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NORWALK, Conn. – Marcella Darahona of South Norwalk says she'd like to bring her baby outside to play in her yard facing City Carting, but it just isn't possible. The smell is too bad, she says.
The smell is "absolutely horrid," agrees Bitsy Farnsworth, a Harbor View resident who says she's thankful she experiences it only for five or 10 minutes as she drives through. "For these people who live to the north and south, it's a real mess," she said. "They have to endure it 24/7. I don't know how they stand it."
Last month, Farnsworth and others complained about the smell at City Carting, to which Department of Public Works Director Hal Alvord responded that the city had gotten almost no complaints from citizens. Councilman David McCarthy (R-District E) said he visited the plant and while it did smell in the parking lot, it didn't smell once he got out into the street. But City Carting's management says it is trying to make things right.
It's been at least two weeks since the company kept a trailer of garbage outside, according to owner Michael Ferro.
That seems to be working. Darahona, who has lived across the street for four years, says, the "smell has been better" lately.
Ferro says there will still be trailers containing construction and demolition debris on the property.
Standing on his property at noon Wednesday, Ferro pointed out that there was no smell. "We are here to be good neighbors," he said. "This transfer station has been here since 1979. It's a necessary evil. It's like insurance."
The company takes in an average of 100 loads a day, including garbage and debris it has collected as well as that collected by outside haulers. City Carting does bring in garbage from outside of Norwalk, he said. The average intake is 375 tons a day, a combination of garbage and construction debris, Ferro said.
His company has used a deodorizer for more than two years, but has changed the deodorizing agent. "It's more of a neutralizer than a perfume," he said. "It seems to do a much better job of neutralizing the odor and not just covering the odor."
Darahona says she has never called the city to complain about the smell. "My English is not so good," she says, holding her 11-month-old son in her arms. She says she did go to Fire Station No. 5 to ask for help. Firefighters agreed with her that it was bad but told her nothing could be done, she says. They told her to spray a deodorizer around her apartment.
Ferro said his office welcomes phone calls. The number is (203) 882-5354. It's also posted on the gate to the property.
Farnsworth and others promise to use it.
Ernie Dumas, who lives on South Main Street, says. "We're going to be watching that and working with them closely, and making phone calls to them to let them know that we're watching very closely."
Correction made, 12:10 p.m.
Comments (75)
Anyone driving slow past the transfer station Sunday (Aug 26th) afternoon, with all the car windows closed, became well aware of a terrible odor. It was not a terribly hot day with no breeze. There were trailers parked outside, but I couldn't tell if they were full or not. Apparently, somebody didn't get the message about odor control made for City Carting at the mayor's on-site press conference. The entire council, both parties, should be required to visit Meadow St on a warm Sunday afternoon before any contracts are signed.
It is way past time DEEP sent somebody down to that neighborhood on a warm Sunday afternoon. City Carting is only permitted to hold garbage on site up to 48 hrs. Friday afternoon to Monday morning exceeds 48 hours and the covers on the trucks do not contain odor.
To all those who believe you should think before you buy or rent near a dump station; I would advocate that you not swim after a heavy rain at our lovely beaches; you have bought and paid for property located near a decaying sewage system which inveritably overflows during heavy downpours.
Of course, if you like swimming in raw sewage, that's another story, you know, "think before you buy or rent".
The transfer station on Meadows Gardens road should be regulated just like any other business, whether the Ayn Rand types like it "or not".
You also shouldnt swim in a lake after a heavy rain. Whats your point?
Dear rerbc, my point is in the opening salutation, I would invite you to read the thoughtful comments concerning the elimination of this problem for this mother,
it's an objectivist view that states, you, as an individual have complete control over every reaction or action in your own little universe, I invite you to visit the Norwalk harbor, and also the silt ridden wetlands that are now identified as highlands, due to the overwhelming amount of sludge, silt, and sewage that covers what was once a sandy bottom, individuals were able to fish for flounder under the Stroffolino bridge, Mr. Stroffolino owned a hardware store on Ely Ave, he organized us as kids to clean up the beaches and the waterways, he was a great man, and he was a great fisherman.
