The Burglary Bummer

With the recent news about the break-ins in town, I looked around for some information on our crime statistics. This is by no means a comprehensive report! I’m just listing a few interesting tidbits I found online that might be of interest. My concluson after a few minutes of random searching is that it’s best to contact our local police department for the real numbers, as the ones that follow do not include the year in which these statistics were created. That’s a rather glaring omission, so take this stuff with a grain of salt. I just wanted to get an idea of what to expect in these coming months as the economy worsens. Now that the police force is close to 100%, we can only hope that the thieves who’ve made the news in these last few weeks will be caught quickly. Until then, it doesn’t look promising.

When I looked on www.city-data.com, I found some interesting stuff. On the Topix boards, for instance, many have been noticing roving groups of teens wandering the streets at night. While I don’t like stereotyping, it is interesting to note that this site lists the distribution of ages in the town, and the biggest group is between 10-15 years old! Some other random facts I never knew include that out of 7,372 houses and condos in town, 35% are rentals. 7 registered sex offenders live here, and 7% of our neighbors live below the poverty level. In addition, by far the highest percentage of houses in this town were built before 1939 (although this is contradicted by Trulia.com, a realtoy-based site with similar information).

When I checked out www.neighborhoodscout.com, I saw that my chances of becoming a victim of crime in Stratford was
1 in 435, compared with the overall Connecticut
average of 1 in 364. That made me feel a little better until I saw that we recently had 8 rapes, 59 robberies, and 49 assaults in town. What year? Who knows—these sites do a lousy job of including this information (another reason to go straight to our police department for the real scoop).
The property crime rate was slightly higher than the CT average, 34.46 % to 25.58. That includes 296 burglaries, 1,224 thefts, and 196 motor vehicle thefts. Again, Trulia.com gives a rosier picture that only 3% of all residents will be affected by crime, so I’m not sure where this 34% comes in.

In short, it’s time to double-check your locks before you go to bed. While I’ll be checking into burglary alarm systems, some easier steps are listed on http://crimewatchstrfd.org, the award-winning web site that represents our local chapter of Crime Watch. It lists the ways in which to start a neighborhood watch group, an idea that seems even more important in light of some off the recent burglaries that could have been mitigated with more vigilant neighbors. I also saw two groups listed in Stratford on www.i-neighbors.org.

With so many people watching us to steal our stuff, maybe it’s time we watched out for each other. Read more of this observation!

Welcome to the 21st Century

After a brief stint in the hospital, the Observer is back and itching to catch up. One thing I noticed was the ridiculous discussion of police delivery of meeting agendas, a policy that has evidently been practiced for years now. Are you kidding me? We are using highly-trained officers that are charged with the safety of this town as messengers? Do we have no respect for our police that we send them off on senseless errands rather than allowing them to do the important jobs they were hired for?

Don’t we already have a courier method called the US Postal Service? No, that would make too much sense and cost us much less money. But here’s an even better one: email. You know, the thing all of us use every day. If you are such a knuckle-dragging caveperson that you can’t handle getting your information on a computer, what on earth makes you think you are qualified to help run our town in this day and age?

Don’t get me wrong—I came late to the party with these computers and I would still rather write things out with my pen. However, that’s not the way things are done now. I had to adapt. Even I know what a PDF is! Emailing lengthy documents is faster than any other delivery method and it saves paper for those times when you don’t need to print everything out. Add up the expense in time (both wasted as a resource and pro-rated as a portion of their hourly wage) resources (reams of paper on things like the Long Beach West proposal alone) and gas we’ve spent over the years on our little police carrier service. Got it? I’ll come back to this later.

Why do some on our council think we NEED to waste our police force resources so they can have their own “errand boys in blue?” Some say that not all town council members get to Town hall on a weekly basis. All the more reason for them to check their email—you know, the one they got when we elected them to watch over the town purse. It’ll be there every week, and sooner than their current hand delivery! Some claim the police patrol those streets anyway. However, cops don’t have time to canvass every street just to lay claim that they can. If I need a cop, I don’t want to wait because he or she’s delivering mail around town.

This is not a political issue, but one of common sense. Look, those who go to town meetings know that there are several council members who contribute nothing to discussions. Others, like Mike Julian, admit that he throws away stuff he doesn’t need to read. Even Mike Henrick himself said it probably takes these police couriers two hours to go 35 miles round-trip without traffic to deliver these packets. It’s an issue of waste, and one that is easily remedied. Kick and scream about all the other issues, but don’t cloud this one up any more than Joe Kubic or Gavin Forrester already have. They apparently don’t care about the union grievances registered against this practice by our police officers, but I respect them too much to ignore them.

