RUTLAND — Alderman Chris Ettori will make a bid for mayor in Rutland City.
Ettori will likely challenge incumbent Mayor David Allaire, who has not yet confirmed he’ll run for reelection. City residents first elected Allaire in March 2017, and he’s served in the position since then, winning handily again in 2019 by more than 1,000 votes.
Currently serving his third term and sixth year on the city’s Board of Alderman, Ettori hasn’t begun campaigning, but said he told Allaire about his plans to run in mid-November.
“I’ve decided I need to run,” Ettori said, citing a need for fresh ideas, new perspectives and a desire to go the extra mile. “What I’ve seen in the last four years under Dave is that we don’t have that coming out of the mayor’s office. We need someone with executive leadership, who is willing to take a stand and make hard decisions.”
Allaire declined VTDigger’s request for comment.
Ettori doesn’t align with a political party, and defines his ideology as fiscally conservative while supporting the needs of vulnerable people in the community.
“I’ve suggested and supported a number of cuts to our municipal budget,” he said.
Socially, Ettori is progressive. He advocated to resettle refugees from Syria in Rutland, for example. Allaire won the 2017 election in part because of his opposition to a resettlement plan supported by former Mayor Chris Louras.
Recently, Ettori supported the Rutland City Board of School Commissioners’ vote to change the Rutland High School mascot, though he had concerns about the process. He later opposed a citywide vote on whether the mascot should change. The ballot initiative was fueled by other aldermen who hoped to reverse the school board’s decision.
With a master’s degree from Woodbury College in mediation, Ettori believes his skills would help to mend deep divides that have shaped Rutland City for years.
A “engaged economic development strategy” would be a priority for Ettori. Around 2010, he helped start Wonderfeet Kids’ Museum, he joined the Downtown Rutland Partnership in 2012, and became an active participant of the Rutland Redevelopment Authority, first as a representative for the Downtown Partnership, then later as the Board of Aldermen’s designated representative.
“How do we help Rutlanders start the business, how do we help them overcome challenges?” he said. “We need to do a much better job of supporting them, but also demonstrating that this is the way Rutland City is going to grow, from the inside. From the passion and ideas of our people.”
Encouraging remote workers to move to Rutland by expanding access to WiFi would also help growth, he said.
He’s a member of Project VISION, a coalition that brings more than 400 organizations together in Rutland County. Its leader, Joe Kraus, will step down in December. Ettori said he’s been inspired by the organization’s goals, and would work with the new leader to implement new ideas.
“Listening to the people who attend that, and the commitment that they have to the city,” Ettori said, “it would really be a dream come true to help lead an organization like that, and to help the members of the community put their ideas out there.”
Allaire’s long-standing tenure as a Rutland City official, and his overwhelming popularity in the last two elections, will mark a significant challenge for Ettori. Allaire served for 19 years as an alderman prior to his current post.
Ettori said he would support Allaire if he were to run for a seat in the state Senate.
“I think he does a great job of hearing people and weighing the public perception of issues, which I think is an important piece of serving in the Senate, and I think people in Montpelier really like Dave,” Ettori said. “I think he would help our county get a lot more money in that way. That’s where his skillset is.”
He admits, the pandemic creates a tricky landscape for campaigning — an added obstacle while running against the popular incumbent.
“It’s a huge challenge,” he said. “My hope is that, by continuing to talk with stakeholders, and by talking to people about what they are interested in and care about in Rutland City, that my message, my experience, my skills and my approach are going to make the difference.”