Mayor Recognizes Outstanding Stratfordites

Know what's going on June 13, 2012 at 02:05 pm

Oh, great. Let's congratulate Marcia Stewart with her stubborn, stand-in-the-way actions and attitudes. One of the reasons we don't have development at the Army Engine Plant, and one of the reasons we can't gain agreement with Bridgeport and create an airport that would attract business and business people to Stratford is because of PYE and Marcia Stewart.
It's not that I'm in disagreement with environmental protections and activities. But we all should be in disagreement (and we should all fight back) when actions like hers and the stubborn inability to work towards compromise stand directly in the way of our making Stratford successful. Apparently our "leader" Mayor Harkins just plays to the crowd.

Jezebel282 June 13, 2012 at 03:22 pm

That is a totally unfair description of Ms. Stewart. The reason(s) nothing has happened at the SAEP has zero to do with Ms. Stewart. You can go back several Councils and something called "Team Stratford" if you want actual reasons.
As for the airport...thank God for Ms. Stewart. Nothing would destroy the environment and neighborhoods faster than an expanded airport. Stratford stands only to lose. No. A more accurate description of Ms. Stewart can be summed up in one word: "Citizen".

Helene E. Logan June 13, 2012 at 05:08 pm

I personally doubt the continued argument that expanding the airport will bring businesses to Stratford in droves. More often than not, regionals are reducing their stops, not increasing them. I haven't seen evidence that things are going to change and that there will be some sort of huge revival of the regional airline industry. The never-ending development sagas in Stratford have more to do with a continuous lack of vision beyond box stores and manufacturing. You can't blame that on Ms. Stewart.

Know what's going on June 13, 2012 at 05:33 pm

Anybody in Stratford know the word "compromise"? All we do in Stratford, over and over is block! The Mayor blocks. Marcia Stewart blocks over and over again. The word we don't know in Stratford is compromise.
As to airports being useful economic tools -- why not check out Oxford!!!

Jezebel282 June 13, 2012 at 07:44 pm

ROTFLMAO!
Oxford? Really? You mean the airport that's not near any neighborhoods, not bound on three sides by Long Island Sound or not owned by some other city? Why not mention Tweed-New Haven. How's that doing? 16 miles away? New Haven has only slightly less population than Bridgeport but with a huge non-resident out of state population (Yale). Only 4 flights per day to Philadelphia? Longer runways, bigger terminal and still only 4 flights day. I'll bet the residents of East Haven are just thrilled.

Patterson Crew June 13, 2012 at 08:05 pm

Jezebel282: The local know it all!

George E. Mulligan June 14, 2012 at 01:36 am

Anonymous critic outright lies about AVCO & Marcia.
Marcia and others actually do to benefit the Town's people. Airport benefits certain people.

Shirley B. Backus June 14, 2012 at 04:24 am

It's the airport that is unwilling to compromise. They could build the blast fence with the same type of crumbling material proposed for the "safety zones," but they would rather have the excuse to take more land from Stratford by extending the runway. They have used wordplay and other deceptive actions to get their way. Whatever happened to their promise not to seek more land ater the last time we gave in to them? They have violated our trust again and again and expect us to give give give. Sorry, but I don't trust them. They won't fix the floodgate, and have stalled on fixing the blast fence. They don't have enough of a client base to warrant larger planes,and even though they insist that this is not their goal, their actions speak otherwise. The airport even attempted to block the sale of the Army Engine Plant by claiming that they needed water stored on the site. We tried to compromise, but they wanted the land! It seems that all they really want is more land! Marcia Stewart doesn't have the "wool pulled over her eyes" like airport supporters do.

Ron Moreau June 14, 2012 at 01:34 pm

Shirley,
You are absolutely correct. Bridgeports only justification for Safety Zones (runway expansion) are the accidents involving the blast fence. They fail to mention that all the accidents were the result of pilot error.

Shirley B. Backus June 15, 2012 at 04:23 am

They also fail to mention that these accidents only happened in inclimate weather. Hasn't anybody else noticed how few and far between they are? The FAA has agreed to pave the Airport's runway at their expense if they can get Stratford to let them have enough land to add the "safety zones." If the Airport was so worried about safety, they'd go ahead and pave their runway ASAP instead of fighting Stratford for years hoping to get it done free - eventually.