NORWICH – With just a week until city residents head to the polls, Councilman Bryan McCracken is getting his name out in a bid for re-election as the city’s first ward representative.

The Democrat faces opposition for his four-year seat by Ward One resident Matthew Caldwell, a Republican who officially announced his candidacy back in May. Both candidates are running on a platform that challenges the year-to-year tax increases for city residents. Moreover, both advocate for a closer look at services to possibly trim the annual budget.

As one of the more outspoken members on the Norwich Common Council, McCracken says it’s his questioning of issues that he hopes will be at the forefront among voters. He also noted that he was the only alderman to vote down the city’s 2015 budget which entailed last minute revisions and a 6.5 percent increase for taxpayers.

“It wasn’t a popular approach, but it’s something I feel was important to do. I think more could have been done to cut items from the budget and save taxpayers money,” he said. “My responsibility as a representative of city residents is to make sure what I'm doing is in their best interest. I’m not afraid to ask hard questions and I’m not afraid to vote against things that others favor.”