In a time where every state and federal office has been issued mandated calls to go “green,” I defy anyone to stand up and tell me why you think our police officers should be messengers to the town council. I defy you to explain why a simple email is so beyond your abilities that you will ignore the pleas of your own police force in order to maintain a wasteful practice that we cannot afford in these times. Don’t hide behind your service to the town: if you waste my money, I don’t want your service!

Support our police force and help end this shameful waste of our tax dollars! If you need a little training on how to use a PDF, use some of that money you’ve been wasting on our police couriers. Read more of this observation!

The Closing Whistle

The story sneaked in, far from the Obituaries but just as crushing: The Whistle Stop is closing!

The family-run business has nestled in amongst its neighboring shops off Main Street for almost twenty years now, the unassuming bookstore bursting at the seams with titles of all sorts. Far superior to its bricks & mortar cousins Borders or Barnes and Noble, the Whistle Stop actively encourages the buying of used books and the concept of trading them in for store credit. This is a book-lover’s business plan, a true service to the community in that they have long put their love of literature above their bottom line. Take a trip to the bookstores in the surrounding area; while you’ll find some fantastic independent booksellers, there are precious few that deal so freely in used books.

As a result, a quick visit to the store usually ends up in a series of discoveries that will make you late for your next appointment if not careful. One gets easily lost amid the sprawling shelves stacked lack matches along the shelves. Better still, Bonnie Lee and her daughter, Pam Robertson, embody the best of the independent bookstore: not only can they easily answer questions as to what’s in stock (or might be soon), they are excellent resources for children rushing to find another book “just like the one I just read!”

While I can’t help thinking of the Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan movie You’ve Got Mail (where a major chain pushes out the smaller bookseller), Rob Varnon’s article in the Connecticut Post points out that it is a “happy retirement” rather than a forced hand that will lead to these closing doors. We can only hope that their retirement is filled with the many great books they never had a chance to read as they looked for ours.

For me, gentle melancholy turns to concern: what will become of literature in Stratford? This was our only bookstore, and we have only one town library to call our own. I’ll never forget the business meeting where we had to target our market demographics. The expert analyst quickly crossed many towns off our initial list after one passing glance at the spreadsheet before him. “These towns have under-funded libraries and few bookstores—they don’t meet our literacy level.”

It’s a chilling memory considering Stratford’s current condition. One hopes that instead of another gas station or the next Wal-Mart we’ll soon see another bookstore come into town. We need the siren call (or maybe another whistle) of literature to lure future generations into the magic of reading. In the meantime, we wish the folks at the Whistle Stop all the best in their next chapters! Read more of this observation!

Guess Where This Is In Stratford?

Isn't this a fancy bike path rest stop? I'm curious as to how many of you know where this is? We stumbled upon it completely by accident! Give it your best guess, then read below the "cut" for the actual location! It turns out that this beautifully landscaped rest stop is behind the sewage plant addition! The gates have been open as construction continues, and we found this while strolling through. It faces the water through a waving bed of flowers right in the back of DeLuca Field. Is this the start of the vaunted Stratford Greenway? There is no path leading to it or from it; it's as if it got lost on its way to somewhere else! Does anyone know of any other spots like this? Did anyone know about this, or was it publicized anywhere? This makes me want to go to that forum on the Greenway route that's coming up! Who knows what else I'm missing??
Read more of this observation!

Mayoral Government Creates Momentum

It looks like few think the mayoral form of government was a mistake according to the results of our latest poll. This is hardly surprising when one looks at the momentum the Town has finally gained in the last few months. Regardless of where you stand on the issues, it’s obvious that a strong mayor can bring the water to a boil much better than the town manager ever could. Serving at the whim of the Council, the Town Manager did not have the legislative strength to push the Council into action.

Despite my initial doubts as to the wisdom of the mayoral veto, this power does force people to come together and fight it out in the best interest of the town. Without the use of the veto regarding the Long Beach West sale, for instance, the Council would have done no further negotiating and would have sent an incomplete agreement up for a vote. Instead, the veto forced a few additional council meetings and reasonable concessions on both sides in order to give us the chance to vote on it.