There are 36" culverts in the Harbour View causeway, for years the neighborhood would gather in clamming boots armed with rakes and shovels, and clear out the culverts in an attempt to let the tides do their magic.
Comorants used to dive and fish in the wetlands there, it was resplendent with flounder, no more.
My point is simple; as a live long Norwalker, and a real lover of the waterways here, it distresses me to see and hear such "instant solutions, add hot water and stir" when it comes to enviromental issues, in other words, "don't live near a stinking garbage station". There's no reason why people who live in South Norwalk should be subjected to the kind of environment that a libertarian mind finds okay "for others".
One more point, you will admit during the building of the new Police Station, a lot of care had to be taken to haul away hazardous waste, now, I find that our fine men and ladies in blue had no choice in the location of the new station, however, they were forced to work in a potentially hazardous environment, no of course, they didn't, the contaminated ground was hauled away and properly disposed of.
So for all those who really believe that they are the complete masters of their destiny, ergo, enjoy total freedom, guess again; you live in Fairfield county, if you wish to pollute and walk away, I suggest buying some nice land in Kentucky, dumping your hazardous waste there and walking away.
Like a lot of East Coast Waste removal companies USED to do before the right legislation to stop them
Regards
NL
Some one who does know thankyou for your insight and history lesson one of the best posts I have ever seen coming from a Norwalk based media outlet.
used to do..... wow what insight,we used to drop waste oil on cranberry bogs on some of those now 75 year old bogs down the cape at the time Ocean Spray was not worried about the oil it served a purpose at the time.Largest landfill was in Maine called Sawyers for dirty dirt.
Mercury was found at the new police station,South Norwalk electric just got thru replacing a transformer station in the ground by the New Police Station and found mercury in the ground possibly from the old Ice House where the police station sits I think was the history,only thing the electric company could of left was PCB's in the vault.
Mr. Stroffolino would be taken back the bridge his name bears sleeps many homless under the bridge itself.
I have many friends who live in Norwalk some are very sick some no longer with us all spent time on in and around the water growing up it hurts to think only one other person in this city cares enough to spell it out for those who seem lost in thought.
I stand on the bridge and never actually thought why no fish there are three cells the size of tractor trailors buried in the river off oyster park filled with hazardous waste,I hope thye don't leal someday.No where else to bury the stuff?The Oyster park landfill leaks each day out of a river that goes thru it according to the State Deep reports,who cares not in my back yard.Norwalk did well to protect the river the company on Smith st left a long lasting on contamination on the other side of the park ,city just sold docks under it all way to go Norwalk don't clean it uo ignore it.
We won't mention King Industries they are allowed to send all kinds of things into the sewage plant by permit this list could go on .
best example of Norwalk river maintenance was the filters for the storm drains no service plan EPA nevr gave them its blessing and the waste simply pile up with no disposal site,asbestas from car brake pads addes to the waste in the filters wonder where they all ended up it was great election tool for the mayor a great disaster for the environment.
A great fact is the power plant at the end of Woodward ave tests the water all the time ,the reason is to make sure if pollution is found its not thiers its Lajoies or the old furniture buiding on Woodward ave Howes I think they called it,to this day test wells are all over the property still collecting samples from the old hazardous waste site there.
Lets see what goes on on water st where tanks of Alacor and other things sat for years along the shipping lane for companies like GE,yes a tank farm where the water table is almost 2 feet down how sad they are going to build over it hope its clean PCBS kept on the other side of Vets park next to Sono Seafood at the time was a normal procedure to store pruducts for all the research companies where employees were in the hundreds.
Now not one production company is in operation and the site on main ave has yet to be fully cleaned up near the Norwlalk well fields.Untill the foundations are gone can Norwalk be rest assured its been cleaned up as its written in documents,odd the foundations are still there or is it.
Norwalk has a lot to clean up why make Meadow street any worse ,seems the city has gone in the wrong direction now that there is indicatons there is hazardous material in and around Meadow street that needs cleaning up instead of pro active measures to keep anything else from happening we are told as years past don't worrry be happy and it could of been worse.
