Former Norwalk Mayor and state legislator Bill Collins dies at 87 in car accident
Elected officials were mourning Friday the death of former Norwalk Mayor Bill Collins, an influential Democrat who served in both the state legislature and the city.
Collins was a key figure in his heyday, serving two terms in the legislature in the 1970s and then four terms as mayor. The mayoral terms were split as he won two races, lost for reelection, and then came back and won two more times. He served from 1977 through 1981 and then again from 1983 through 1987.
Collins died in a car accident in New Mexico as he was on his way to see his stepson on the West Coast, said Alex Knopp, a former state legislator and longtime friend. Collins was known for traveling long distances by car.
“Bill Collins was the architect of Norwalk’s modern urban government,’' said Knopp, who is also a former Norwalk mayor. “His policies of staff professionalization, active city planning, support for education, historical preservation, using the Maritime Aquarium for tourism as a city economic development, and support for affordable housing all laid the foundation for the modern successful city that Norwalk has become.’'
Knopp credited Collins with the transformation of South Norwalk.
“His rescue of the SoNo downtown from the wrecker’s ball became known as one of the most important urban preservation projects in the country,’' Knopp said.
As close friends, the two Democrats served simultaneously as Knopp was the city council president at the time that Collins was serving as mayor.
“He was the first person to urge me to run for mayor,’' Knopp said. “Bill presided at my wedding and our families went on many vacation trips together to walk the streets and parks in other states.’'
The influence of Collins stretched over the decades.
During a debate last year on the bottle deposit bill, Senate majority leader Bob Duff of Norwalk stood up to say that when he was a young boy, he wrote a letter to Collins about litter in the city.
“Bill helped inspire me to public service when I wrote to him as an 8-year-old about the future of Duffy Field, now Veterans Park,’' Duff said Friday. “The fact that he actually answered me back speaks volumes about his character. I still have his letter hanging in my office, which always reminds me to help the next generation into public service.’'
Duff added, “Bill was a visionary leader who began the revitalization of Washington Street, supported the vision of The Maritime Aquarium and made sure the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion was saved. He made long-term decisions for the betterment of Norwalk even if they weren’t always popular at the time.
“Bill’s legacy with the city he loved and the people he represented will live on for generations. I will miss him, but Bill will always have a special place in my heart.”
Christopher Keating can be reached at ckeating@courant.com
