I have always thought that Fairfield county has more in common with Westchester county than the rest of Connecticut. Our economies are intertwined, connected by the proximity to NYC, but also generating its own set of issues. With the combined populations of nearly 2 million, the the combined counties rivals cities like Cleveland. Regional thinking within Connecticut is practically unheard of, and between counties in different states, certainly a new way of thinking. But it should happen.
The tax revenue that gets sucked up into NY and CT state governments could better be spent reinvesting in infrastructure that would improve the quality of life for all residents. State legislators don’t think that way, which is a shame. But Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano does, from The Hour:
Spano urges unity between Fairfield, Westchester
By CHRIS BOSAK
Hour Staff Writer“We have an opportunity here — here — with the talent, the economy, the energy and the people here to make something different that can be a model for the rest of the country,” Spano said. “We should be addressing this together because the things that are happening will require it.”
Spano was the keynote speaker at a Business Council of Fairfield County member luncheon held Wednesday at Westin Hotel in Stamford. It was the first time the top government executive from Westchester County had addressed the Business County.
“There’s synergy between Westchester and Fairfield counties,” he said. “The things we have together we can strengthen and make more viable in the 21st century.”
The counties have approximately the same population (just more than 900,000), number of businesses and number of housing units. They also share a unique geographic proximity to New York City.“Look at the numbers, you can see it,” Spano said. “We’re the same.”
Fairfield and Westchester also have similar problems, such as transportation, housing, education and competing in an increasingly global economy.
Spano took a unique view on addressing the problems, such as not building new roads and stressing creativity over math and science in our classrooms.
“The biggest asset we (both counties) have is quality of life. If we expand our roads to eight lanes and expand our airports to look like LaGuardia, what does that do to our quality of life,” Spano said. “If you build a road, what happens? It fills up with cars. Pretty soon we’ll have all roads and no houses. This can’t be solved in one state.
“In the 21st century, the key to everything is creativity,” he added, “not math or science, but creativity.”
Spano started his talk with high praise for Joe Carbone of Bridgeport-based The WorkPlace, which has taken the lead with the WIRED initiative. Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) is an initiative of the U.S. Department of Labor to address the challenges of global competition by preparing America’s workforce for high-skilled, high-wage job opportunities.
The Southwestern Connecticut region was competitively selected to receive one of 39 WIRED grants nationwide. The region includes Westchester and Putnam counties.
