Has your housing become more affordable under Mayor Simmons’ administration? Despite campaign promises to the contrary, politicians have no impact on rental or real estate prices. I will not claim to be able to reduce your housing costs, but my initiatives to make Stamford an even more appealing place to live, will certainly add value to your housing costs. That’s the best that I can offer. I’d rather promise less and deliver more.
Michael Loughran will seek State and Federal grants that help to reduce housing expenses for renters, but, as I’ll further explain in the “Taxes” section, this is already your money to begin with.
We were all told in 2021 and ever since, that “growth” should be our goal, because it would increase our Grand List (tax base) and result in lower taxes for all. We have seen monumental growth, but our taxes continue to rise. The reality is that we Built More so we can Tax More so we can Spend More. We have not benefited from growth and our infrastructure and resources have been pushed to near their limits. Our water resources were so limited a short time ago, that we had to pipe water down alongside the Merritt Parkway from a distant reservoir to meet the demand. If our wastewater treatment plant is not near its limits, why have our beaches been closed to swimming due to human waste contamination after heavy rain? If elected, Michael will commission an independent study to ascertain the true limits on our resources.
Why do our taxes continue to rise, despite the significant increase in our Grand List? The short answer is that many of our elected leaders do not spend our hard-earned tax dollars as efficiently as they do their own.
Here is but one small example of our tax dollars being wasted. As reported in the Stamford Advocate, the Operations Department recently paid an Arizona company $70,000 to conduct a one year study to identify and prioritize which of our roads needed paving and/or pothole repairs. They then came up with a seven year plan to repair our roads. This is a government bureaucracy at its worst! Were they unaware of the hundreds of e-mails and requests for paving submitted by citizens to the Fix It Bureau? Does sunny Arizona, where there is no freeze/thaw cycle, have more expertise in this area? Is there no one in the Operations Department capable of assessing which roads need paving? Did we need to spend even a nickel to figure this out?
How do you feel when you hear that a proposed seven million dollar City project (Hunt Park Library Branch on Courtland Avenue) will only require one to two million dollars of Stamford taxpayer money to complete? That’s quite a vague estimate. Are you thrilled to hear that the State will pay the other six million dollars via a grant? Those that try to sell us on these projects act as if they found money in Hartford or Washington. It is not found money, it is OUR money. As we all know, the State and Federal government do not create money or earn money. They collect OUR tax money and redistribute it. If elected, Michael will also seek to recoup our State and Federal tax dollars by seeking State and Federal funding for local projects, but he will spend it as wisely as he would his own money. That is how we can lower taxes, whether they be local, State or Federal. This is the mindset that we must adapt as we spend a phenomenal sum on our new school projects. The savings could easily be in the millions!
We all know about the mold issues in our schools. This did not happen overnight. This could have been prevented or dealt with over the years. The heating, ventilation and air conditioning maintenance has not been properly addressed either. Of course they are failing. We all know of the dangers to our car engines if we neglect to do timely oil changes. Routine maintenance is essential and has not been done and now we are in the position wherein we have to spend a fortune in taxpayer money to build new schools. Once again, some of our elected and appointed leaders have dropped the ball. Surely they are much more diligent with addressing these issues in their own homes, when it is their money being spent.
School safety is also an issue in Stamford, but we don’t hear about it much, because many incidents have been swept under the rug. Michael has spoken to many Stamford educators and these incidents occur all too frequently. We are not the only city with this issue, but we need to be proactive in preventing violence against fellow students and educators, and when it does occur, the offenders need to be held accountable. They also need to be taught to deal with their anger issues before they escalate to violence. The situation will only deteriorate if incidents are not reported and dealt with effectively. It is wiser to admit that there is a problem and solve it, than to deny that a serious problem exists at all.
In short, our Superintendent of Schools, Tamu Lucero, Associate Superintendent Dr. Rhodes and some Board of Education members are trying to force yet another schedule change on our high school students. This schedule failed miserably in Darien and Bridgeport and mandates 96 minute classes, back to back, amongst other impractical features. Michael has met with numerous students, teachers, educators and administrators that have all echoed that no one is listening to their numerous concerns with the schedule. One example is that Dr. Rhodes ended a meeting with parents after only ten minutes. She also threatened to “call legal” on two principals for insubordination, because they stood up against the new schedule. Teachers have expressed that they fear retaliation if they oppose the new schedule publicly. Mayor Simmons refuses to show any leadership and has told many parents that it is strictly a Board of Education issue and she will not get involved.
If Michael is elected, he will show leadership with this crucial issue. He will listen to all stakeholders and encourage appointed and elected leaders to do the same. He will then guide them to a common sense solution that will put our children’s education first. He will not shy away from controversial issues and claim to be powerless.
As a veteran himself, Michael is well aware of the local issues which affect our veterans. The volunteers at the Stamford’s Veterans’ Resource Center have referred local veterans to many previously unknown resources which are available to them and they should be commended.
It is unfortunate though, that the City’s liaison to the SVRC, Carmen Hughes, has diverted donations intended for Stamford veterans to other organizations. Many warm winter jackets were donated to the SVRC this past winter to be distributed to Stamford’s homeless and needy veterans, but instead they were delivered elsewhere, against the objections of our veteran community.
It was also quite disrespectful to our veterans and poor judgement on the part of Mayor Simmons, Director of Operations Quinones and Carmen Hughes, to choose Veteran’s Park to host what was reported to be a 5,000 person political demonstration there recently. Veteran’s Park is a solemn place to remind us of our cherished veterans and their sacrifices. It is not a place for partisan politics and confrontation. If it wasn’t for the grassroots petition drive led by Gold Star mother of Navy Seal Brian Bill, Patricia Parry, and other SVRC board members, local veterans and other patriotic citizens, the event would not have been relocated to Mill River Park.
What is your definition of a veteran? Surely, it is not the same as the very limited definition chosen by our City when determining which veterans qualify for the nominal City property tax break for honorably discharged veterans. Veterans were instructed by the SVRC to bring a copy of their honorable discharge (DD-214) to the Town Clerk’s office to apply and they would receive their well-earned tax break. Can you imagine their disappointment when many received rejection letters from the Tax Assessor’s Office, indicating that they did not fit Stamford’s definition of “veteran”. Many, including Michael Loughran, were told that they were only “peacetime veterans” and did not meet the criteria chosen by the City.
Stamford’s veterans are so few and have served honorably, with no guarantee that their entire enlistment would be “peacetime”. Unfortunately, Stamford has even lost a hometown hero and Naval Aviator in a fatal training mission during “peacetime”. Had he survived, he would not be eligible either. Ironically, veterans who served during “wartime”, but never left U.S. soil, do qualify. Why does Stamford separate veterans into different classes? There is no logical explanation and this must be corrected! If Michael Loughran is elected, his verbal praise of his fellow veterans will be backed up by sincere, tangible efforts to improve their quality of life. Would you rather have a Mayor who “talks the talk” or one who has “walked the walk” for decades?
As reported in the Stamford Advocate. Stamford’s 2022 audit was extremely late being completed and we are still waiting on the 2023 and 2024 audits. We have heard many excuses and explanations, but the bottom line is that this is not acceptable and would never happen in the private sector. Those responsible would be terminated without delay. We are currently in grave danger of losing our AAA bond rating, which avails the City to a lower interest rate. If the interest rate rises, so do our taxes.
If Michael Loughran is elected, he will ensure that incompetent department heads will be replaced by professionals who will provide leadership in their field of expertise and will not tolerate weak excuses for such poor performance.