Thumbs up, thumbs down
Thumbs up to Greenwich First Selectman Fred Camillo for communicating with town residents in Zoom discussions twice last week. Not only did Camillo answer questions, but he offered a candid response to the criticism that the reopening of the economy is too slow by saying “for people to say this is overkill — no, it’s not. And you wouldn’t be saying that, if someone close to you had passed away.”
Thumbs up to the innovative closing of part of Greenwich Avenue that will start Tuesday, June 2, with a closing date slated for Sept. 2. The Avenue will be closed from Havemeyer Lane to Railroad Avenue to create a temporary outdoor mall that will spotlight some of the 27 restaurants along the iconic path. Since restaurants can only provide sit-down service outdoors for the time being, this could draw a lot of diners to struggling businesses.
Thumbs up to Stamford Police Chief Tim Shaw for joining protesters outside the Stamford Police Department Sunday by taking a knee for eight minutes and announcing “I will tell you this police department is not silent either. We’re disgusted as well.” It’s a powerful statement, in action as well as words for the new chief. Shaw took the post in the wake of Steven Barrier, a black man, dying in the custody of Stamford Police in October. Some of the 500 marchers from Harbor Point to the station chanted Barrier’s name.
Thumbs up to thousands of other peaceful protesters in cities across the country, including around Connecticut, demonstrating against police violence and the rights of everyone to live their lives free of harassment. The violence and property damage that has been seen in other cities, though only sporadically in Connecticut, tends to generate the most attention, but the vast majority of people in the streets are exercising their rights to demand a better future for everyone, and not harming anyone else in the process. It can seem from watching the news that the nation is falling apart, but protests against injustice should be seen as a sign of healing, not dissolution.
Thumbs down to apparent gaps in the federal program to get fresh food from farmers into the hands of the hungry, notably in Northeast communities hit hard by the pandemic. The Farmers to Families Food Box program has given only 4 percent of the funds to companies in the region. Bryan Hurlburt, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, said several Connecticut farmers applied for the program and were not approved while several others could not meet the one-week USDA deadline. The program has great potential, but it is failing as the number of hungry residents swells while farmers have lost outlets to deliver their products.
Thumbs up to the continued reopening of Connecticut businesses amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Barbers and hair salons are now clear to open after a delay from the governor’s office, and the state’s two Indian casinos welcomed patrons in reduced numbers over the weekend. More openings in a phased approach are planned later this month, and to date state residents have been complying well with requirements to wear masks and keep their distance from other patrons. A return to normalcy is the only way to help the economy and the thousands of people out of work from the virus, and a slow, staggered approach is the only way to get there. So far, the state is adjusting as well as could be expected.
Thumbs down to what might go down as the final word on the misguided Partnership for Connecticut, the education reform plan done in by a desire for secrecy over decisions involving the spending of public money. The CEO of the partnership, Mary Anne Schmitt-Carey, whose short tenure was the subject of internal criticism that helped lead to the program’s demise, is due more than $120,000 in severance if she is terminated, but only if she doesn’t publicly criticize the initiative. It’s one more instance of a misplaced emphasis on secrecy in what is at its heart a public endeavor, and another example of why the partnership was never going to work.