The Blog that Works

Watching the unspeakable suffering the Haitian people are experiencing this week due to the earthquake, I’m reminded of the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in his Letter from Birmingham Jail.  He wrote, “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.”

The outpouring of humanitarian efforts in Haiti, particularly by American doctors, nurses, students, faith communities, and businesses has only reinforced my belief in Dr. King’s words. I’m heartened and inspired seeing ordinary citizens respond to tragedy and need with determined action.  You can do the same here.

Today, we honor Dr. King’s civil rights legacy in a National Day of Service. Fittingly, the King Day of Service will include thousands of community service projects spread across all 50 states, including serving meals, refurbishing schools and community centers, collecting clothing, building shelter for seniors, and reading to children, with many more projects starting today and lasting throughout the year.

Community service is the perfect way to honor Dr. King. He devoted his life to advancing equality, social justice, and opportunity for all, and challenged us to play a role in transforming our communities.

Yet, forty years after Dr. King’s death, we still have work to do to realize his dream: Here in Connecticut, 99,580 children live in poverty, 7% of Connecticut’s workers are unemployed, and millions more families are suffering from the economic downturn.

As I’ve traveled the state in the last year exploring my candidacy for Governor, I’m met with countless Connecticut “community heroes” who have answered the call to action and are tackling serious problems in Connecticut with ingenuity and tenacity. These are folks who recognize that government can’t do it alone, especially in these harsh economic times.

Today, I will be in Cromwell, New Britain, West Hartford and Hartford honoring the work of some of Connecticut’s community heroes, including the St. Vincent DePaul Place & the Amazing Grace Food Pantry in Middletown, which provided over 307,000 meals to individuals and families in need in 2009.

In the months ahead, I hope we can work together to empower individuals, bridge barriers, and advance social justice in Connecticut. But it is your ideas, energy, and creativity that will make the difference.  I urge you to answer the call to action in your community.

Planning to volunteer on the King National Service Day or in the weeks ahead? Tell me about it on myFacebook page here.

During this holiday season, it’s easy to get lost in the bustle of planning, traffic and shopping, and all too often, we forget about what’s most important.  The former Director of Legal Affairs for Stamford and a dear personal friend of mine whose son is stationed in Afghanistan wrote this essay, which was published on the New York Times website.

His poignant and beautifully written tribute to his son deepened my appreciation for the brave men and women who sacrifice so much on our behalf.  I encourage you to read the essay, pause to consider those in harm’s ways and pray for their safe return.

It is my wish that you experience a holiday season and new year filled with joy, good health, peace and prosperity for you and your entire family.  I hope that you feel as blessed as Cathy and I do from so much support and kindness from family, friends and colleagues.

We wish you a safe and happy holiday season and look forward to a wonderful 2010, with you.

All our best,
Dan and Cathy Malloy

For over 350 years the Mill River has been controlled by a series of dams, and on Monday, my last day in office, the river ran unencumbered along its natural riverbed for the first time in centuries.

The restoration of a large natural riverbed in the heart of an urban center is almost unprecedented, and a massive undertaking of which I am extremely proud.  When the restoration is complete, Mill River promises significant ecological and flood control benefits and a world-class park for all to enjoy.

This was not an easy assignment to tackle, and the work is far from done, but it could not have even been attempted without tenacious hard work and involvement from so many people, from federal and state agencies to local collaboratives, boards and City of Stamford employees.  I am grateful to all of you for making this dream a reality and encourage you to take a walk along the park, check out the development and enjoy the transformation of this jewel in the heart of Stamford.

Yesterday, I announced today the creation of a new Scofieldtown Area Remediation Task Force to provide guidance to City boards, commissions, and administration in dealing with the problems presented by contamination in and around the former Scofieldtown dump.

I am establishing this ad hoc task force because it is clear that this issue will require coordination, community input, and complex decision-making for years to come. It is my hope that this task force can be a group that advises the City’s elected boards, advocates for solutions in the public interest, and provides the next Mayor and his staff with a helpful, independent perspective on this issue.  I also believe that it can be a way for those members of the community who are so powerfully affected or concerned by the contamination to have their voice be heard.

The Task Force consists of six members.  They include Board of Representatives members Harry Day, Randall Skigen, and Mitchell Kaufman; Board of Finance member Joseph Tarzia; Environmental Protection Board member and local resident Leigh Shemitz; and local resident Yossi Stern.  The Mayor identified Director of Operations Ben Barnes, City Engineer Lou Casolo, Health Director Dr. Johnnie Lee, and Environmental Protection Board Executive Director David Emerson as staff available to inform and assist the Task Force.

