Now that we are in July, both the Democrats and Republicans are busy finalizing their lists of candidates for the fall elections. They will hold nominating conventions later in the month. What neither party wants you to know is that they are struggling to find qualified candidates to run for office. But its not just political parties, the SoNo Business Association cancelled this years Splash event because they didn’t have enough people to organize the event. This year’s Oyster festival to be held in September, is rumored to be the last. The Norwalk Jazz festival had a low turnout, the SoNo Arts festival which should be kicking off in 3 weeks has yet to advertise, and the list unfortunately goes on.
So where are the people?
Population in Norwalk is by all accounts growing, although estimates vary. A little over 1% increase since 2000 would indicate that like much of Fairfield County, the population growth is happening with an increase of immigrants.
The population growth and changing demographics of the region are other critical factors influencing Fairfield County’s economy.
” As important as how many people there are, is who they are,” Bruhl said.
Bruhl said there is a dramatic decline of people under age 55 in the region, just as the over 55 population surges.
In addition, 18 percent of the people in Fairfield County are foreign-born, which is 50 percent more than the national average, according to Bruhl.
Also, one-third of the babies born in Fairfield County are born to foreign mothers.
“The region and state must invest heavily in closing the achievement gap,” he said. “Human capital of Fairfield County is changing. We must economically integrate immigrants in the first generation because we going to have a labor shortage.”
Bruhl said the data used for such presentations comes from the Fairfield County Information Exchange, which is directed by Lisa Mercurio and is an arm of the Business Council of Fairfield County. In the absence of a County government, Bruhl said, it is important that the Information Exchange gathers regional data to separate Fairfield County numbers from the state and tri-state region.
“It’s important that we understand that dual identity with Connecticut and the New York Metro area,” he said. “Without data we’re talking theoretically. We’re a fact-based advocate for business in Fairfield County.”
And facts say that the generational divide is being fueled by the high costs of living in Norwalk and the surrounding town. Younger residents are just not moving to Norwalk, not just because of the costs, but also because Norwalk is no longer offers much to attract young people. Where city leaders point to Walmart as a sign of economic vibrancy, other towns get Target, Whole Foods, Urban Outfiters, Crate and Barrel and Ikea. To be fair, national retail chains select site locations based on demographics on the ground, and putting a Target on West ave. is not going to suddenly lower the median age of Norwalk.
Knowing this you would think that political leaders would focus on encouraging the best candidates to run for office, ones that have an eye on the next 20 years instead of the last 20. But no. One need only look at the seemingly lost opportunity to reform the Board of Ed. The Democrats seem fine with putting up yet another candidate who thinks everything is just fine with a school superintendent who has:
In 2006, three of the city’s four middle schools and nine of its 12 elementary schools, along with a “community school” were cited as falling behind in standards for the federal “No Child Left Behind” Act. Three elementary schools had not met the standards for two years in a row, so students in those schools are offered the choice to go to a Norwalk public school that hasn’t been designated as needing improvement. source:
The Republicans are struggling to find candidates to run for the Board of Ed. And so, instead of we the voters having an opportunity to pick form teh best each party has to offer, I’m afraid we’ll be left with picking from the best from the bottom of the barrel. Volunteers for entertainment events, its turns out, is just the tip of the iceberg.
source:, The Wilton Villager, Business Council outlines impacts on region, by CHRIS BOSAK, July 7, 2007
