State of the Town -  March 12, 2007

Good afternoon. Thank you for being here as I present the State of our Town.

Before I begin, I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the local elected officials who are here today. Like me, they know Stratford is a great place to live, work and do business. And they know that only by working together, regardless of party affiliation, can we be a community that truly is “offering more from forest to shore.” I extend my hand in friendship to them to join me in making Stratford better.

I would like to thank and recognize our team of dedicated town department heads, supervisors and employees for their work in making Stratford a better place.

I would also like to acknowledge Police Chief Michael Imbro and Town Clerk Patty Ulatowski. Both of them will be retiring this spring after almost four decades each of service to the Town of Stratford. Chief Imbro and Town Clerk Ulatowski are great examples of what it means to be a public servant. We will miss them, their service and professionalism.

No mention of service would be appropriate without letting us pause for a moment to remember the young men and women in our armed forces who are answering America’s call to defend freedom. Their actions, and the actions of the men and women who came before them, allow us to assemble this afternoon in a free and peaceful manner to discuss our Town and later, at our Town Council meeting, to work on behalf of our Town.

Last year was notable in the Town of Stratford because it was the first year of a new form of government - a Mayor Town Council form of government. This change was profound and affected operations in ways that most people may never appreciate. The first year of this change was challenging, and indeed trying at times, as our Town experienced growing pains and worked to define what it means to have a Chief Elected Official, a CEO with broad authority to oversee the administration of the people’s business. Frankly, there was no roadmap, but we worked through the first year together. The business of the town, indeed the business of the people, was well served by our town employees and under our new form of government.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am pleased to report that the state of the town is strong, positive and moving in the right direction.

Under my direction in our first year of our new form of government, I am pleased to announce that:

Property values in town remain high, yet affordable, and taxes remain competitive, especially when compared to many of our neighbors in Fairfield County. Our bond rating is among the best possible and I intend to keep it that way with sound management and fiscal policy.

During my first year as Stratford’s first Mayor, we made many strides in moving our Town forward.

I fought to obtain approximately $60 million in funding to completely upgrade and overhaul the Town’s water pollution control facility. This upgrade will vastly improve our infrastructure, service, virtually eliminate odors and help reduce nitrogen emissions.

After 11 years of inactivity, I have worked to move the Stratford Army Engine Plant re-development forward - to get the site cleaned up, to bring jobs to our community and to get the property back on our tax rolls.

After 15 years of our beloved Shakespeare Theater lying dormant, we are moving toward re-development. Under my direction, my administration created and ran a Summer Festival for the first time ever in Stratford and our arts community became re-energized.  

I have lobbied for us in Hartford and Washington for funding and legislation that will help our community – specifically for additional ECS funds, transportation funds, storm water management funds and for legislation that helps the people of Stratford.

I have worked to secure the necessary funding to install new boilers for heating at local schools, new roofs at local schools and a new roof on the Town Library.

I havedirected the repairing and re-paving of numerous roads and the cutting down and/or trimming of trees.

My administration is working to improve storm water management.

I have proposed enhancements to our Senior Tax Relief program.

My administration is focused on retaining local businesses in town and attracting new economic development.

My office has created a new marketing campaign to attract new businesses and visitors to Town.

The Town has made improvements to the Railroad Station.

I am fighting to protect Long Beach West as open space.

My administration is working to improve the Town’s image by implementing a “Project First Impression” campaign to enhance the “look” of our gateway areas in Town. This campaign will be unveiled in the spring.

At my direction the Town has hosted community conversations on race relations. While Stratford is not unique in the issues we face, I have taken the lead role in confronting racism and cultural diversity issues head-on.

I am proud to say that my administration has been the most open in the history of our town.

Twice a week, on Monday from 4:30pm-6pm and on Fridays from 8am - 9:30am, I invite anyone to meet with me to discuss their ideas and concerns at my "Mayor's Open Door" sessions.

I am the only Chief Elected Official who makes himself available in this manner. It is an example of making good on my promise to bring our government closer to the people we serve and whose government it is.

I have also implemented a new feature to my "Mayor's Open Door" sessions. On the first Monday of each month, select Department Heads and Supervisors are present with me at the open door meeting. This will provide members of our community with a better understanding of how their town government operates and provide to them direct access to critical members of the town administration "after hours" when town hall is normally closed.

Further working toward my goal to bring our government closer to the people, I have established a Mayor's Citizens Panel, a non-partisan group of approximately 40 citizens, that are volunteering their time to study issues and concerns facing the town and recommend possible solutions for consideration.

Under my direction, we have redesigned the town’s website, making it easier to obtain information about town for residents, businesses and others looking to Stratford for business or entertainment opportunities. To further support the local business community, a complete listing of all Town Request for Proposals (RFPs) and Request for Qualifications (RFQs) are listed on the website. Residents and local businesses are invited to subscribe to the Town’s monthly e-newsletter. The e-newsletter will keep members of the community informed about a myriad of issues including upcoming events and meetings, public works schedules and weather cancellations.

An on-line poll, which each month will ask residents for their opinions on a multitude of subjects, is also a feature of the new site.

We have put the Town Council meetings, in addition to other Town meetings and special events on Channel 79 to allow more citizens to observe their elected officials in action. The website also hosts information on Stratford’s Channel 79. Residents can access the programming schedule, which includes Stratford’s community pages, Town special events and Town meetings. Residents can also link to Soundview Media and watch Stratford programming on-line. Currently, Stratford is the only Town in Cable Television Area II that utilizes this “Video-on-Demand” service

Yes, it has been an interesting, challenging and productive year.

But as many of you know, I believe there is always more we can do to improve the level of service we provide to our residents and business owners.

Over the last several months, we have worked hard in town government to change our culture and improve the way that we deliver services to our residents.

That is why last Friday I was proud to announce the launch of Stratford’s “Citizen and Business Service Center.” This is a citizen relationship management system that allows Stratford residents to submit concerns and suggestions online and at any time of day. The requests are then routed directly to the town department and personnel responsible for addressing the issue. The citizen submitting the request is notified as their request is processed, handled and closed. Stratford’s “Citizen and Business Service Center” will allow me to better measure our productivity, make sound management decisions about the allocation of resources, and ultimately hold our Town employees accountable for their job performances.

President Kennedy once said, “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present, are certain to miss the future.”

Ladies and Gentlemen, Stratford’s future is what I am focusing on. I invite you to join me in my work to move our Town forward and I ask you for your continued support.

Again, I thank you for being here this afternoon. May God bless you and your family; and may God bless the Town of Stratford.

Thank you.