Where Does Rilling Stand on Federal Lawsuit on Proposed Mosque?

Letter to the Editor from Isabelle Hargrove of West Norwalk

"Harry Rilling needs to get over his shyness regarding the possibility of a huge mosque being built in the residential neighborhood near Oak Hills.  

If he were to become mayor, would he or wouldn’t he continue our city’s defense against the federal lawsuit brought by the mosque sponsors?

I and other area residents have a right to know where Mr. Rilling stands given the adverse effects such a structure and its attendant traffic and noise would have on our property values and quality of life.

As readers may remember, the Norwalk Zoning Commission rejected plans for a 27,000-sq.-ft. mosque at the proposed site. But instead of simply choosing a more suitable location, the Al-Modany group, the mosque sponsors, chose to sue the city in federal court, claiming religious discrimination.  As someone who sat through every meeting relating to the mosque application, I can attest that religion was never at issue.
 
Mr. Rilling, who happens to be a member of the Zoning Commission even as he runs for mayor, has not indicated whether he would continue to fight the Al-Modany suit if elected.  In fact he has accepted campaign contributions from the main spokesman for the Al-Madany group.  

Since money incentivizes behavior, I am concerned that, if elected, Mr. Rilling would pursue a quick settlement of the lawsuit that would result in the mosque actually being built on the proposed site.  The city could also be forced to pay settlement costs and thus end up partly financing the harm to our neighborhood.

Mr. Rilling has declined so far to support the city’s efforts to protect our neighborhood from this unwarranted lawsuit. It is also troubling that the three other Zoning Commissioners who voted “against rejecting” the application are all firm supporters of Mr. Rilling. In my world, voting against rejecting something is voting for it.  

I also believe that Harry Rilling initially said that he supported the mosque at the proposed location, saying that the mosque could have been allowed with further negotiations and compromise. (Norwalk Hour, July 10, 2013.) But I can tell Mr. Rilling that there was never any hint of a willingness on the part of the applicants to compromise on their plan.  

The lawsuit is likely to be long and potentially expensive, but Norwalk must defend itself if we want to preserve our sovereignty and the residential nature of our neighborhoods. It is far less expensive to stand for our rights than face plummeting real-estate prices and the erosion our tax base.  
Mayor Moccia has led the city's efforts to defend itself.  He fired our first counsel in the case and hired another.  Then there are two people who are running for the Common Council in District E — Dave McCarthy and Emily Wilson — who have been unequivocal in their support for our continued defense.

So we need to know now, Mr. Rilling, before the Nov. 5 election, whether the city’s defense will continue.  We need to be assured that our neighborhood won’t be totally transformed because someone wanted to win an election."

Isabelle Hargrove
West Norwalk