The Shellfish commision seem to be in hard place tell us what they suspect and put the local fisherman out of business yet reports now show the Lobster business in Norwalk has almost shut down what are the people who live off the sound waiting for a slow death as it has been decribed by articles copied from a AP reporter named Meely from Ct.The Hour channel 12 and others simply wrote over his facts a few weeks ago no real homework just homework thiefs.
Lets hope this child can get out of Norwalk doesn't sound like the city has any room to show compassion over the garbage contract,Most of the points that came up the other day was ingnored by the Mayor even City Carting said there was some lack of cooperation with Norwalks health board yet it was never mentioned in the news someone said that was there.When the wind blows it will effect Rowyaton also they certainly have the money to go somewhere else but to hurt real estate in Norwalk that would be criminal not like a childs health.
There was a hat factory (Palco) where the police station is now. Mercury was widely used in treating leather for hats. The expression "mad as a hatter" comes from the effects of mercury poisoning, widely prevelant among people who worked in the hatting industry.
Yes, I am aware and thank you for this comment, In the days of hatting, mercury was known as quicksilver, I've seen the infrared maps of Connecticut and there are definitely hot spots, Norwalk being one of them. By your words, you do a very good job of reinforcing the point; Maybe in those days, the effects of mercury poisoning were not as clear as they are today, just as stone cutters in bibilical times suffered from lung impairments due to silica dust produced during the cutting.
California has very strict laws about stone cutting, and while there are those who wrinkle their nose as what they can "needless legislation", in the case of California, the legislation is very logical and very inexpensive to enact; simply cut using water to keep the dust down.
There is a granite company that moved in on Woodward Avenue. A lot of people fretted and were concerned about the neighbor yet again, being assaulted by another business. This further reducing the community. They have a point.
I spoke to the City council about this, it was interesting for me, as I had not prepared to speak, but in journeying to the podium, I noticed a lovely mural of a Norwalk shoreline, with an old fishing dory, and to my surprise, cat tails!, something I haven't seen in years in real life, as fragmites have taken over our shorelines.
Usually speakers are asked to bring some form of evidence to support their words, I submitted as evidence the mural on the wall behind the city council members, I would venture to say a lot of them really hadn't notice this mural before, I asked them to consider the lovely visage of that mural and whether they had it in their hearts to preserve that in real life. Of course I did not limit my words to appealing to their sense of beauty and wonderment at what nature brings to this town, we are truly fortunate to have this shoreline. I also cited that most companies that used polishing equipment also were not adverse to monthly ground water testing, to guarantee that their effluence did not mar the waterways. This is so in many towns, If this granite company were to be successful, again, they must be part of the community, that community exists, and they must join it. The council members agreed to consider this point and investigate, which they did. The granite company was granted right to move into South Norwalk on Woodward Avenue, however, they do groundwater testing, and their grounds are lovely, truly well maintained, You see, there is a possibility for industry and community to happily co-exist; we cannot allow for city fathers to make all the decisions, that is not keeping in the true spirit of a democracy. But we, as individuals, should be aware of our responsibilities, And I would argue that if one child in this town is under diress due to an environmental situation, then it is indeed the obligation of every town citizen to educate themselves, and support the most rational solution to the issue.
No parent wants their child to wake up every morning, gaze out a window, and see piled up crushed cars, garbage and the like. And any self respecting business owner would listen to their better angels and take action to preserve what they can of that community.
There are fences with razor wire around most of the businesses on Meadows Gardens road; what most people do not realize that while they cluck their tongues and shake their heads at the crime and violence in this area, they do not realize that this street, has the potential to be one fo the safest places to walk in Norwalk. If only people would take the time to realize that, get to know the neighbors, and treat that street as a community.
I find it disengenous, and immature when I read, "if you don't like it, move", that's a soundbite, not a thought, and if people are inclined to make such judgements so easily wtih no reflection whatsoever, I would challenge their ability to make decisions of a more personal nature.
You do not "abandon" a neighborhood, if you consider it a neighborhood, you nurture it, and preserve it. you do not "move away", I give great kudos to that mother for speaking up and fighting for her child, and her neighborhood.