Friends say that the Mayor was present for the entire study group session on Saturday regarding the new location for the animal control facility. Notably absent were council members (with the exception of a quick appearance by Councilman Stoomer). Granted, the town council positions are volunteer-only, but it’s nice to see the town figurehead making appearances at functions like these, the arts festival, and the various ceremonies he’s attended the last few years.

Are these things “plusses” for Mayor Miron’s re-election campaign? No, not really—we expect it from that position. Just as we expect him to push the Council into action and wield his veto power to force people to get off their butts and get this town moving again. Just as we expect him to make his own compromises and further the interests of all citizens. Just as we expect him to hold himself to a higher standard because he IS our representative to the rest of the state.

That’s why, despite all the talk about charter revision and James Miron in particular, we made the right decision five years ago. Even through the growing pains we can see th benefits down the line. Read more of this observation!

Stratford's Town Council Players Bomb Onstage!

As if the sitting Town Council needed another black eye, those of us observing yesterday’s proceedings were greeted with yet another installment of the three-ring circus of adolescent behavior that has become its hallmark. Chairman Henrick’s inability to maintain decorum was outshined only by a Democratic show of divisiveness and petty affront that once again reduced our political process to the laughingstock of Connecticut.

Remember when we used to get to laugh at Bridgeport’s political missteps? Those days are long gone, replaced by the childish temper tantrums that have come to define our town.

As Bill Hanney attempted to explain his plans to renovate and the Shakespeare Theater, Gavin Forrester engaged him in a spirited debate over why his estimate was so much less than others. In typical fashion, a good question went unanswered as the fragile egos of our representatives became more important than town business. Before Hanney could fully answer as to where his business plan was, the Town Council Players (thanks, Calvin) raised the roof themselves.

What followed included a grade-school argument between Forrester and Miron over whether Miron’s finger was too close to Forrester’s face, although I saw NO instance of a physical confrontation from my vantage (unlike what was reported in the Connecticut Post). Regardless, calling the mayor a “nut” in public council sets a questionable example.

In another instance of childlike petulance, Emma Brooks topped them both by storming out of the chambers rather than staying to try and restore order herself. What better metaphor for the actions of this Town Council the last few years: running away from the table because you’re too embarrassed to stay.

The upshot? As a result of the infantile behavior displayed by our elected officials, another night’s work was left incomplete. Another delay. Another round of “pass the buck.”

Another failure.
Read more of this observation!

The Referendum Conundrum

With the birth announcement from the latest Town Council meeting coming soon (“Town Ballot Gives Birth to Fourth Referendum Initiative and its Name is Long Beach West!”), the burden of making another difficult decision falls to us, the citizens of Stratford. The worry of those opposed to ballot referendums has always been the attrition rate at which people will only vote for the first few items listed. The more questions added, the less likely people are to answer them. It’s time to prove them wrong (cue the trumpets and the cheerleaders).

The Observer would like to pool the collective resources of its readership to see if we could generate an analysis of the referendum concept. The Town Council certainly seems reluctant to make decisions on its own, so it seems like it’s up to us to make the right decisions. I’ll get what information I can and post it here in the hope that some of you can verify it for accuracy.

First, I’d like to get a feel for how people get their news about referendums in Stratford. For instance, the option agreement for the sale of Long Beach is posted online, and I think the Mayor said he had a copy in his office, but how do people get it if they don’t know to find it? There are 50,000 or so folks in our town. There is a sizable senior contingent without internet access. I don’t know what the subscriber base is for the Stratford Star or the Connecticut Post in town, nor do I know how many issues of the Stratford Bard are actually read per week. I do know that the entire northern part of town doesn’t have Cablevision, so no Channel 79 or Channel 12 news. Many have satellite instead of cable, so again those outlets are of no use. Only a fraction regularly attend town meetings. I don’t believe the rest read online blogs to make up for the remainder, so we’re relying on word-of-mouth to reach them. This would be an interesting gauge of how “plugged in” our citizens are.

I’d also like to know how many people actually voted in the last five or six years. I have no idea what the voter turnout is on a typical Election Day in Stratford, but it would make sense to study the numbers about attrition that the Mayor has talked about to see how lower-ballot questions were skipped at a higher rate. If anyone has access to those please post them!

Lastly, it would be great if we identified the best avenues for disseminating information throughout Stratford for referendums like these. I don’t know what non-partisan machinery is in place to do this, or even if it even exists.

