Policies
- Reduce the size of the Board of Representatives from 40 members to 10 members. Change the charter to reduce the number of voting districts from 20 districts to 5 districts. This would resolve the issue of the majority of the board getting elected with less than 20 percent turnout, including 12 representatives who were elected unopposed.
- Stagger board member elections so there is an election every year. Change the charter to mirror the election schedule of the Board of Finance and Board of Education. One-fourth of the board would be up for election every year. This would resolve the issue of board members refusing to acknowledge the public’s support on key issues.
- Reduce the Board of Representatives terms from 4 years to 2 years. Board Members originally served 2-year terms but their terms were extended to 4 years in the 1990s. This would address the high vacancy rate of board members. Currently, 25 percent of the board was appointed after a previous board member resigned/left office.
- Pay board members a part-time salary of $30,000. At 40 members, this proposal is prohibitively expensive ($1.2M) but if the board is reduced to 10 members it is less than 2 department heads ($300k). This would resolve the problem of the public only represented by retired, independently wealthy, or unemployed residents.
- Change the board to include citywide representatives. Change the board’s design so half of all board members are elected citywide. This would resolve the problem of low turnout, few candidates, and make the Board of Representatives follow Connecticut’s minority representation laws to avoid single-party rule.
- Collect data on public sentiment of the board’s activities. Add a provision to the charter to require data collection on public sentiment — specifically approval of the Board of Representatives and approval of the mayor. This would resolve the constant claims of “speaking for the people,” by providing public officials data on public support.
- Break down the Board of Representatives in its entirety. The majority of the board’s responsibilities are already performed by the Board of Finance. This proposal would eliminate all the problems created by the Board of Representatives without requiring any of the 6 previous proposals. However, the public may choose to support a more conservative reform of the board rather than complete break down of the board.
Housing
Infrastructure
- Enshrine property rights for property owners. I will propose a change to Stamford’s zoning laws to allow single-family homes to convert to a duplex or triplex by right (excluding North Stamford and Shippan). This resolves Stamford’s need to grow its tax base to fund more than $100M in fiscal debt while providing a path for conservative gradual growth.
- All residential zones have a right to build a backyard cottage. I will deregulate the requirements to build a backyard cottage — aka an “accessory dwelling unit.” This provides the potential for real financial relief for homeowners feeling the squeeze of rising property taxes.
- Legalize starter homes and starter apartments. I will deregulate nanny-state requirements for building homes including minimum dwelling size, setbacks, lot coverage, and maximum unit per lot. This will resolve the unintentional policy decision to ban the construction of lower cost housing which residents early in their career rely on to afford to live in their hometown.
- Streamline the approval process. I will bring Stamford’s permitting process into the future with a 24/7 digital portal and improved standards and availability for our walk-in permitting office.
- Eliminate parking mandates for housing. Removing a parking mandate does not mean developers won’t build parking. It means they are not required to build it by the government. I will eliminate all parking mandates for housing.
- Realign Stamford’s transportation to Family Friendly Infrastructure. Instead of implementing stricter road rules and costly enforcement mechanisms, I will evaluate Stamford’s infrastructure based on its ability to provide travel options for every member of a family. This includes
- Prioritize sidewalks. I will prioritize providing sidewalks within a square mile of all of our schools and end the decades-long preference of cutting sidewalk funding for other initiatives.
- Connected bike lanes. I will create a bicyclist/pedestrian highway from Bulls Head to Harbor Point using Bedford/Atlantic street to connect our three biggest population centers in the city. This will provide an opportunity to study the value of bike lanes before considering further investment elsewhere in the city.
- The Stamford Knock. As mayor, I will push back against anti-social road rage by organizing use of the “Stamford knock” against motorists who violate the rules of the road. See more details in my policy video.
- Prioritize infrastructure over camera enforcement. I will oppose all efforts to install speed cameras or red light cameras that delegate law enforcement to robots and incentivize unreasonable traffic enforcement. I will support infrastructure projects that alter traveler behavior for safer outcomes. For example, lane narrowing or raising the road in pedestrian-heavy areas.
- Close Bedford Street. I will direct our transportation department to pursue a redesign of Bedford Street to turn it into a pedestrian-oriented community space. This will include leaving one lane of travel open for buses to maintain access to public transit.