The first meeting has been set for November 16, 2009, at 6:30 p.m. at a location to be determined.

This week, I announced that the City of Stamford has posted a general fund operating year end surplus for fiscal year 2008-2009 of $1.3 million. The 2008-09 operating surplus represents approximately .3% of the City’s general fund revenue for the year.

I am very pleased that the City has ended the year with a modest surplus, given the state of the economy and the severe downturn in the global financial markets during this period of time. At the start of the fiscal year, I directed all departments to give back up to three percent of their operating budgets to offset anticipated non-tax revenue losses, the most significant of which was in building permits and conveyance taxes. This proactive approach proved to be the appropriate strategy as the end result was a drop in revenues of approximately $3 million offset by a decrease in expenditures by $4.3 million, resulting in the $1.3 million operating surplus.

Every year, the City designates surplus funds for specific purposes.  When these funds are not expended, they roll forward into the ensuing year as surplus.  In 2008-2009, the City did not spend $3.2 million of that designated fund balance; therefore, that $3.2 million is available along with the $1.3 million year end surplus for a total of $4.5 million available for future designation.

The City Charter requires that by October 15 of each year I recommend the amount of the surplus to be placed into the City’s Rainy Day Fund.  The Charter also requires that the draft annual audit be submitted to the Board of Finance by September 30 of each year.  Under State law, the Board of Finance must finalize the audit prior to December 31.  Because of its Charter requirement, Stamford is among the first communities in Connecticut each year to complete its audit. 

In the draft audit, I recommended that the $4.5 million surplus be designated as follows: City Medical Reserve Fund: $1,000,000; Risk Management Fund: $1,000,000; Change in Fair Market Value of Investments: $327,400; and Rainy Day Fund: $2,174,017. This level of contribution to the Rainy Day Fund affirms our commitment to the Rating Agencies that the City will take measurable steps in building adequate reserves in line with other AAA rated communities.

This morning, the Stamford Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA) announced that they will hold an Open House and Special Meeting on Tuesday, September 29 to discuss the Waste-to-Energy Project.  The Open House will run from 3:00 p.m. until 5:00, followed by a special meeting of the WPCA Board of Directors at 6:00 p.m.  It will be held in the Administration building of the WPCA on Harborview Avenue in Stamford.  Please enter the WPCA plant from the southern end of Harborview Avenue and follow signs for parking.

The Open House will include materials and staff from Nexterra Systems Corp., the firm that is under contract with the WPCA to design the proposed alternative energy project, as well as staff from the WPCA.  The Project entails construction of a gasification system that will use wood waste to generate heat to dry sewage sludge.  The sludge drying system currently relies on natural gas for heat.  With the offset of natural gas, the Project will reduce costs for the WPCA and ratepayers, while switching from a fossil fuel to a carbon-neutral source of energy.  The completion of the project will also create opportunities for future phases with additional financial and environmental benefits to Stamford.

Interested citizens will be given the opportunity to tour the site of the proposed project and the existing state-of-the-art sludge drying facility. WPCA Director Jeanette Brown, senior representatives of Nexterra and others will be on hand to answer questions about this progressive environmental project.

The special meeting will include formal presentations on the financial and technical aspects of the project.  There will be an opportunity for public comment as well.  I strongly encourage all citizens who are interested in this leading-edge alternative energy technology and its application in Stamford to attend this event.

This morning, I announced that construction of the Replacement of the Farms Road Bridge over the East Branch of the Mianus River is completed.  This project is the culmination of many years of design and environmental permitting and 16 months of construction.  Input from the meetings held both formally with the public and informally with the area residents have contributed greatly to the success of this project.

 The new bridge maintains essentially the same alignment as the existing bridge but has been widened to improve driving safety.  The new structure features solid arched parapet walls and four pilasters that define the bridge.  The entire structure is surfaced to replicate the stone of the many WPA era bridges that were constructed throughout Stamford.  The cost of the project was eligible for 80% reimbursement from federal aid with the remaining 20% coming from municipal funds.

The federal aid for the project was authorized under the Transportation Equity Act for the Twenty-First Century (TEA-21) administered by the Federal Highway Administration through the Connecticut Department of Transportation’s Federal Local Bridge Program.  To commemorate this auspicious completion, I will be conducting a ribbon cutting ceremony on the bridge, on Friday, September 18th at 11:00AM.  I hope to see you there.