Stamford Election: Megan Cottrell For Board Of Representatives

STAMFORD, CT — Election Day on Nov. 2 is fast approaching, and there are a number of key races on the ballot in Stamford.

Patch reached out to candidates for local office to get more information on their campaigns and the issues that are facing the city.

Democrat Megan Cottrell, 38, is running for Board of Representatives in Stamford.

Occupation: Homemaker

Family: I live with my husband, Jeremy, and two children. I have a three year old named Collin and a baby daughter, Emily-Claire, who was born in February of this year.

Experience: Board of Representatives

Family in government: No.

The single biggest issue in town is ______, and I plan to do this about it:

The single most pressing issue facing our town is climate change and the pressure it's putting on our aging infrastructure. We are a coastal city, so tropical storms have the potential to impact us more significantly than other places. We need to more regularly clean our storm drains, replace broken ones, and continually revisit storm management best practices.

We also need to work with federal and state agencies in order to help us effectively plan for the future. The mold crisis in the schools was significantly exacerbated by excessive rains in 2018. The tropical storms and flooding over this past summer have further exposed issues with our buildings, particularly at Toquam Magnet School.

We need a master plan for capital expenses for our schools, that takes into account the effects of climate change and demographic changes in the city. However, we also need to continually improve upon maintenance practices. Even if we were to have all new school buildings built tomorrow, if we don't have good maintenance practices, we could be running into the same issues again.

One issue with newer buildings with the latest and greatest in HVAC technology is that we don't always have the staffing with the technical know-how to run these newer systems. When we update systems, and we need to be training our staff on how to adapt to these changes. We also need to instill a sense of pride in city workers. They are the backbone of this community.

All of this work is going to cost money. This is why we need to have more grant writers on city staff so that we can better take advantage of both federal and state funds that are out there. We also need a Mayor with government experience with relationships on both the state and federal levels so that Stamford can get its fair share of this money.

Critical differences between me and my opponents:

I have a proven track record of advocating for the best interests of the community. What do people really want from government? They want to know that it's responsive to the public, that tax money is being used wisely, and that decisions are made in a transparent, organized manner.

One way that I've increased government transparency is by asking for, and receiving, documents on the Harbor Point Infrastructure Improvement district. Millions of tax dollars are spent in this TIF (tax increment financing) district, and we need to fully understand where it's going. When I originally inquired about such documents, I was told to go to BLT headquarters and I could pay 10 cents a page. Absurd. Through continuing to push, the entire Land Use Committee of the Board of Reps. was able to review and discuss these important financial documents.

When there was a rushed attempt to turn over control of five of our schools to a developer in a sale leaseback agreement, I continually asked where the holistic capital management plan was for the district. I also continually asked for transparency on fantastical claims of savings from those proposing the PPP. We got little to no transparency, but did learn that part of the supposed "savings" were built around an illegal premise (skirting the prevailing wage law). As such, and this PPP proposal was rejected by the BOR.

Accomplishments:

At the very beginning of my term on the Board of Representatives, "we" (meaning district 4 and 8 reps) met with the city traffic bureau and constituents in order to discuss issues on Seaside Avenue, many which had gone unresolved for decades. As a result of this meeting and continued communications with the community, many changes resulted on this one street including a reduced speed limit, a cross walk, street trees, and a sign redirecting trucks getting off exit 9 to go towards Route 1.

There are still changes needed on Seaside Avenue, like improving visibility when turning onto Seaside from one of the side streets, that I hope to advocate for in my second term. Another accomplishment that I'm proud of is working with my colleagues in order to establish the "public comments" section at the beginning of our monthly Board meetings.

I enjoy hearing from members of the public, and feel that their input is important. We may not always agree but we have to be able to engage in civil discourse. I've also supported my colleagues in numerous environmental efforts including a fracking waste ban, a ban on the use of nonorganic pesticides on city property, a plastic bag ban, limits on straw usage, and and a Styrofoam ban.

Other issues:

Essentially, our campaign (mine and Rob's) is about rebuilding trust in government, and making sure that people get value for tax dollars spent. One simple thing that we'd like to do is to make city beach passes free to Stamford residents with (non-commercial) vehicles registered here in Stamford. Let's just work it into the city budget as opposed to hassling people with an extra fee. That's how Norwalk does it.

One thing that remains problematic in Stamford is affordability. Most of the apartments being built are high end rentals, usually 1 to 2 bedrooms, catering to single millennials who earn $100k+. What about everyone else who doesn't fit into this demographic? I'd like to see more condo and cooperative communities come about to provide more ownership opportunities, and along with more affordable housing rentals.

We also need to push to revitalize the affordable housing stock that we already have. The older section of the "Oak Park" community here in district 4 could use some renovations.

What else would you like voters to know about you?

Rob and I have both been big advocates for expanding access to mental health care here in Stamford. On top of advocating for the police to have a 40-hour intensive crisis intervention training above and beyond basic certification requirements and Rob and I want to expand access to mental health care to be 24/7 so that anyone in crisis can get help whenever they need it.