I’ll post in the coming weeks as the information trickles in. Read more of this observation!

The Deafening Silence of District Representatives

(CLICK PICTURE TO ENLARGE)
After reviewing the results of our latest poll, it looks like our elected representatives can do a better job of communicating with their constituents. This is not a surprise because the wording of the question itself was possibly skewed (beware, referendum-writers). Had I asked, “How well does your district representative communicate with you?” I would most likely have gotten a different result. Looking back, it was probably unfair. It also shows how easily the wrong ballot question can mislead and skew the end result.

But back to the task at hand: The Observer would like to see a simple system on the Town web site that allows each member of the Town Council (and the Mayor’s office) to explain their position on the key issues of the day. What better way to create a more informed public come Election Day than for each citizen to have the opportunity to read through the positions of those we’ve already elected? It doesn’t have to stop with the Town Council, of course: the Board of Education could certainly use it, as could others.

For example, after the recent votes on the Shakespeare Theatre renovations or Long Beach West sale, it would have been very informative to read why each Town Council member voted as he or she did. When those members who rarely speak end up voting on an issue, it’s never clear why. It would only take five or ten minutes to write a paragraph or two, and the benefit would be enormous. This Observer has no doubt that the practice of publishing a voting record rationale would head off many of these needless delays in Council decisions; what better disincentive for political posturing than constantly having to defend it? In other words, show us that you have some reasoning behind your actions, that you’ve read up on the issue and will stand behind your position.

We have district representatives who are complete mysteries to those of us who show up at the meetings on a regular basis. Some are disguised as empty chairs, others as bored mutes who seem content to let Mr. Henrick, Mr. Kubic, Mr. Julian or Mr. Forrester do all the talking. Rather than adding to the discussion, they seem happy to have a front row seat.

Some might say this plan is too much to ask of unpaid elected officials, but I say the opposite. They need to justify their place at the big table, to prove that they are part of a solution rather than the problems that have plagued Town Hall for years before now. They cannot claim that various “appearances” around town are adequate. Public forums are simply venting systems where few of the issues addressed ever receive any attention once our allotted time is up. We deserve a clear accounting for their voting record, and the implementation of this valuable tool couldn’t be any easier.

Originally, I’d hoped that the Town’s party systems would provide something in this regard. Unfortunately, their internet presence consists mostly of the same tired campaign photos and glitzy blurbs about their credentials for office. Where are they now that they have the office? Both William O. Cabral and David Mooney (the treasurer and chairman of their respective parties) seem content to let their web sites remain lifeless monuments to past elections with a shill for other figures in upcoming races thrown in for good measure. I’ve corresponded with Mr. Mooney about this, and while he was kind enough to respond, he made it clear he thought this was a non-issue. Again, I couldn’t disagree more. Both parties could benefit from making these sites more useful by keeping current updates on voting records/rationales and providing updates on party positions as major issues arise. If they believe their own platforms they will see this as a service to the town worth providing. Read more of this observation!

Update From Tonight's "Special" Town Council Meeting

Too crowded in room 110 of the Birdseye Complex tonight, folks, and I am angry. I arrived late and realized there were no seats left. A friend and I talked to folks as they came out and realized that the sale of Long Beach West will now go to binding referendum. The council has until the end of September to finalize the agreement before the vote, otherwise the current agreement will be the final one.

A few things were readily apparent. One, Chairman Michael Henrick continues to show a careless disregard for the people who show up to watch our elected officials in town sessions. This has become a growing bi-partisan complaint from the regulars who give up their time to fulfill their civic duty to stay informed. The ridiculous excuse of a council meeting from last week (where they made token appearances before the public and then ran into executive session for hours) was topped by his smug decision that we, the public, did not need to actually hear what was being said. After refusing to move the council meeting to Town Hall and asking the Zoning Commision to move to the smaller room at Birdseye (far too logical), he began the meeting by joking about an echo in the room. This swipe at the empty seats was quickly exposed as petty and blatantly wrong when people continued to file in. As I said, by 8:00 there were no seats to be had.

It was obvious that an embarrassed council did not want to face the wrath of the public who’d voted them in office. They have so little in the way of excuses for their poor behavior that the council is reduced to hiding at Birdseye in the hope that we wouldn’t find them.

It was an act of cowardice.

