Is personal political animosity clouding the judgment of officials in two Fairfield county towns?
Today the Connecticut Post published an article on the refusal on the part of current Mayor James Miron to sign an emergency request for two new fire trucks which the town of Stratford is in great need for, on the upper part of the River Road, we in Shelton now worry about the same lack of concern for our current all volunteer fire department after Echo Hose Company #1 fireman Chris Jones ran against current Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti in the past Mayoral election earlier this month.
In Stratford we are seeing blatant disregard for public safety considering the article not only highlighted that the Stratford Fire trucks have broke down in route to calls, but also that the Stratford Fire Union backed Republican John Harkins who won the November election over Miron for Mayor. Unfortunately for Stratford, because of Miron’s selfish actions the town may lose the bid for these two pieces of fire equipment before the new Mayor elect is sworn in on December 14th. From an outsider, and a lifelong resident of Stratford until 2 years ago, it looks as though the current Mayor is acting like a child pitching a fit on his way out.
Lets move up to Shelton, a town in which my husband is currently a volunteer firefighter. In Shelton there are 4 fire companies, in which all are in need of some type of equipment, fire trucks, or simply new gear for the men being brave enough to risk their own safety for the safety of the public. If we look at the downtown fire department who sees the most calls out of all 4 companies in the city, and is also fire headquarters, they are seriously lacking in essentials, one being a fire house. The current building is falling apart in every which way. There is also the need for equipment for the firefighters themselves. Gear that fits appropriately, appropriate communication equipment, etc. Don’t get me wrong, the fire department in our area is great, but unfortunately for the men themselves it seems like local government is always forgetting about them.
My hope for 2010 is that in Shelton, the run for Mayor by a fireman does not cloud the judgment of our current Mayor and put the safety of our public in danger because of a possible personal vendetta.
