On Leadership and Economic Development

Economic development is not a panacea to all of the issues facing a community but it is certainly good medicine. While I applaud the volunteer Economic Development Commission for their volunteer work I have to point out that there is a complete lack of communication from Mayor Harkins and his administration as to what his vision is for economic development.

We are almost two years into the mayor’s four-year term and he seems content to have commission after commission study and talk about the same issues that this town has faced for decades. Where is the leadership from the mayor as to where he wants to sees the town head?

With all due respect to the Economic Development Commission, one year of talking about a website and still no website? That is simply unacceptable.

What other projects is the Commission and the mayor's economic development person working on that this has taken so long? I hope there is something more than a website as part of the plan. It certainly would be nice to hear if there is more.

One of the things I believed was important as mayor was communicating where I stood on an issue and updating the public via press conferences, open door meetings, newsletters, public appearances and the town’s website. Lets’ face it, a large part of part of being mayor involves listening, communicating and providing leadership by taking a stand and being out in front.

Mayor Harkins knows that being in front, as I was, subjects you to attacks and criticism and he desperately wants to avoid that. However, (unfortunately) that goes with the territory, especially in Stratford.

We all ought to know where Mayor Harkins stands and what his plans are for the future of:

1. The Stratford Army Engine Plant.
2. The Shakespeare Theatre.
3. An Economic Re-Development Corporation.
4. Sikorsky Airport.
5. Raymark Property cleanups.
6. Long Beach West.
7. Exit 33.

Moreover, in a short two years, Mayor Harkins has decimated public works and the town looks worse for wear. How does the mayor intend to attract new businesses to a town that physically looks a mess?

All of these issues factor into economic development; as does the mayor’s two consecutive budget deficits and plundering of the town’s rainy day fund, mass layoffs in public works and, most recently, a reduction in the town’s bond rating by Wall Street.

By comparison, when I was mayor, the town was better maintained, we had four balanced budgets (even a couple of small surpluses), we built up the rainy day fund, we stabilized taxes, we had no critical service reductions and we even had two increases to our bond rating by Wall Street.

Whether you voted for me ore not, these are the facts. A simple side-by-side comparison, on the issues that really matter, illustrates that we were better off.

As I have always maintained, no one person, even a mayor, can fix everything by himself. No mayor should get all the credit OR all the blame as many, many factors goes into the equation of governing a municipality.

However, for this former mayor, I feel confident we can all agree that we deserve a mayor who is willing to stand out in front, put his neck on the line and provide leadership on the key issues facing our town. 

You can read more at: www.JimMironBlog.com or www.JimMiron.com.