Democratic Party updates, campaign announcements, and the latest news from our local, state, and federal elected officials
“I contribute monthly to the Stamford DCC because the work of local parties is critical to preserving democracy.”
– Karen E., Stamford resident
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City Updates
For the first time since 2015, Stamford seniors will receive a tax break through the expansion of the Senior Citizen Property Tax Credit. The struggles of the COVID-19 pandemic combined with rising inflation and housing and health care costs is forcing too many seniors to make tough choices, whether it’s being able to afford their prescription drugs or putting food on the table.
Through this expansion, the Simmons administration, in partnership with the Board of Finance and Board of Representatives, provided much needed tax relief to Stamford’s senior population.
This week, Mayor Caroline Simmons announced the City’s Pave Stamford initiative, which will increase the amount of road paving and sidewalk construction.
The initiative has four objectives:
1. Develop a two-tier paving schedule targeting approximately 70 roads and over 20 miles for paving for the 2022 season.
2. Develop a comprehensive sidewalk restoration plan that restores 100% of Stamford’s sidewalks near public schools in five years.
3. Launch a comprehensive city-wide roadway assessment to establish a priority paving list for FY23 – FY24.
4. Research the opportunity to integrate unaccepted roads into the City’s future road paving plan.
The following five schools will be prioritized in year 1 of the sidewalk restoration plan: Newfield Elementary, Davenport Ridge, Northeast Elementary, Springdale Elementary, and Stark School.
The full tier 1 paving list can be found here.
Residents can also submit requests for road and street consideration through FixIt Stamford.
State Updates
On Thursday, March 31, the State Bond Commission approved funding for five key projects that will provide much needed investments in community resources that are utilized and enjoyed by Stamford residents.
The State Bond Commission is a 10-member body that is empowered under the Connecticut General Statutes to allocate bond funds to finance specific projects and purposes. The State Bond Commission is made up of the governor, three state constitutional officers, four state legislators and two state agency heads.
Thank you to our incredible state delegation who work hard every day to bring funding home to Stamford. This would not be possible without their continued support and advocacy in Hartford!
In the News
“Connecticut borrowers have the fifth-highest average student loan debt in the country, with our state borrowers holding $19.7 billion in student debt. Overwhelmingly, women and people of color not only take out student loans at a higher rate, they typically borrow more, owe more than they borrowed and are three times as likely to default on their student loans.”
ICYMI: Representative Corey Paris wrote an op-ed about his bill SB 250, “An Act Concerning Student Loan Reimbursement for Connecticut Residents who Graduated from a State University.” This bill would create a student loan reimbursement program that would pay up to $5,000 of a participating borrower’s loan each year they are in the program for up to four years, for a total of $20,000. Payments would be made directly to the Connecticut Higher Education Supplemental Loan Authority for loan forgiveness.
You can read the op-ed here.
“For 12 years, we have shown that Connecticut’s False Claims Act works to recover health care dollars lost to fraud and abuse. We have also witnessed stark examples of corruption and abuse in public spending outside of our health care programs. It’s time to close the False Claims Act loophole and ensure every taxpayer dollar is protected.”
ICYMI: Attorney General William Tong wrote an op-ed regarding the loophole in Connecticut’s False Claims Act. The Connecticut’s False Claims Act gives the office of the attorney general authority to investigate and civilly prosecute fraud and abuse of taxpayer funds, however it only applies to health care spending. The loophole has hamstrung Connecticut’s anti-corruption efforts for over a decade and Attorney General Tong is working to fix that.
You can read his op-ed here.
Campaign Announcements
Last week, Attorney General Tong announced he is running for re-election and he needs our help to qualify for Citizens’ Election Program funding! You can contribute to his campaign here. The maximum contribution is $290.
ICYMI: Watch his announcement video here.
The Lamont campaign is hiring! The campaign is looking to fill a variety of roles related to communications, digital, research, and voter contact. Click here for a full list of opportunities.
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Paid for by The Stamford Democratic City Committee, Jackie Heftman, Treasurer