{news} RE: Rolf Maurer in Stamford Advocate

[David Bedell]

Rolf Maurer got equal time in Stamford's environmental debate, but 
unfortunately the Advocate gave him less coverage than the major-party 
candidates (even though the headline for the print edition was "Who is the greenest?"). For what it's worth:
 
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_13510250
 
Environment is focus of first Stamford mayoral debate
Candidates share thoughts on environmental issues facing city
 
By Magdalene Perez
Staff Writer
Posted: 10/07/2009 11:03:41 PM EDT
 
STAMFORD -- Three candidates for mayor competed to present the greenest 
vision for the city during a Wednesday debate on environmental issues, 
hosted by SoundWaters.
 
During the 80-minute debate, the Democratic, Republican and Green Party 
candidates fielded questions ranging from how they would address 
stormwater runoff to what they plan to do to improve energy efficiency 
on government properties. The debate at the University of Connecticut 
Stamford was the first in a series scheduled prior to the election Nov. 3.
 
Democratic candidate David Martin used the opportunity to trumpet 
environmental accomplishments Stamford has made during the eight years 
he has served as president of the Board of Representatives, while 
Republican Michael Pavia took advantage of the theme as a chance to 
highlight his experience working in the environmental field.
 
Green Party candidate Rolf Maurer at times admitted he did not have 
expertise in particular subject areas, such as how the city should 
approach dredging in Long Island Sound, but focused on how the city 
could improve options for bikers and mass transit users. Maurer, 47, a 
freelance writer who has worked in the publishing industry for the past 
decade, said he has largely walked, biked or used mass transit for the 
majority of his transportation.
 
The candidates were most notably divided on the question of whether 
Stamford should continue with a multi-million dollar project to build an 
energy facility capable of using dried wastewater sludge to create 
energy. Maurer said the city should "cease" the project immediately, 
while Martin said the city should not say no before it has "all the 
facts and figures" in the city Water Pollution Control Authority's plan.
 
Pavia received loud applause after remarking that the WPCA is the "least 
qualified agency to go out and experiment with a waste-to-energy plant."
 
He said the city should not spend "one more dime" on the power project 
until the sewer authority can show a 50-year cost benefit analysis. 
Pavia, 61, is a developer and part owner of the Darien Ice Rink.
 
Martin, 56, a co-owner of Darien-based management consulting firm 
Michael Allen Co., broke new ground when he suggested the power of the 
city's Environmental Protection Board would increase under his watch if 
he were elected.
 
"I believe the EPB for far too long has had too limited a mission and 
too limited a scope of responsibilities," he said. "I believe it should 
play a larger role in coordinating our environmental policies across all 
levels."
 
Martin's remark may have tied into a related question -- what the city 
should do in response to soil and water contamination in Scofieldtown Park.
 
Notably, Pavia said there should not be further study, but instead 
action to remediate the former industrial landfill.
 
"The (federal Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department 
of Environmental Protection have) studied this thing forever," Pavia 
said. "We need to take positive and progressive action now."
 
Martin said he was the first to call for the park's closure and water 
testing when PCBs and other contaminants were found in the park, and has 
led the effort to bring clean water to neighbors affected by 
contaminated wells.
 
Throughout the debate, Martin trumpeted the environmental 
accomplishments the city has made during his time in City Hall, 
including carrying out energy audits in city buildings, completing 
construction of the Rogers Environmental magnet school, legislating 
requirements for LEED certification in new buildings, introducing 
single-stream recycling, and breaking ground on a Mill River Park expansion.
 
"We've made a lot of progress, but we need to keep moving forward and 
not turn the clock back," Martin said, making reference to his campaign 
theme that the city should not "turn back" to a Republican administration.
 
Pavia, meanwhile, highlighted his experience working in the 
environmental field.
 
He recounted his history of becoming the city's first Environmental 
Protection Board director in the 1970s, and at one point earned applause 
by displaying a copy of the master's thesis he wrote while earning a 
degree in environmental planning from New York University. As head of 
the environmental board, Pavia said he helped write city regulations on 
wetlands and watercourses that are still in place today.
 
Pavia said he increased recycling in the city to nearly 35 percent 
during his time as head of the city's Public Works department under 
former Mayor Stanley Esposito, a number Martin disputed, saying an 
accurate figure would be closer to 8 percent. Pavia stood by the number.
 
"The calculation he makes really distorts the figures," Martin said. "It 
includes stumps and brush and excludes municipal waste."
 
SoundWaters moderator Leigh Schemitz said the fact that environmental 
issues are even being discussed with such prominence during the mayoral 
campaign is a sign that the city is on the right track.
 
"Your ability to address these questions with such depth and creativity 
bodes well for our city's future" Schemitz told the candidates.
 
The next debate is Oct. 18.
 
Staff Writer Magdalene Perez can be reached at 203-964-2240 or 
magdalene.perez@ scni.com. 		 	   		  
_________________________________________________________________
Hotmail: Powerful Free email with security by Microsoft.
http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/171222986/direct/01/
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://pairlist10.pair.net/mailman/private/ctgp-news/attachments/20091008/ee8aed06/attachment.html>