nocera has spent much of his career in education. He started as a sixth-grade teacher at Lawrence School in the 1970s. Then, over the course of two decades, he moved through various public schools around Middletown, serving as principal.
In 2011, while serving as principal of St. Anthony School in Bristol, Nocera joined the Middletown Board of Education. It was a move that positioned him toward a career in politics, he said.
“When I was principal and then retired, I wanted to continue to serve the Board of Education, so that’s when I ran for the Board of Education,” Nocera said. “I stepped right into the chairmanship my first term, first year of the first term … so it was just out of my desire to continue to serve the Board of Ed. And I’m glad I did, because it was important for my development to be part of that process.”
Though Nocera said education is his passion, he also emphasizes other aspects of city development and upkeep. He wants to prioritize new housing and maintenance projects on old roads and buildings. He is also trying to keep taxes down, despite a post-recession deficit.
“Let’s not forget that here in Middletown, we did everything in our power, because of the post-pandemic recession, to have no tax increase,” Nocera said. “But by doing that, we had a flat budget. We still had to pay the increases due to inflation, due to health benefit increases, due to contractual increases. So actually, we were running into the negative, borrowing from our general fund, to fund the city.”
Five years after the start of the pandemic, Middletown is still getting back on its feet. From the start, the city resisted raising taxes, which ultimately had a negative economic impact, stalling construction and maintenance projects. Nocera said many residents are also struggling with cost of living increases.
“It’s no secret that some things are dramatically increasing [in price]: things like building supplies, anything in that area,” Nocera said. “People are suffering. Their salaries are not keeping pace with inflation.”
Still, Nocera has big hopes for Middletown.
“I think Middletown is on the verge of some dramatic changes,” he said.
The city hopes that new housing developments will reverse the damage left by the pandemic, bringing in professionals and stimulating the local economy. Currently underway is Springside Middletown, a 486-unit luxury townhouse community along Route 3. Nocera estimated that construction is about 60% complete.