Have the decency to make it up to the public and present your decision in the Town Chambers we paid for, with the sound and video equipment garnered for this purpose. If this issue was as important as you all say it was, you should be ashamed what little regard you showed Stratford tonight. How dare you make such a monumental decision in the same room they use for dog obedience classes.

If anyone needs additional training, it’s the present Chairman of a council who feels they don’t need to answer to the people who put them there. Read more of this observation!

Jumping Without Parachutes

As the Town Council tinkers with the contract language that looks like it will end up on the November ballot, I hope they don’t forget the obvious. This cannot merely be a vote on “sell or don’t sell.” This issue is much more complicated than that.

Currently the discussion seems to be centering on creating a firmer agreement on which to vote in referendum. However, that only addresses whether the agreement is acceptable as an option; it does not offer the consequences should some feel that we could “do better.” This is a recipe for disaster.

Here is the analogy in simple terms. I put the following on a ballot: “Do you think jumping out of a burning plane spiraling to the ground would be a good idea?” Well, if the plane were burning and running out of fuel and the pilots incapacitated, I would probably consider it! However, I would be rather mad if AFTER I made my decision I was told other crucial pieces of information, like: “There will be no parachutes, so the fall will probably kill you,” or, “Oh, and you’re jumping into the mouth of a volcano.”

The Town expects us to make this huge leap without any knowledge of how things will work out if we choose one alternative. In this case, I would sell under some conditions, and would keep it under others. Without addressing all conditions of the sale (what would happen if we DON’T sell, for instance), the referendum is useless at best, misleading at worst.

For example, how much would it cost for the Town to properly maintain this property, as many contend we can do? Where will this money come from, and is it possible to sustain this arrangement for a considerable amount of time? If the answer is that taxes must be raised and more items cut from the existing budget, many would balk. On the other hand, if another funding source from grants or creative budgeting would minimize the tax increase, many would prefer to keep the land to ensure the access that the Fish & Wildlife Service cannot guarantee. Even if the tax increase were minimal, would it be sustainable? If we can only cover for the next two or three years and then we run out of money to maintain it, we’re right back where we started from.

Another factor is how we’ll pay for tearing down the existing structures. Some will hope to keep the footprint for future construction, while others would hope to keep it clear for future generations. Who wins out? If we vote to keep it, are we voting to sell it to the highest bidder or maintain it as open land? Is there any guarantee it will stay “open” if we keep it?

In short, are we jumping without a parachute, here?

If I ran my business the way this town runs itself, I’d have been ousted a long time ago. Bedtime stories are for kids, not town councils. Either come up with the facts and give us all the information we need to make informed decisions between two alternatives, or go back to the drawing board and get someone to help you do it right. Failing that, the vote I’ll be looking forward to is a referendum on the Town Council, not the sale of Long Beach West. Read more of this observation!

The Accomplishments of Stratford's Mayor Miron

I was surprised to see that no one had responded to several online requests to list some of Mayor Miron’s achievements over the last two years. My first reaction was to assume that he’d done little in his time in office, and I wanted to investigate if this was true. With many of the regulars on the online boards that I truly respect convinced that this was the case, I owed it to myself to check the town records and see for myself.

What I found was an impressive list of accomplishments that seem far greater than anything I saw from the previous Town Manager form of government. In fact, it makes a very strong case for keeping this type of government. Regardless of whether one likes the Mayor personally or agrees with him politically, one can’t deny that a critical momentum has begun that’s been sorely needed in Stratford politics. All the stalling tactics and chamber meetings currently surrounding the sale of Long Beach West merely highlight the ineffectiveness of our Town Hall when there are too many cooks in the kitchen.

The principle problem of perception with this mayor’s office is that he’s changed too many things. However, that’s what we voted for in 2005: change. In fact, many regulars who’d attended Town Council meetings in the past might remember that the power of the current mayor was vested by the Republican-led council members over the objections of the Democrats. It was only after a Democrat was elected that concerns about a mayoral veto were raised. This is not unlike the current “debate” about holding a referendum on an agreement that is not finalized while also non-binding (allowing the Republicans to ignore the results if they choose).

As an Independent, I’ve always looked at the partisan bickering with disgust, and it’s funny how both parties play both sides of the fence whenever it suits their needs. Funny, but dangerous and unproductive.

I offer the following so that there can be some constructive dialogue in assessing our first term under a mayoral form of government. I hope to see facts debated and issues addressed rather than name-calling and petty slander.

