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Norwalk: Shays Earmarks $300k for Norwalk Emergency Communications


by turfgrrl


August 20th, 2007 · 10 Comments

Chris Shays, congresscritter from the 4th CD, has earmarked funds for improving police departments in the area. From Matt “Mad Max” Breslow’s Advocate report:

The grant was approved along with $500,000 to improve law enforcement in other towns, according to a news release from U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Bridgeport. The funding is included in the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill.

The Senate must approve its own version of the legislation, then both houses of Congress will work on a compromise bill.

Shays said he voted against final passage of the bill because it “undermines a critical provision of the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act.”

But he is pleased the bill included the $800,000 for local initiatives, which are “needed projects,” Shays said.

Mayor Richard Moccia said in a statement that the funding earmarked for Norwalk would “assist the work of coordinating operations and communications between public safety units” in the area.

“I applaud the efforts of Rep. Shays and members of the Appropriations Committee for their recommendation of this vital funding and hope it receives a positive response from the Congress,” Moccia said.

Norwalk’s allocation is $300k for improving emergency communications amongst department.

source: Advocate, Congress earmarks money for Norwalk emergency communications, By Matt Breslow, August 20, 2007

Tags: In the News · Norwalk

10 Responses so far ↓ “Norwalk: Shays Earmarks $300k for Norwalk Emergency Communications”



  • 1 Maura // Aug 20, 2007 at 10:35 am

    Heh, heh. Maybe your headline should be “Democratic Congress brings $300,000 to Norwalk against Chris Shays’ objections”….he voted AGAINST this bill, but the Democratic Congress passed it anyway. Thank Murphy, Courtney, DeLauro, Larsen, and Nancy Pelosi for the money.

  • 2 Anonymous // Aug 20, 2007 at 10:46 am

    And it is more likely that Senator Lieberman influenced this earmark for Norwalk than Shays.

  • 3 Anonymous // Aug 20, 2007 at 11:23 am

    Watch Turf defend Shays now. So much for being non partisan.

  • 4 turfgrrl // Aug 20, 2007 at 11:33 am

    Maura: Good catch. Let’s see how the Democratic controlled Senate manages this one too. It would be good to see how all our congresscritters are doing about bringing back some earmarks to Connecticut overall.

  • 5 Anonymous // Aug 20, 2007 at 11:40 am

    “Good catch” is about as close as you’ll ever get to hearing Turfie say Oops! My bad! Guess I was wrong about that one.

    I have a friend whose husband takes the same approach when he screws up. It’s a coward’s way of admitting they were wrong.

  • 6 turfgrrl // Aug 20, 2007 at 11:46 am

    Anonymous 5: Was I wrong? Didn’t Shays send the press release, so in fact it is Shays claiming credit, not me assigning credit? The post clipped the correct info, so I find it hard to say that I was wrong.

    Certainly I could have gone in a different direction with Shays voting against the earmark by way of the budget. And I may do a post on that later.

  • 7 anonymous // Aug 20, 2007 at 11:48 am

    Thankfully our common council democrats supported Joe Lieberman last year.

  • 8 Anonymous // Aug 20, 2007 at 11:48 am

    Had Shay’s been a Democrat, you certainly would have added editorial comment.

  • 9 turfgrrl // Aug 20, 2007 at 12:27 pm

    Anonymous 8: Hardly, Shays has provided plenty o fodder for me to comment on, as I have for years. Let’s not confuse your political bias with mine.

  • 10 Mr Greenpeace // Aug 20, 2007 at 6:15 pm

    this is awesome we have money coming in ,lets make sure there are no strings or future money we will as a city need to spend before we hire more officers to answer such new communications.Lets makes sure we now talk officers so we can’t use another excuse to say no more police because of a deal we just made for something else during the last mayor.

    Back in Jan of this year only six cities made the grade for communications during a simulated disaster drill 5 years after 911 so it does mean we are not alone.

    Does it include the enhanced 911 system? In June of this year a town of 12,500 received a communication center wth 8 dispatchers , sate of the art equipment it cost over $500,000 to start and now bout $400,000 to maintain a year where dispatchers are only making up to $30,000 a year,,whats it mean nothing I like to rant.I love numbers.

    Its not Norwalk but an in depth look at what we are getting whats it going to cost and what it entails would be nice to find out along with the grant package .I’m sure we will read it in the Advocate or the Hour or that third paper that seems to every so often beat the other two out with an article of interest..

    There are fire depts not accepting grants because of the criteria of the grant, get enough money to seed the projects and not any money in a year or so to continue such projects because there is no money.I’m not saying this grant we have is anything like it but where are the details the resposibility we as a city are going to take on after the money is spent and we have the full monty.

    I have learned to accept nothing is free maybe I’m a synic maybe I’m just jaded seeing this happen around the country when I visit a dept or emergency center and see new equipment in boxes and no cruiser or fire truck to put it in, or see another city take on a couple of towns in place of each idivisual spot not having the manpower or the resources to man what they were given..Not to mention once an ebay ad ran a new console given to a state police troop designed for the front seat of a Victoria,,

    I am glad we are getting help, glad whoever did the grant application did their job, now lets get back to manpower in the street ,,the party is over and South Norwalk is still in need of a big broom,,do brooms come with that grant also?

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