Mayor says Stamford staying strong – as long as Covid is kept at bay
While Covid-19 has left Stamford bloodied, it remains unbowed ”“ as long as proper coronavirus mitigation practices remain in place.
That was the overarching theme of Mayor David Martin”™s “State of the City” address on Nov. 5, presented by the Stamford Chamber of Commerce at the downtown Marriott Residence Inn (and, of course, virtually).
With the city having officially recorded 4,381 Covid cases through Nov. 6 ”“ second in the state only to Bridgeport, with 5,176 ”“ Martin said that mitigation efforts largely had been successful until recently: Stamford has given out about 200,000 free masks and had recorded just three deaths between July 1 and the beginning of October, and continues to add free tests for residents.
Beginning last month, however ”“ as has much of the region, if not the country ”“ Covid cases began to increase, with the result that Stamford requested from the state government a reversion to Phase 2 of reopening to cut down on exposures. Within a few days, Martin said, Gov. Ned Lamont has rolled the entire state back to “Phase 2.1.”
“I”™m getting tired” of advising people to wear masks and take other virus-preventative measures, the mayor said. “But this is serious ”“ we”™ve got to push this thing back.” Otherwise, he predicted, the state will be forced to institute another lockdown, resulting in further economic setbacks.
“If we take care of the health, then we can reopen the economy stronger,” Martin declared.
As for Stamford”™s economy, “our budget projections are being exceeded,” he said. As a way of addressing the “significant challenge” of Fiscal Year 20-21, Martin noted that city operations are 3.4% below what they were last year, thanks in part to an April decision for 32 city employees to take a voluntary pay reduction to 2018 salary rates, along with an agreement to forgo annual raises; and a handful of major city unions agreeing to a wage freeze for FY 19-20 and a reopener for FY20-21 in exchange for no layoffs. Other unions are still in negotiations, with additional layoffs possible; some 45 employees were let go in July.
In addition, the city”™s Board of Education budget is only 0.9% above the prior year, while deferred tax collection totals about $30 million.
All told, Stamford is looking at an overall surplus of about $8 million, Martin said, although uncertainty on a number of fronts ”“ including the path that Covid takes, as well as related questions about the availability of additional federal and state aid, and local businesses”™ recovery ”“ remains strong.
Nevertheless, the development market in the city remains strong, Martin said, with an unspecified number of Fortune 1000 companies “considering moving to Stamford.”
Another recent plus was the late October acquisition of the Stamford Town Center mall by Yaraghi Realty, part of the Port Washington, New York-based furniture purveyor Safavieh, for an estimated $20.15 million. Martin noted that Macy”™s, which still owns about 240,000 square feet of the property, is in talks with Yaraghi about future plans, and that the new owner has said it will keep Town Center as a shopping destination.
“In summary,” the mayor said, “I think we did one hell of a job battling back the coronavirus in the spring.
“But it”™s back, and it”™s growing,” he added. “We really all need to pay attention to those basic rules of wearing a mask, washing our hands, social distancing ”” and, heaven forbid, don”™t go to some crazy party.”