I’m convinced that the windows need to be opened around here and some fresh air let in before we suffocate on our own inaction. With the pretense of “not wanting to make mistakes,” we make no decisions. As a result, precious town assets languish unused with no end in sight. We argue over parliamentary procedure rather than courses of action. So it was with some interest that I conducted this cursory look at the achievements made so far in two years of the mayoral form of government we requested.

Listed below is a partial list garnered from the town minutes of council meetings and press releases from the town web site. To his credit, the Mayor does not claim that he managed all this on his own: he states that all accomplishments took place as a result of the planning and hard work of many Town employees, volunteers who serve on many Town Commissions, Board and Committees. In some cases bipartisan cooperation was achieved and the Town Council deserves credit for those items.

There is more listed on the town web site, and they write it far better than I could. They also go into more detail. I simply don’t see the need to list much more, so I’d be happy to see what Mayor Miron’s detractors think of the results of a pretty simple search for the mayor’s accomplishments in this first term.

Additional information can be found at the web address for a pdf document outlining this year's State of the Town that, by itself, is a good overview of where the Town is now. That link is:

http://stratfordct.qscend.com/filestorage/1296/396/8320/State_of_the_Town_-_2008.pdf

My incomplete list looks like this:

• Mayor Miron and State Rep. Terry Backer got $55 million for Stratford's Sewage Treatment Plant from the DEP in 2006.

• The Town of Stratford and Liberty Tax Service partnerd to support Cell Phones for Soldiers.

• Mayor Miron announced the installation of the Town's Code Blue Emergency Phone System in 2006.

• Mayor Miron announced his first annual Mayor's Charity Golf Tournament in 2006. There have been three, and recently there was some talk about where the money was going: it is listed in press releases online. In 2006, all proceeds from this non-partisan tournament benefitted the Disability Resource Center, the Evergreen Network, the Special Olympics and the South End Community Center. In 2007, the beneficiaries included Autism Speaks, American Society for Scleroderma Research, Disability Resource Center of Fairfield County, Emerge, Evergreen Network, The Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, the Stratford Visiting Nurse Association, the South End Community Center, Wounded Warrior Project, Protect Your Environment of Stratford, The Stratford Coalition for the Homeless, children’s programs offered by the Police Athletic League and the Stratford Library Association, animal advocacy organizations in Stratford, and Stratford’s public and private schools. It’s a shame that some want to hurt charity by assuming the recipients of the monies were never mentioned.

• Mayor Miron announced the Summer Season on the Stratford Festival Theater Grounds on July 24, 2006, and it recently completed its latest round in August. This is an important step in reviving the arts in Stratford and have proven wildly successful.

• Broke ground at Stratford's Water Pollution Control Facility on October 31, 2006.

• Unveiled the Town of Stratford's Marketing Campaign on March 9, 2007, which serves a critical role in attracting industry back to our town.

• Began Stratford's Alternative Fuel, High Efficiency & Hybrid-Electric Vehicle Program a year before the fuel crisis peaked.

• Mayor Miron, the Stratford Youth and Family Advisory Board, the Stratford Clergy Association and Council of Churches of Greater Bridgeport hosted a Community Action Forum on Race to address one of the biggest crises this town has seen in years. In January of 2008, Stratford's Citizens Addressing Racial Equity (CARE) Program received National Recognition for its work.

• Mayor Miron issued a statement regarding the Sikorsky Memorial Airport (May 31, 2007) that was prescient considering how the FAA recently decided to claim town land at the long beach West parking lot. It also speaks volumes as to the importance of a relationship with Bridgeport’s mayor in working these issues out without endless litigation. These two people continue to talk about issues such as Remington Woods, Pleasure Beach/ Long Beach West, and Sikorsky Memorial Airport.

• Stratford was awarded Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting in July of 2007.

• Stratford Army Engine Plant Offered For Sale & Redevelopment in August of 2007 after the Army took it away from us due to our inability to find suitors. Even with the recent collapse of this sale to Hollywood 51, the process will be revisited and interested buyers already identified. This work was a substantial victory to people like me who value factory jobs in this town.

• The Mayor announced only the third Budget surplus in the last decade, with $1.2 million in savings, in 2007. It was difficult to believe this with all the bad press, but this is as fiscally responsible as I’ve seen the Town in quite a while.