Regards
NL
Dear somewhonows:
I knew Mr. Stroffolino well, I grew up on Ely Avenue, I knew Rudy Aitoro, and of course there was Tony Bruno's sausage shop, he was my grandfather.
And my family owned the cleaners at the top of the hill, right next to Tedesco's, The Mastralillo's owned HillTop pizza.
We had homeless people in those days, we had Primo and Father John; two of my favorite memories from childhood, Primo, who was a WWII vet, never recovered from alive duty, and the "whole neighborhood" made sure he was taken care of.
Father John went from church to church, from New Canaan (Holy Ghost Fathers) all the way to the Catholic church on Riverside Avenue in Westport, he prayed all day at each church for humanity. As long I could remember, I bought food for Father John, and we always fed and clothed Primo.
Father John used to stay in the basement of St Laslislaz's on Paradiso Street, and Primo always had a place to stay at our house and also the Di'Florio's or the butcher shop next to Tedesco's. On the contrary, Mr Stroffolino would be very disappointed in how Norwalkers have made these street people "faceless and dehumanized", he, too, was a major contributor to the neighborhood.
As a child, I was taught never to disrepect these people, and I was taught to have ultimate respect for Mrs. Tatum, who was the matriarch of Ely Avenue for many years.
It's called neighborhood, it's called fellowship, I find that too many are compartmentalizing their lives to the point where fellowship only occurs on a Sunday morning or afternoon.
I wasn't raised that way, nor do I treat people in that manner. I could have moved away from Norwalk and did for a while, but I came back to South Norwalk; I know every kid's name in the neighborhood, and they know me.
I really believe that this mother has every right to complain and hold City Carting responsible for their business actions; afterall, they, too, would be a welcome member of the neighborhood, if only THEY showed fellowship, with their "neighbors" and didn't stop at the mayor's door for every special dispensation; afterall, he isn't pope, he's a public servant.
Regards
NL
Love this. Thank you for posting.
Me too, thank you for posting.
The lakes in NH I swam in were good rain or not
I think maybe if you realize the shellfish beds have been closed in and around Rowyaton for the season rain or not it would be hard to explain to those why.Only Norwalks officials know why.
In fact some of those beds around Village creek have been closed for years with no indication next year will open,but why?
Lets near from Dave McCarthy why so many people suggest a problem along Norwalks gold coast yet are unable to go public with what tests have already found it would be bad for real estate agents or just bad for republicans some suggest.This is all rumor why can't the rumor be denied.
Glad my family doesn't swim at Baily Beach,are people who live in Rowyaton that isolated from news or don't have the resouces to test the area and let us all know the rumors are false?
At one time you could call the board of health in Norwalk and hear a message that said closed for the season for the shellfish beds now the message is very evasive one has to wonder how sly Mayor Moccias team has become. Hope they don't think Norwalkers in general are so stupid.
I feel bad for Rowyaton if news ever tells them beware of your shoreline,can you imagine them using Calf pasture Beach and having a burger off of Stews,we know they won't use Woodward ave to get there.
Whats sad is some in Rowyaton don't care about meadow st yet the fires blow smoke that way the power plant has the permits to pollute that way and yes they have Dave McCarthy who for the most part does not know his own environment.Bear in mind he is all for City Carting and that is great when judgement time comes its not like he was open minded about Rowyatons concerns about the environment.
It is not up to the public to prove any problems its up the city to prove there isn't.
Lets start testing the coast, shellfish beds and rivers along South Norwalk to Darien by someone other than the good ole boys and find someone with a lab on a daily basis to put all rumors to bed.
I believe the Aquaculture School is where the State has offices that determine whether or not the beds can be opened. If we get 2 inches of rain, they close the beds automatically for two weeks or something like that because of run off.
There is a lab at the nature center in Westport,state certified, that does a lot of water testing for biological problems, (Ecoli). There is also one at Norm Bloom's in East Norwalk that the state will not certify because Mr Bloom is in the oyster business, as if it might be to his advantage to influence the test results. He is highly motivated, because of his business, to have ACCURATE, up to the minute, test results. Our health dept also has a certified lab and does all the testing for the beaches.
