Chicken Little comes to Norwalk

There’s been a fair amount written the last few years about what’s called Chicken Little politics — the tendency to proclaim gloom and doom, to allege the sky is falling, heading straight toward our collective heads. On a national level, we can argue about which party is more responsible for the sky-is-falling mentality. But it’s fair to say that in Norwalk, the opponents of Mayor Harry Rilling have adopted the everythingis-bad approach.

Below are three examples — finances, education, and the controversial Walk Bridge — that demonstrate how Chicken Little has become a part of the city’s political fabric.

Regarding the financial circumstances of the city:

We have a AAA bond rating, which has enabled Norwalk to fund all types of capital projects at the lowest interest rates possible, including the Board of Education’s long-overdue five-year facilities upgrade.

Our grand list is growing at a rapid pace, thereby enabling the city to craft operating budgets that meet the needs of the city while minimizing the impact on taxpayers.

Our fund balance has grown to a point that we have been able to maintain AAA-required levels while using anywhere from $2 million to $6 million a year to fund non-recurring programs and to alleviate property tax burdens.

Each year, independent auditors review our financial procedures without finding anything amiss. We have received awards for quality financial reporting, and our tax collector’s office is considered one of the best in the state.

Nonetheless, I continue to read, especially on social media, that Norwalk is in crisis, that we are on the verge of catastrophe, and that change is long overdue. The notion that candidates for public office can simply ignore standard fiscal benchmarks verges on the irresponsible.

Regarding the condition of our schools:

The Rilling administration has invested more in our schools than any administration in the history of our city, enabling the BOE to address issues such as overcrowding, asbestos abatement, security upgrades and curriculum initiatives.

The mayor and superintendent, along with the BOE and Common Council, financed a three-year plan (after years of neglect and state sanctions) to transform special education services in the city.

The mayor is working with the superintendent to ensure long-term plans are developed that will maintain and extend the academic improvements achieved in recent years.

As a result of this cooperation, the Norwalk public schools have been ranked number one among the 10 largest cities in the state for two consecutive years.

Let’s pause for a moment. Norwalk’s finances are in solid shape, according to auditors, financial consultants, and the rating agencies. And Norwalk’s schools are number one among major cities in Connecticut, according to state education officials. Finances and education — not what we would call small issues. Nonetheless, as the so-called silly season rolls around, we are being asked to believe the sky is falling and to support opposition candidates.

Let’s consider the Walk Bridge project, a truly controversial issue (that happens to be controlled by the national and state governments):

Early on, the Rilling administration set up a task force and hired a project manager to coordinate efforts to minimize its impact on the city.

The mayor, the Common Council and city agencies prepared detailed analyses on how the project would impact Norwalk. These analyses were presented to state officials. All of the analyses argued strongly that the federal government should conclude the project would have a significant impact on city life and thus should be slowed down and reworked. Unfortunately, the feds ignored the city’s request.

The mayor and Common Council members have been working with businesses that would be directly affected by the project, and in several cases have helped them find a new location.

City agencies are working closely with the Maritime Aquarium to ensure it would be able to adapt to the disruption caused by the new bridge.

The Walk Bridge is a billion-dollar federal/state project that will have a major impact on the largest transportation corridor in the nation. It is indeed controversial. But the idea trumpeted by the mayor’s opponents that Harry Rilling is somehow responsible for not stopping this project is preposterous.

In politics, sometimes (actually, quite often) you just can’t win. But the notion that the sky is falling on Norwalk really doesn’t pass the laugh test.