• Mayor Miron announced one of the most significant labor arbitration decisions (regarding the Stratford Fire Pension Arbitration Award) in Stratford's history on October 29, 2007: “The Town will save approximately $15.2 million dollars in total gross savings as a result of this Award over the next 23 years.”

• Mayor Miron has led the critical push for a new Animal Control Facility after years of neglect.

• The mayor holds regular Open Door Meetings to ensure public access to the highest office. It seems as if not enough people take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to get directly involved in Town matters and get facts from the source. Regardless of whether you agree with him, we all have a responsibility to give him the advice needed to move Stratford forward.

• Stratford Senior Services was awarded a $10,000 grant from the Fairfield County Community Foundation.

• The Town of Stratford announced the opening of two Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Sites on February 19, 2008.

• The creation of the "Get Credit Smart" Workshop for Stratford Housing Authority & other Neighborhood Residents.

• The Mayor oversaw the expansion of the Elderly & Disabled Tax Relief Program, increasing Income Limits to $41,800.

• Town of Stratford received a $200,000 grant from the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism in July.

• The Town recently unveiled the Video Tour Book to spur tourism and relocation.

There are more, and I’ve already addressed his crucial role in pushing forward the discussions of Long Beach West, the Shakespeare Theatre, and the SAEP. I have to admit that I took for granted a lot of the things the Mayor did that didn’t make the papers. He’s attended the NIMS Compliance Seminar for Chief Elected Officials, the Annual Meetings of the United States Conference of Mayors, meetings with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA),
the National Brownfield Association's "The Big Deal", and other conferences to keep Stratford in the national eye. He was appointed to Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority Board of Directors, presented Stratford's C.A.R.E. (Citizens Addressing Racial Equity) Program at national conferences, and still manages to make many town functions of importance to its citizens. His hours go beyond normal business hours to nights and weekends. He has served ably as the Town’s point person, and I think his record does deserve more respect than it gets.

I’m sure some will say this is not enough, but I am comfortable saying that his work compares favorably to anything we’ve managed from the old form of government in quite some time.

It’s easy to say, “He hasn’t done anything.” Easy, and wrong. Instead, what I’d rather see is what you think about what he has done. Read more of this observation!

Stratford Asks: For This I Miss “Deal or No Deal”?

This year’s Democratic National Convention has a theme of “America’s Town Hall.” In fact, I skipped attending tonight’s scheduled town council meeting at our own Town Hall just so I could study this quadrennial bloodsport and get a feel for what to expect through November. With today’s Dow dropping 242 points, every now and again I need to focus on national politics as well as local. I turned to CNN out of habit and settled in for the show, a Pepsi in one hand and my newspaper in the other.

I lasted about an hour before I finally had to turn the volume down. Maybe it was too soon after the wall-to-wall Olympics from Beijing, but watching CNN’s coverage of the Democratic National Convention has become unbearable. If Wolf Blitzer calls his team “the best collection of political experts anywhere” one more time, I’m going to hurl my laptop through the TV screen. Remember when they used to lambaste Fox news for tooting its own horn like this?

With the volume down, every occasional glance at the proceedings consisted of a B-list celebrity (Matt Modine is on right now) speaking with a Kennedy. There were a few rock star sightings as John Kerry poked his head out from behind some scaffolding and Ted Kennedy made a rare appearance, but precious little in the way of substance. CNN isn’t covering the convention so much as covering itself covering the convention. It’s all pillow talk until Barack’s wife makes her speech, which in and of itself hardly seems to merit such a buildup. I don’t remember Nancy Reagan or Barbara Bush getting this type of star treatment, but then again they were the grandmarms of their party. Michelle is a hottie (for that matter, so is Obama), so I guess she reaches a larger demographic.

Ironically, at 9:30 on the very first night of the convention, CNN.com leads with this headline under Latest News: “Have Dems botched convention so far?” I didn’t know you could botch a convention so quickly, but with a horde of journalists hovering like vultures in every hallway in Denver, CNN seems ready to weigh in.

It just reminds me of why I respect local politics so much more than national campaigns. It’s obvious that most everyone in Stratford’s political offices truly cares about the town. I hope the candidates avoid making the mistakes the national campaigns of McCain and Obama have already made: too much flash, too much dazzle, not enough of the simple explanations that outline how they will fix things.

Under my own Latest News bulletin about the convention, I would have to write this: “I can’t wait until Monday Night Football returns.” Read more of this observation!