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.