Testing for non-biologicals (chemicals, metals, etc) is not readily available locally except through commercial labs, and quite expensive. Both the State and the Federal government have extensive testing available, and test in Norwalk, on occasion, and require testing by others (permit applicants) when the see a need.
odd how these comments focus on smell,other issues were discussed 100 trucks plus a day some or most not using the truck route seemed to iratate the Mayor.An almost rabid response when suggesting the Norwalk police become invoved in enforcement sent him into a senior moment.Maybe becuase the day after it was his birthday and there was no cake for him.
City carting was first to admit thay have no control over what happens before the gate on Meadow st,loads that may leak product is not City cartings problems before they get to the faclity coming off of 95 most trucks seem to take the direct route along South main st,The information seems to be correct yet the Mayor decided to make a point that was useless.City Carting officials were not objecting to some of the thoughts even suggestions yet the Mayor was not receptive to any conversation on safety.Children are all along South main s and one resident was simply asking if anything could be done to enforce the laws he said he lived in the area counted 100 trucks during a period of time and City Carting agreed with the number the Mayor didn't want to hear facts about the trucks.
The fact that stood out the most was City Carting made this happen they hosted this on the grounds they were very receptive to visitors yet with one page on the clipboard to sign in it was obvious they were not expecting a crowd it was not made public,it was for the four trained cameras on Carvin and Mr Mayor Tad stood almost in Rowyaton.
Where was the shellfish commisiion the health board the fire dept the traffic police or the DOT?
One little girl doesn't draw any compassion from the crowd next some of the detractors will call for DCF to step in and charge the mother for living in a nice home near the air pollution.Its pathetic what is important
One other moment was priceless city carting reminded all its not just City Carting using the road to the back by village creek Grasso also uses it one truck went back and forth four times with no load as if it was a scripted show noting that yes Grasso did use the road also,so when traffic studies came up again it was not the subject the city wanted to talk about.Anything else ended the meeting it was sad to see the lack of residents who never got the chance to meet anyone.
Why didn't Dave McCarthy make this meeting known to the public his concern before this was at best was political.
Here's an idea....if you see a transfer station, try not to move in / rent an apartment / buy a house near it.
Its been there forever....and now people are complaining? Yes, its horrible, so move if you can, if not, then hold you nose while you pass by I guess....
Dear Melissa,
I thought a few days about responding this offering, there are few points, If you read the comment below, you'll see that indeed the manner and process in handling waste has changed, so to your point about moving, I would argue that City Carting must show themselves to be a good neighbor and have respect for the neighborhood by taking every measure possible to avoid adversely impacting the neighborhood.
The comment goes to your solution of holding your nose, I would invite you to study the sense of smell; there are receptors in your orafactory system that indicate what you are actually smelling. And that smell is molecules of material that is entering your body, those receptors are there to signal a reaction; if that smell is offensive, more than likely, particles which are harmful to your health are entering your body, Of course, saturation can occur, and the brain is tricked into accepting this impact without the usual involuntary reaction. Smokers experience this,
This occurs with the sense of sight also, hang upside down for a long enough period, and your brain will retool; you will see the normal image of the surroundings around you after a bit.
Holding your nose, or moving away is not the way to solve a problem like this, convincing City Carting to employ good governance is indeed the way. People build communities, businesses capitalize on that. it's a vital symbiotic relationship.
Regards
NL
Mellisa
No, Melissa, it hasn't been there forever. There was another junkyard (scire's) and a foundry (superior casting). When George LeBlanc operated a transfer station there, under the name NRS, every truck looked like brand new every day and no garbage was ever left outside in hot weather. There was a very clear effort to be a good neighbor and there was probably not as much garbage going there. George made nice money, but maybe not as much profit as the present operator.
If it was your baby showing signs of respiratory problems, and you did not have the resources to move far away, your attitude might be different.
This stinks!
You would have though this issue would have been resolved before the city signed another contract with this company for 10 years. However I am not surprised at anything with this joke of an administration.
