Mayoral candidates critique city’s pandemic response
STAMFORD — As of the first week in October, more than 700,000 people nationally have died from COVID-19. Mask mandates, vaccinations and shoring up businesses and employees devastated by pandemic lockdowns has taken center stage in Stamford, as it has in other municipalities.
In separate interviews with Hearst Connecticut Media, unaffiliated candidate Bobby Valentine and Democratic candidate Caroline Simmons were asked about Mayor David Martin’s
handling of the pandemic and what they would do as mayor to help the city’s recovery.
Valentine said that once it seems like “we're on the other side of this
pandemic,” he would conduct a review of the city’s response so that it’s better prepared for future crises.
“There is no real roadmap for this, so I consider what everyone has done during the last two years as almost a practice for the next time,” the former Major League Baseball manager said. “I expect that we'll learn from the things that worked and the things that didn't work so that the next time, we get it right. And I didn't expect and nor will I criticize anyone for not getting it totally right the first time around.”
Simmons, a current state representative, said she believes that Martin has “demonstrated strong leadership” during the pandemic, adding that as “things were changing by the day,” getting information and resources to residents required collaboration between the mayor, the governor, state and federal lawmakers and nonprofit leaders.
“I'm proud of the work we did together with our government and state and local partners, and I think that there's still enormous work ahead of us to get through this,” Simmons said.
That work includes supporting small businesses and those who are unemployed,
she said. If elected mayor, she said she would look to launch a workforce development initiative as well as a small business grant program.
Both candidates said they would work to recruit businesses to Stamford. Valentine, who has opened two businesses in the city, has proposed creating a “concierge service” to help people who want to start a business get the permits and other approvals they need.
“There are a number of expeditors who a business now must pay to expedite the permitting process and the service process that they need from the city,” Valentine said. “And I think the city just needs to understand that an extra tax on a small business or a property owner, which is in fact what
we're asking for them to hire these private expeditors, isn't the way to service the community.”
COVID-19 cases have started to tip downward following a spike in the summer. More than 77 percent of Stamford’s population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and about 69 percent of residents are fully vaccinated.
Citing the spread of the delta variant, Martin issued a citywide mask mandate in August, requiring masks to be worn indoors in public places as well as at large outdoors gatherings on city property.
Simmons said she thought the indoor mask mandate was the right move.
“I know we're all so tired
of wearing masks and we want to get past this period, but if people can just hang in there a little bit longer, I know, I’m optimistic we're gonna get through this,” she said. “And I think masks are a really effective and prudent way to protect people, especially people who are not able to get vaccinated, people who are immunocompromised.”
But she took issue with the requirement to wear a mask outdoors in some places.
“I think that that was very confusing, and as soon as you implement that requirement, there were a number of big outdoor events like the Alive@Five concert and the Hey Stamford! festival, where people weren't wearing masks,” Simmons said.
Leaders of Stamford’s police union claimed that at the Hey Stamford! Food Festival, “anyone within a bird’s eye view of the event could see the mandate was not being enforced by the city.” For the Alive@Five and Wednesday Nite Live concerts, in place of mandatory masking, attendees were required to present proof of vaccination or a negative test.
Valentine also said he thought the mask mandate for outdoor gatherings was confusing.
“When our community turns on the television and they see multiple events of football games, let's say, in particular, or baseball games, where there's tens of thousands of people sitting side by side without masks, and then our city officials
say, ‘If we have 100 people outside in a gathering, that they need to wear masks’ — I think that that establishes something less than trust in leadership, and I wouldn't be involved in confusing our population,” Valentine said.
Martin has also required city employees to either be fully vaccinated or tested weekly. The Stamford Police Association’s leadership, which endorsed Valentine last month, has been critical of the mandate.
Simmons said she supports the requirement, noting that there is a similar one for state employees.
“I think the right way to frame it is that we're not saying everyone has to be vaccinated. We're just saying if you … choose not to get vaccinated, you have to get tested weekly, which I think is completely appropriate and fair when we're talking about public officials who are going to be interacting with the public in order to keep everyone safe,” Simmons said.
Valentine said it was unclear to him “why if you're not vaccinated, you need to be tested, even though if you are vaccinated, you can get the virus.
“Either test everyone or don't test everyone is what I think is a clear message,” he said.
The Stamford mayoral election is Nov. 2.