Simmons: City “is Vibrant and on the Rise”
State of the City Address Held on Thursday
STAMFORD — In a room full of business leaders, local officials, and community members, Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons gave her annual State of the City Address on Thursday, April 3. The Stamford Chamber of Commerce event at The Village offered the city’s leader a chance to outline the progress made so far and her vision for the future.
Opening remarks were provided by Stamford Chamber President and CEO Heather Cavanagh, who shared that the organization representing the business community saw a 55% increase in membership over the last year, as well as Stamford Chamber Board of Directors Chairperson Todd Lindvall and PMI Chief Civil Society & Underage Prevention Officer J.B. Simko.
Delta Dental of Connecticut Vice President and Chief Sales Officer Stuart Brereton also spoke before introducing Simmons.
The Mayor began with a reflection on the city’s long history.
“From our early days as an agricultural settlement in 1641 to our industrial rise in the 19th and 20th centuries, and now as the economic backbone of Connecticut, Stamford has always transformed to meet the moment.”
Soon after, she called out the chaos in the nation’s capitol and contrasted it with the welcoming and multicultural community in Stamford.
“We are proud to be one of the most diverse cities in the nation, where people speak over 70 languages and come from all over the world to pursue their dreams in our city. Despite the rhetoric coming from Washington, we will continue to stand firm in being a welcoming and inclusive community for all who want to come here and pursue their dreams.“
Simmons then lauded Deputy Fire Marshall Mark Kuhar for his prompt response to the recent four-alarm fire downtown near the intersection of Bedford Street and Spring Street.
On the economic development front, “[w]e continue to grow and attract new businesses with over 200 new businesses opening last year alone,” the Mayor said.
She also highlighted a new effort with one of the city’s major employers, Charter Communications, to boost job readiness and skills training.
“I’m excited to announce that, just yesterday,” Simmons said, “we launched a new initiative called the Stamford Tech Hub, a transformative, $5 million workforce development training program which will connect hundreds of residents with in-demand, technology skills in fields like cyber security, AI, data science, software development, and digital marketing.”
With the impact of the Trump Administration’s recent actions being felt locally, the Mayor took the opportunity to mention how her proposed budget will help organizations in Stamford.
“Social service organizations are often underfunded and now they face even greater uncertainty as they are threatened with federal funding freezes,” Simmons said. “That’s why we are actively engaging our nonprofit partners to understand their needs and it’s why we also increased funding in our city budget this by 9% for our nonprofits.”
Simmons touted recent efforts made to address the housing crisis in the region.
“And we’re making sure people can afford to build their future here, too, by increasing our supply of affordable housing. Since signing the city’s first executive order on affordable housing, we’ve completed over 637 units with hundreds more in the pipeline,” the Mayor said. “For the first time in over a decade, we’ve updated the Below Market Rate program requirements from 10% to 14% and over the past four years we’ve included funding in each city capital budget to support deeply affordable projects, working in partnership with our incredible housing providers like Charter Oak. Pacific House, Inspirica, and Housing Development Fund.”
The Mayor also talked about community improvements to help neighborhoods be more accessible and walkable.
“Over the past four years, we’ve been intentional investments in the places that shape our daily life, from our streets to schools to our parks and public transit,” Simmons said. “We’ve paved more than 200 roads, upgraded sidewalks around every school, built three new turfs and five new playgrounds for our children and families to enjoy.”
Simmons noted that the city’s StamFORWARD transportation service has already provided almost 25,000 rides for residents and workers throughout Stamford since the launch in November 2024.
The Mayor touched upon her administration’s track record on the environment as well.
“We’ve deepened our commitment to environmental sustainability by launching Stamford’s first ever citywide climate action plan, our roadmap to reducing emissions and protecting our coastline,” Simmons said. “This includes initiatives already underway to solarize our schools, make our city buildings more energy efficient, expand foodscrap recycling, electrify our fleet, and plant more trees across our neighborhoods.”
Quality of life is also a key priority for the Mayor as she discussed in her remarks.
“With a new walk-in permitting center that has reduced wait times for a permit literally over two years down to 90 days, a new Veterans Resource Center at Old Town Hall that has served over 300 veterans with critical and in some cases life-saving services, and a dedicated citizen services team that has fielded 7,000 calls and responded to over 12,000 Fix-It requests last year alone,” Simmons said, “this makes an impact and helps rebuild trust in local government.”
Toward the end of her address, Simmons proudly declared that the city is headed in the right direction.
“And so,” the Mayor said, “I am confident to declare to you all tonight that the state of our city is vibrant and on the rise.”
Derrick Martinez, a general manager with The Junkluggers, attended the Thursday event and expressed optimism about Stamford’s future.
“I was really happy with the State of the City today. We’re excited about the developments towards an eco-friendly future for Stamford,” Martinez said to the Stamford Current. “Junkluggers is a big eco-friendly partner of the Stamford Chamber and we’re really happy to see the progress that we’re making here together.”
Simmons will now seek to continue making advancements in the areas emphasized in her speech, including the economy, housing, education, and quality of life.
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