You would think, but the council approved three ten year contracts with City Carting, all sight unseen, to be signed by the mayor as soon as lawyers for both the city and ciy carting approve them, without any further review by the council or the public.
Makes some wonder about motivations and possible conflicts of interest.
Old Timer
I wonder about conflicts of interest too. For example, when a sitting Common Councilman repeatedly wears an AFSCME Union T-shirt to a Council meeting, I wonder who he's representing on Common Council - is it taxpayers, or Union members? What is he receiving from the Union in exchange for this level of support?
Clown
Do you say the same thing about Moccia when is is walking around with a Linda McMahon shirt on? Is he just representing
the Republicans are the city of Norwalk???
Just when one thinks you cant get anymore out there you prove us wrong...
The difference of course is that the City has a business relationship with Unions. The City sits on one side of the negotiating table, and the Unions sit on the other. There is no business relationship between the City and Linda McMahon.
As usual I'll ignore your name calling, which is a sign of tremendous weakness and immaturity on your part.
Iwitherspoon
If her substantial contributions to Moccia's campaigns don't count as business, you may be correct. She paid a lot of money for endorsements and occasional T shirt displays.
That's true, and I don't support McMahon's candidacy, which appears to be generic poll-tested drivel devoid of any real meaning. But that's neither here nor there. It's entirely normal for candidates to contribute to elected officials, and it's entirely normal for elected officials to endorse candidates. It is, however, not normal for an elected official to wear an AFSCME T-shirt to a Council meeting where City business affecting the AFSCME is being discussed.
Thats your opinion and its WRONG as usual
Thats your opinion and its WRONG as usual
You can go ahead and say it a third time, but that won't make it true.
And you can deny it and it wont make what you say true
As usual you are wrong as what you state is of ZERO importance as Linda McMahon has a political relationship with the city which is of more importance than a business one..Do you ever get sick of me proving you wrong time and again.
As usual you follow me post to post as ordered, which is a sign of tremendous weakness and immaturity on your part.
It's impossible to get sick of something which has never once happened.
Gosh, I'm so sorry if it bothers you when I disagree with your posts which are full of libel, exaggerations, and outright lies. Should I make up derogatory things about you and post them here on a regular basis, so you can get a better feel of what you do to the Norwalk PD? Can we send a reporter to take photos of you doing your job (if you have one), and then we can all make mocking comments?
lwitherspoon
outright lies
That describes your posts perfectly/..Thanks for the info...
Strange if you feel my post are so worthless then why do you read and reply to each and everyone of them...What does this say about you...Possibly that you are a not very bright or that you are being ordered to do so?
I never said your posts were worthless, it's interesting you came up with that word entirely on your own. Finally, your true feelings about what you yourself are writing here have been revealed to all.
Oh so you agree with my posts..Thanks for showing some sense.....Its about time spooner
Taxpayers OR union members ?
When did they start exempting union members from paying taxes ?
Like all HONEST politicians, all he receives from union supporters are votes. Working for votes is no conflict of interest.
Do you have any idea how much taxpayer money will go to City Carting over the ten year term of the three contracts just approved, sight unseen ? Will you share that number with us ?
Here are some statistics that I think are relevant:
Number of Union members who will keep their jobs, but receive an $8,000 pay cut due to garbage outsourcing: FEWER THAN 10
Total Number of Norwalk residents: 85,000
Total Number of Norwalk residents NOT receiving pay cuts, who will benefit if there are savings from outsourcing: 84,990
So the question is, why would any politician in his right mind ignore the interests of 84,990 people to pander to the interests of 10 people? It defies logic. So it's entirely reasonable to wonder if the pandering Councilman is receiving more from the Union than a few votes.
@lwitherspoon
Here's a question for you: Why would a Mayor (Mr Moccia) knowingly take large campaign contributions from officials of a company (City Carting), literally months before that company is bidding on large contracts for the municipality that the Mayor is supposed to be representing? If you are so very outraged at a councilman wearing a tee shirt, this one should send you down to City Hall to bang on the door and demand answers.