- People are individuals. Stamford’s culture is concerned with reducing racism, but that has become the nihilistic belief “everyone is against each other.” In Stamford, this was most prevalent in the 2024 election when one Democrat claimed another Democrat could not represent the public because he is Jewish. This event is the natural endpoint of the City of Stamford implementing bias training which teaches people they are innately (sometimes unconsciously) against everyone from a different identity group than their own. This bias training has been proven to not work. Technology spreads this nihilistic belief, because viral videos allow people to target private individuals with selective evidence in service to reducing individuals to their identity group.
I will shut down all governmental institutions that teach bias training and pursue anti-doxxing ordinances that protect private individuals from internet-based witch hunts. - Success is rewarded. Stamford’s culture is concerned with economic fairness, but it has become the nihilistic belief “all success is theft.” This belief drives distrust of Stamford’s most successful projects including Mill River Park, Harbor Point, and school programs rewarding high performing students. Technology spreads this nihilistic belief, because social media rewards outrage which incentivizes content creators to monetize anger and misunderstanding.
I will restore Stamford’s commitment to excellence by advocating for programs and policies that reward success in the city. - Trust but verify. Stamford’s culture is concerned with transparency, but that has become the nihilistic belief “every system is corrupt.” This belief drives distrust of city institutions but it is not supported by evidence, it is supported by ignorance. Stamford’s Board of Representatives believe the law department is corrupt because the board doesn’t have a single lawyer and they frequently misunderstand legal text. Residents believe the zoning board is bought by developers because they don’t understand the zoning board doesn’t make the zoning laws, they just apply them. The public has increased its skepticism of the Stamford Police Department even as body cameras have become more prevalent. Technology has allowed for greater transparency, but our culture of nihilism has weaponized this transparency.
I will continue Stamford’s efforts to be transparent with the public through an annual city report. The report will standardize data points to measure the city’s success and enable public understanding of our system. I will also invest in tools to hold local politicians accountable by enabling their public comments to be searchable on the board website. - Rules create the structure for fairness. Stamford’s culture is concerned about prejudice in law enforcement, but that has become the nihilistic belief “all rules are unfair.” In Stamford, public bus stops — such as Old Town Hall — once had seating and enclosures to protect residents from the weather while waiting for the bus. These spaces were inevitably taken over by anti-social behavior such as public drinking and drug use. Rather than enforce the law, Mayor Caroline Simmons ripped out the seating of these enclosures. Distrust for rules comes from historical examples of politically motivated policies such as gerrymandering or nonviolent drug offenses. Technology spreads this nihilistic belief because content creators cherry pick historical examples to create a dishonest portrayal of our country’s past. This results in a distrust of rules and a lack of faith any rule will be enforced fairly.
I will direct enforcement of all Stamford laws and attach an enforcement agency to all ordinances. I will also defend any city worker is who accused of prejudice just for doing their job. - The planet is a resource for our success. Stamford’s culture is concerned about protecting the planet, but that has become the nihilistic belief “people are ruining the planet.” Environmental policies in Stamford are guided by the desire to make human life more annoying or difficult — such as the plastic bag ban or the proposed single-use plastics ban. These policies come with an implicit distrust of people to act responsibly, rather than trusting the public to be stewards of our shared environment. Technology spreads this belief because every environmental failure around the globe is presented to Stamford residents as if it was happening in their backyard.
I will enable environmental stewardship in Stamford through services such as bulk trash pick-up and city-owned trash cans in high litter areas. I will also pursue energy solutions that prioritize providing energy rather than limiting human activity. - Responsibility is everything. Stamford’s culture is concerned other people can’t be trusted and that has resulted in more and more government control. The city bans plastic bags because the public doesn’t trust people to recycle them. The city rips out seats for public transit because the public doesn’t trust law enforcement to protect our spaces. The city seeks punishment of the successful because the public doesn’t trust their wealth. The government continues to intervene into the public’s life to reduce a person’s ability to control their own business, property, or identity. Technology spreads this distrust, because the public has 24/7 access to a device that tells us every way things might go wrong.
I will restore the belief people are our greatest resource. I promise if Stamford adopts future conservatism, the future will be brighter.
We can choose to stop supporting the ideas that tear us apart. Stamford has that choice in this year’s election on November 4.