The Blog that Works

In light of the news today about Senator Chris Dodd’s diagnosis, I wanted to commend the Senator for using this opportunity to stress the importance and need for others to receive the same quality care he is fortunate to have.  My thoughts and prayers are with the Senator today.

From his statement:

I wanted to let you know that I’ve been diagnosed with an early stage of prostate cancer.  This diagnosis is very common among men my age. In fact, one in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point during their life. Luckily, a routine test allowed my doctor to catch it at a very early stage, and my prognosis is excellent – we expect a full and speedy recovery. I want to assure you that I’m feeling fine. As you know, we’ve been working hard to pass health care legislation and reform our nation’s financial system to protect consumers, and that hard work will continue. After the Senate adjourns at the end of next week, I’ll have surgery to remove the cancer. After a week or two of recuperation, I expect to be right back to work. After all, as a Member of Congress, I have great health insurance. I was able to get screened, seek the opinions of highly skilled doctors, consider all the available options, and choose the treatment that was right for me. And I know you’ll agree that every American deserves the same ability.

My best wishes for a complete and speedy recovery.

Did you know that you can help stimulate the local economy, support family farms, encourage healthy habits for your children and help the environment, all with one trip to buy some fresh-off-the-farm fruits and vegetables.  Sound impossible?  Read this posting from my other blog at www.danmalloy.wordpress.com and then go visit a farmer’s market.  

If you’ve got some time today, you’re in luck.  Every Wednesday from 10:00 to 2:00 the Bartlett Arboretum holds a farmer’s market known for its wide variety of food and its ever changing selection of fresh and delicious produce.  There is no gate charge on Wednesdays at the arboretum so make sure to stop by even if you just feel like mingling and getting to know some local vendors. The Bartlett Arboretum is located at 151 Brookdale Road.  Enjoy!

In case you missed it, on July 12 the Hartford Courant published a great op-ed about our city by an architecture student at Yale.  The author points to our efforts to expand economic success and urban livability by developing the South End, attracting local business and connecting our train station with the rest of the city with projects like the Stamford Urban Transitway.  I’m proud that Stamford was singled out as a model of pragmatic and successful urban development practices and you should be too! 

Click on article below to read the text of the op-ed.

After the success of the Obama campaign’s use of social networking to communicate with supporters and disseminate information, it makes you wonder why every politician since the dawn of the Facebook era hasn’t utilized these tools. The original intent of sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace were to network, make friends and keep track of one another, but they’ve become so much more. 

No one really saw the extent of how useful this type of fast, succinct networking could be until Barack Obama entered the political arena and then later on, during the aftermath of the elections in Iran.  During that time became even clearer how important these sites have become.  When other forms of communication weren’t available, these social networking forums established themselves as a tool for us to spread information with each other quickly and reliably.  

Taking advantage of social networking sites not only gives politicians a chance to get to know and communicate with their supporters, it gives supporters and constituents a chance to get to know their politicians.   I’m hoping that I too will be able to take full advantage of the potential networking that technology provides by my use of Facebook, this blog and Twitter. I encourage you to find me, friend me, and follow me on these sites as we dive head first into the new technological side of politics!

Did you know that Stamford just began a new recycling program?  Our new Single Stream Recycling is much more efficient and productive- and it shows.  Since we kicked off the new program three weeks ago, we’ve see as much as a 25% increase in the amount of material that our community recycled instead of trashed.  That is a lot of trash we saved from landfills! 

Single Stream lets us place all recyclables in a single bin, without having to separate paper from plastic.  It makes the process of recycling much easier for Stamford residents while at the same time producing a higher yield of recycled materials.  The program doesn’t just make recycling less of a hassle, but it is also letting us keep a whole lot more out of the garbage bin- you can now recycle all grades of plastic (including plastic grocery bags) and materials like Styrofoam, glass and paper- even hardcover books.  See this brochure for the whole list or call Dan Colleluori, Stamford’s Supervisor of Solid Waste/Recyling at 977-4117 if you have any questions.

Recycling saves the city money by reducing the amount of garbage we have to haul away, and most imporant, it’s good for the earth.  Let’s make that extra effort to ensure we leave a cleaner and greener community for the next generation.

Did you think twice before you threw something in the garbage today?  

If a lifetime of working in public service has taught me anything, it’s that our most grand social changes are begun on the smallest stages; a conversation in line at the grocery store, a cup of coffee between friends, a town hall meeting… these are the places that history-making ideas are born.  It all starts with the opportunity for everyone’s voice to be heard. Technology has provided our society with varying forms of communication, yet some people still do not have an outlet for speaking their minds. That’s why I am excited to begin posting on this site so that I can better convey my thoughts and ideas to the residents of Stamford and the rest of the State of Connecticut.

I want to keep you updated on a wide range of topics. You’ll have an insider view of what’s going on in The City that Works, from key decision making that impacts our town to sharing with you the things I like best in my favorite city in my favorite state, to thoughts and updates regarding my exploratory committee for governor in 2010. This blog will be a local addition to the blog I keep over at my website, www.DanMalloyforCT.com.

I’ll also be reaching out to some good friends and colleagues for their help in writing this blog.  It is my hope that reading the thoughts and opinions of city and state political leaders and decision makers will give you a better sense of how we work for you, and will in effect make our government even more open and accountable. Together we’ll track news and progress in our respective communities and weigh in on what’s happening. I’m encouraging each poster to speak his or her mind freely, as we work to foster an environment of open and candid discourse.  Your suggestions and opinions are invaluable to me.

I will be updating and posting regularly and I hope that you’ll keep an eye on this site in the months to come and that you’ll join in the discussion whenever possible.

Thanks for visiting!