Stamford chamber salutes its city and its best

Gov. Dannel Malloy speaks at the Stamford Chamber of Commerce's 27th annual meeting. — Gov. Dannel Malloy speaks at the Stamford Chamber of Commerce’s 27th annual meeting.

The Stamford Chamber of Commerce hosted its 27th annual meeting recently at the Hilton Stamford Hotel & Executive Meeting Center in Stamford. The awards luncheon attracted a packed house of 210 businesspeople and dignitaries, including Gov. Dannel Malloy and Stamford Mayor David Martin.

Armando Goncalves, senior vice president and Southern Connecticut Division president for People”™s United Bank, and Chet Valiante, board chairman of the chamber and publisher and chief operating officer of The Hour Publishing Co. and The Stamford Times, offered introductory remarks. Joyce Mazur, associate director for corporate real estate and administrative services for the Americas for UBS and secretary of the chamber”™s board of directors, directed annual parliamentary duties. Mazur noted she has been a chamber member for 17 of the chamber”™s 27 years.

Martin cited a number of advances in Stamford, notably in the arenas of transportation and education. He said aligning the city”™s traffic lights ”“ a function he said should be done every five years but has been ignored for 20 years ”“ will promote smoother flow, calm frazzled nerves and reduce costly fender benders on the city”™s sometimes traffic-choked streets.

Maureen Hanley Bellitto, a former TD Bank executive, brandished her new business card reflecting her move in August to Glastonbury-based United Bank, where she is now senior vice president and commercial team leader. She said a new United Bank branch will open in Westport in February.

The 2014 chamber honorees and their awards included Doctors Express Stamford owner Brad Radulovacki, Company of the Year; Nivea Torres of Connecticut Technical High Schools, President”™s Award; Harry Carey of AT&T and Meredith Keeler of Stamford Town Center, Chairman”™s Award; Deena Kaye, American Heart Association, and Brad Shaw, Northeast Utilities, Member of the Year Award.

Malloy addressed the assembled for a half-hour, admitting to a tight schedule dictated by the large Bridgeport fire the previous day. He spoke of education, capital projects, jobs and fiscal accomplishments under his administration. He called the problematic Walk Bridge on the Metro-North line “the most-endangered bridge in the Washington-Boston corridor.” He said that if the federal government will fix the bridge, Connecticut will take the money it has earmarked for repairs and use it on other aging bridges.

“In February 2010, Connecticut stopped losing jobs,” Malloy said. “Since then, Connecticut has created more jobs than any state in New England. And New Jersey”™s job creation is a fraction of ours.”

Malloy, who faces Greenwich businessman Tom Foley in a November rematch of their 2010 nail-biter, said, “I have made the decision as governor not to go short-term. I would like to have another four years ”“ yes. But if the people want to change their captain, I understand that.”