2nd Letter to Stamford 18th District Representatives

Mike/Jim,

Thank you very much for the fast and prompt response. Your thoughtful and collaborative response is greatly appreciated. It makes me feel very comfortable knowing that you are both, not only checking your email on a weekend, but also working together to actively and jointly address the concerns of your constituents. After having observing the Board of Education process for the past few years, I want to make sure I thank you for dedicating yourselves to representing us in the Board of Representatives. I know that you are both volunteers who are spending a great deal of time and are obviously equally invested in our community. I also understand that you must receive a fair number of letters, emails and calls from people like me all across the district wishing to share their concerns and wanting you to represent their individual needs in our city government.

I could not agree more with you, that these are tough times. I spent a great deal of last summer being unemployed, so I understand first hand what it is like trying to make ends meet on a fixed, limited or non-existent income. It is completely understandable that with limited budget options, that some organization or services have to feel the axe, and that not every single resident is going to approve of the difficult if not impossible task at hand. As an aside you mention the fact that seniors who have lived here for their entire lives have contacted both of you regarding their tax rates, and others have contacted you about saving our libraries. At the Public Hearing on Monday March 22, every single senior resident that came to the podium to speak, actually spoke in favor of the current budgets as they are currently proposed in order to keep the libraries open. Not one person, young, old or middle aged came up and spoke out that the budgets should be further reduced in order to save the city more money. After all isn't the point of the Public hearing to allow our elected officials an opportunity to listen to the people speak about the issue at hand. I know in the past that the seniors have flooded to these hearings and overwhelmed the parents, but that was not the case this year.

With all that you have said in mind, let me ask you a few questions that I think are very relevant to the discussion. What happens if the Board of Finance makes further cuts to the Board of Education budget and the Mayors city proposed budget? Lets assume it gets down to their stated goal of 0-1% total tax increase. Then it is the responsibility of the superintendent and the Board of Education to make further cuts to already overburdened school system It is the mayors responsibility along with the Board of Representatives to make further cuts to the services the city currently provides to their citizens. What happens next year, when the same Board of Finance members are still in the same position of being able to hold the entire city hostage to their misguided mandate? We now have 2 consecutive years of reduced services across the board. We now have at least 1, maybe 2 or 3 schools closed, shuttered unused and still costing the city money to maintain, we have lost between 100-200 teachers, not older more expensive teachers, but the younger more energetic less expensive teachers who should be the live blood of the schools for the next generation, we have further reduced administrators in the central office, whose goals it is to drive new standards, and improve district-wide performance, leaving no one there except to maintain compliance with state and federal mandates. We have scaled back or closed Weed and Bennett Libraries, and reduced hours at the other branches, making access to books, the internet, and shelter such as last weeks black out inaccessible to everyone, especially those not as fortunate as you and I. Police and fire services would also be cut to the bone, meaning an increase in crime, and a significantly increased chance of a major fire or other incident that could jeopardize multiple lives of any of our fellow citizens. Please tell me which part of this scenario is not realistic? Tell me what part of this scenario is not worth fighting for the current level of budgets with no further cuts? How is this going to impact the Stamford housing market and increase the tax base, bringing new residents to town? How are we going to compete for our fair share of ECS dollars and other state funds available from Hartford?

Gentleman, I don't want you to think of me as a naysayer, I am very enthusiastic and proud to have set down roots here. I am always blown away by the amount of my friends that grew up here and have chosen to live here and raise their families here. It is a true attribute of Stamford that its children return in force and help keep the culture alive. But I am worried that my children, and your children will not make the same choices. This is indeed a very bleak picture that has been painted and if it comes to fruition it will take us not years, but decades to recover. Is this is the city we want to live in? To raise our children in? To attract new residents and new families? Tell me how I can help prevent these scenarios from becoming reality.

Sincerely,

Jeff Herz