How could you expect the stooge
lwitherspoon to have the same standards for for his boy Moccia..as he does for a black democrat. Have you not seen his posts where he mocks the blacks. He will deny this as always, but just take a look at his past posts and its there for all to see.
For the record, I could give a damn whether someone is black, white, yellow, or purple. What I do care about is what people say and what people do. When people act or speak in a ridiculous manner, I will call them out on it, regardless of their skin color. When David McCarthy videotaped Mike Lyons using FD equipment, I called him out on it, and McCarthy is about as white as can be. So is Councilman Matt 'The Bloviator' Miklave.
If you're suggesting that I'm a racist because in the past I have criticized someone who happened to be an African-American, then you're the one who is being a racist.
I never said you were ,racist it's interesting you came up with that word entirely on your own. Finally, your true feelings about what you yourself are writing here have been revealed to all.
You stated above that I have different standards for people of different races. That is exactly the same as calling me a racist. Your words, Timmy. And you've falsely accused me of being a racist numerous times in the past, always with zero evidence.
It's highly flattering to me that you keep copying my comments, but you would benefit from paying a little more attention to your own words rather than copying mine.
Whats highly flattering to me that you keep reading each and every of my posts and replying with your B/S SPIN as ordered
Whats highly flattering to me that you keep reading each and every of my posts and replying with your B/S SPIN as ordered
@NorwalkCT
I agree that the Mayor should not take contributions from executives of City Carting, even if it's legal for him to do so. My general feeling is that ALL executives of organizations that do any business with the City or State, as well as the organizations themselves, should be barred from making campaign contributions. That includes trash hauling companies, and Unions too. Do Unions contribute any funds to City or State candidates?
That said, the contributions do not prove a quid pro quo. The financial benefits from outsourcing garbage were clearly laid out in the media, and nobody disproved them. The proposals were closely reviewed by a committee that included officials from the City purchasing department, as well as a Democrat and a Republican member of the Common Council. Is it your position that every single one of those people were bought off by City Carting, and participated in a corrupt act?
lwitherspoon rambles on and on but says nothing of any importance...So Sad
Too cute by half, but NOT an answer to the question.
Either you don't know, or you've been told to avoid an HONEST answer.
Hard to believe a smart insider doesn't know.
HAHA
I see you are onto lwitherspoon games...
I cant wait to see how many days the garbage sits in front if the house during a snow storm..The recycling would be 3 days..Strange as the UNION garbage men had the garbage picked up on schedule as always.
Its more than just $$$$$$$$..Its also the quality of service which is something
lwitherspoon is not mentaly capable of understanding as he is a brainwashed puppet. Also wait and see the stated saving will never be had not even close...Its all a big smoke screen.
The size of the contract is easy for any citizen to calculate if you truly lack that information. Just pull up the spreadsheets with the projected costs which were published on the web sites of the local newspapers, add the yearly costs together, and that's the approximate size of the contract over ten years. I believe the spreadsheet showed projected costs with outsourcing, and projected costs with no outsourcing. The great thing here is that the City administration has gone on record with hard numbers showing projected savings. If the results fail to meet or exceed the savings that were promised, we have ample ways to hold our elected officials accountable. The contract can also be cancelled. I'm sure you and your friends in the Union will be watching closely, and it's great for Norwalk that you'll be doing that.
For the record, nobody tells me what to post here, and I am not an insider. I guess you didn't want to address the facts in my comment, so instead you tried to change the subject to who I am and why I'm posting.
"nobody tells me what to post here, and I am not an insider"
You will understand some scepticism after you already told us the offers made by the city and rejected by the union in the last round of negotiations when negotiations are not public information. Only insiders know what was discussed and never became part of an agreement. I am pretty sure you are not getting insider information from the union negotiating team, and may not be getting accurate information from the city side.
You do know how easy it would be to disclose who you are, but I use a pen name and respect your right to the same privilege, just don't post as if you know the rest of us are all stupid.
Old Timer,
What are you talking about? I'm not getting information from anywhere except 1) the newspapers and 2) public meetings. Since you're so confident that this is not true, I challenge you to prove me wrong. Show me any comment I've made which contains non-public, "insider" information.
I'm eagerly waiting...