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Two years later, he was chosen to be the mayor. Days after taking the oath of office in December 1997, Beachy got a call from Claire. She congratulated him and invited him to her residence on the Connecticut College campus, saying she wanted to share hopes and dreams for New London. Beachy had never visited the president’s private residence. He agreed to meet.

Sporting a gray beard and a yellow windbreaker, Beachy could easily have been mistaken for the captain of a fishing vessel. When he arrived, Claire greeted him at the door and ushered him inside. He noted the nice furnishings and perfect order.

“Would you like a cup of coffee?” she asked.

“Sure.”

“C’mon in the kitchen.”

As they entered the room, Beachy immediately spotted an easel with a bubble diagram depicting a new hotel, a conference center, and office buildings.

Claire opened cupboard doors in search of coffee cups and a coffeepot.

Beachy stared at the bubble diagram, trying to figure out the whereabouts of the buildings depicted. The geography looked very familiar, but the landmarks looked foreign. Then it dawned on him; the diagram depicted the Fort Trumbull neighborhood and surrounding peninsula, minus the existing homes and buildings. Stunned, Beachy glanced at Claire. She still had not found cups or a coffeemaker. The cupboards were empty.

She doesn’t live here, Beachy thought to himself.

Determined, Claire rounded up one mug and a package of instant coffee. She boiled some water on the stove and made Beachy a cup of coffee before leading him to the dining-room table. While he sipped coffee, Claire explained each bubble on the chart.

Two and a half hours later, Claire escorted Beachy to the door. He had never gotten to share his vision for the city. That was the point, he realized, once he stepped outside.

December 11, 1997

George Milne received a letter marked “CONFIDENTIAL” from the commissioner of Connecticut’s Department of Economic and Community Development.

“On behalf of the State of Connecticut and Governor John G. Rowland, I am pleased to provide this letter offering assistance to Pfizer, Inc. for development of a new facility in New London, Connecticut,” it began. “This letter represents the State’s commitment to ensure Pfizer’s ability to select New London for a new Headquarters operation by defraying the cost of that development and improving its value through a comprehensive, State-funded waterfront improvement and development project.”

These were the words Milne wanted to see.

The governor offered to:

• Release $4.5 million in liens currently held by the state against the twenty-four-acre New London mill site.

• Spend up to $2 million to relocate the Calamari junkyard to another site purchased by the state.

• Spend up to $20 million to develop historic Fort Trumbull into a state park.

• Provide a low-interest $7 million loan to the City of New London for improving the nearby sewage-treatment facility.

• Acquire the navy base with state money. “The State will develop a timetable to meet Pfizer’s needs,” the letter read.

• Provide $8 million to the NLDC for operating costs and acquiring properties in the neighborhood located between the mill site and the navy base.

“Please know that the State will continue to work with you to refine this proposal,” the letter continued, “in order to meet the specifications of Pfizer, and to support their decision to locate their new facility in New London.”

Claire followed up a few days later with her own commitment letter to Milne. “This commitment is presented in conjunction with the State of Connecticut and the City of New London,” she said. The city had agreed to transfer the mill site, evaluated at $5.4 million, to Pfizer at no cost. It had also agreed to modify its zoning regulations to ensure that the mill site, the navy base, and the surrounding neighborhood could be redeveloped. Claire mapped out a comprehensive development scheme:

In addition to your facility