Vote for McCarthy

Over the last many months, I have published my opinions here on a range of topics affecting the city.  During this time, I have been serving as one of Norwalk’s Zoning Commissioners and as one of its representatives to the Board of the Southwestern Regional Planning Agency, working with a politically diverse group of people. I have focused on matters of economic development, land use and issues that are meaningful to the Common Council, striving always to present a positive direction that I felt was appropriate.

While I feel that Norwalk is moving in the right direction, we can always do things a little differently and a little better.  Rather than fighting over small details, agreeing to move in a direction that is right for the city and then forming bipartisan consensus is appropriate.  While we need to maintain the City’s AAA Rating and keep an ever watchful eye on our spending, the devil is in the details.  If we do not work together to make sensible decisions, we will never make any real progress.

Many of you have expressed concerns to me about the length of time the Redevelopment of West Avenue has taken.  This is an example of what happens when rancor and partisanship creep into the public process.  Years passed and nothing progressed through the appointed boards.  In my opinion, this was due not to the process, but to a lack of high level buy-in or a commitment to work for the common good of the city.  If we cannot leave our personal wants and desires at the door to work for our collective benefit, we have failed. 

I have recently begun advocating for more bike and pedestrian planning, to include restriping of streets and small changes that would address an issue we all feel at one time or another.  This is not, however, a project unto itself; it must be a sea change in the way we think about the users of our roads.  We must be flexible enough to adapt and allow for multiple groups, while respecting the fact that for the foreseeable future, the auto will be the predominant one.  With that in mind, we must also agree that bicyclists and pedestrians need to obey the rules for others to respect them and in turn share the road with them.

This effort is, to me, a sensible accommodation and a reasonable change from how we have normally done things.  While we should always strive for transparency and civility, this is 2011, not 1911.  Information about our city is available to us, if we seek it out.  Much more important than these notions is the concept of a willingness to change.  “We’ve always done it this way” is never an acceptable reason to act in a particular manner.  Willingness to discuss and accept that another point of view is valid might start out as a part of civility, but in reality, it is the cornerstone of common sense.  Common sense should always be a part of our actions.

Common sense alone, however, is not always sufficient to overcome the hurdles we face.  We need data to make decisions and tell us when common sense might lead us astray.  To gather data we need appropriate systems to collect and manage it.  This crosses all governmental functions and is an immutable modern fact.  Creative thinking based on data observation is the best way to solve a problem.

Of course, I am hoping that my way of thinking will be your way of thinking and that you will vote for me on Election Day, if you are a resident of District E.  I offer to represent you truthfully and faithfully, not for my own good, but for our collective good.  Please review my opinions on my website, (www.electmccarthy.com) my community involvement in the Mentoring Program and at the Norwalk Senior Center, and the other associations in which I believe and have been a part of.  Then vote on November 8th, because you do have a choice.